Yoga Poseurs: Athletic
Gear Soars, Outpacing Sport Itself
Customers Snap Up Stretchy Tees and Leggings,
Boosting Growth for 'Athleisure' Apparel
Why work out when you
can just buy the clothes and look like you did?
The rate of growth in
the U.S. retail athletic apparel market is surging, even as Americans' rate of
participating in most sports is in decline.
The result is a
phenomenon the apparel industry calls "athleisure"—a bright spot in a
sluggish business thanks to Americans who are increasingly donning sneakers in
the boardroom and yoga pants at brunch.
Analysts at Barclays
estimate the U.S. athletic apparel market will increase by nearly 50% to more
than $100 billion at retail by 2020, driven in large part by consumers snapping
up stretchy tees and leggings that will never see the fluorescent lights of a
gym.
Demand for yoga gear,
for example, is outpacing growth of the sport itself. Yoga participation grew
4.5% in 2013, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Meanwhile, sales of
yoga apparel were up 45%, according to Matt Powell, an analyst for
SportsOneSource, a sporting-goods industry tracker.
"Everyone is
wearing yoga pants, even people who aren't doing it," said Karen Score,
the owner of Yoga Mandali, an independent yoga store in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Ms. Score, who also
runs an adjoining yoga studio, is drawing up brochures for fall classes with
the tag line: "Do you wear yoga pants? Why not try yoga?"
Lauren
Wheeler-Woodburn estimates that she owns at least 25 pairs of yoga pants.
As a graduate student
at the University of Southern California and social-media strategist, she says she
wears them mostly every day, for class or to work, or just sitting at home
lounging.
"I sound like the
yoga pants version of a crazy cat lady," said Ms. Wheeler-Woodburn, who
prefers Lululemon but dons other brands too.
The 25-year-old isn't
a diligent yogi, though she practices at home sometimes. For her, the clothing
isn't an athletic utility but a wardrobe staple. Yoga pants, she said, are easy
to clean, don't need to be ironed and, at $90 a pop at Lululemon, are cheaper
and more versatile than even her favorite jeans, for which she pays upward of
$200 a pair at Nordstrom.
The trend isn't
limited to yoga. Organizers of a trade show for traditional outdoor and camping
retailers earlier this month debuted a new exhibit devoted to so-called urban
wear for "millennials" who wear their boots and flannels with no
intention of actually hiking.
For men, retailers are
rolling out new versions of jogger pants—sweatpant-like trousers with elastic
cuffs at the ankles. Mr. Powell, of SportsOneSource, said they have been a main
topic of discussion at apparel trade shows throughout Las Vegas this week.
Tracksmith, an online
apparel boutique, made its debut in July offering preppy, $90 men's running
shorts.
Not long afterward, a
parody site called Running Team JVA mocked Tracksmith's marketing.
"Running is free. But it shouldn't be," the site reads.
Matt Taylor, a
co-founder of Tracksmith, which sold out its first shipment of inventory, said
he thought the site was "pretty clever."
Betabrand, a San
Francisco-based apparel startup that crowdsources ideas for items and
crowdfunds the production, said the debut of its chino-styled dress-pant yoga
pants earlier this year was so successful the company has put ideas for other
projects on hold to focus on the athletic apparel business, particularly for
women.
The Sports &
Fitness Industry Association tracks participation rates across six categories.
Over the past five years, participation in individual, racket and team sports
fell, and was flat for outdoor, water and fitness sports.
Meanwhile, the size of
the U.S. market for workout clothes grew by 5% a year on average, from roughly
$54 billion to $68 billion, according to analysts at Barclays.
Athletic apparel
manufacturers and retailers are reaping the benefits. Under Armour
Inc., once known largely for its compression gear
worn by football players, expects its annual revenue to surge 29% this year to
$2.91 billion, fueled by its expansion into women's wear, youth apparel and
footwear.
Consumers "have
and will continue to want versatility, to look great everywhere, in the gym, on
the street, in class," said Henry Stafford, president of Under Armour
North America.
Dick's Sporting
Goods Inc., reeling from downturns in both the golf and
hunting categories, said this week it is looking to grow its other businesses,
and has already begun allocating more store space to sports apparel,
particularly for women and children in time for back-to-school shopping. Bon-Ton Stores
Incin May said it would "outsize the active
athleisure category across all zones." Kohl's Corp. will begin selling flashy sweatpants by Juicy
Couture in the fall as a means "to capture more of the athleisure
market."
In March, Andy Mooney,
chief executive of surf and snowboard apparel maker Quiksilver
Inc., said the company was de-emphasizing the core
adventure-sports community and "going back to what we did when we first
started, which is, we were both functional and fashionable at the same
time."
The changes are even
being noted in high-end markets. Online luxury apparel retailer Net-a-Porter in
July unveiled a channel devoted exclusively to high-fashion athletic looks,
named Net-a-Sporter.
Luxury brand Christian Dior
unveiled some sneaker-inspired pumps for its
fall ready-to-wear line. A glazed rubber pointy-toed upper is paired with a
rubber sole inspired by running shoes. The heels are available for preorder in
Dior stores starting at $1,450.
The athletic apparel
market isn't without its challenges. Lululemon Athletica Inc., which
has been wrestling for a year-and-a-half with supply chain and quality issues,
cut its outlook for the year as it works to clear excess inventory.
Alexandra Medina, of
Costa Mesa, Calif., likes to wear yoga pants around town, which is standard
fare in her community. She said she likes to work out, but can't always find
the time in days that are consumed with running her flooring company and
chasing her 19-month-old daughter.
"When you put on
your workout apparel," she said, "you think, 'Huh, maybe I should
think about working out today.' "
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