Wear us whenever you want – athleisure wear

If we, especially gen Z, are asked to pick clothes that we just can’t do without, it has to be athleisure.

Athleisure wear is a fashion staple that comes in the category of style, comfort and sports. The interesting thing about athleisure style is that it isn’t confined to sports or gyms, you can now wear them anytime you want to, be it while travelling, while sitting at home, out for grocery shopping, etc.

The combination of "athletics" and "leisure" is known as Athleisure.

In the late 19th century, to be precise in the 1870s', the concept of sportswear was rising as people wanted outfits that matched their hobbies of playing tennis, bicycle riding, golf, etc.

Thanks to ace French fashion designers like Coco Chanel and Jean Patou who paved the way for sportswear to become a fashion staple in the 1920s, athleisure became more popular among the masses.

Claire McCardell, an American fashion designer, is responsible for introducing athleisure fashion to America. Her clothes focused more on practicality, functionality and providing that comfortable wearable aspect to the people. She was the designer who designed a 'capsule closet' of five garments that can be turned into nine outfits after mixing and matching them.

To have a small collection of garments of different colours and styles, that can be styled after mixing and matching them is called a capsule closet.

McCardell's collection of sportswear attracted many women at that time but there was hardly any athletic wear for them.

In the 1930s, students of all-male Dartmouth College, United States, protested for their rights to wear shorts anytime they want. It was common for adolescent boys to wear shorter pants but men could only wear them for sports or outdoor activities.

After this, the sporty style began to become more mainstream because people wanted comfort and they started incorporating this sportswear in their wardrobe. By the 1940s' men were able to wear shorts and by the 1950s the trend of women wearing shorts was normalized.

In the 1970s' and 1980's, people started adapting home workouts as workout tapes of Jane Fonda, an American actress, became popular. Gym and fitness centers started rising and people were interested in activities that will lead to their wellness and holistic-healthy lifestyle.

This was the time when activewear or sportswear sectors started booming. These clothes were designed purposely for sweating and mobility. The need for fabrics like Lycra, Spandex, and other synthetic fabrics was increasing during this time.

Major athleisure brands like Nike and Adidas were on their rise and famous personalities like Princess Diana used to wear sporty ensembles after her workout. Designers like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein started producing a range of streetwear aesthetics in their clothes.

Casual yet cool athleisure continued and in 2010, staples like sweatpants, hoodies, sports bras, leggings, etc came into the limelight.

The athleisure sector now focuses on fitness-friendly clothes which are stylish and do not lead people to compromise with their fashion sense.

Celebrities are the trendsetters and in the case of athleisure wear, celebrities played a great role. They wear these clothes during the workout while roaming around the city and in their airport looks.