Athleisure - The New Normal in Fashion Trends 2021

Designer athleisure arrived a while ago, but its stamp of no return has only been reaffirmed in the year of confinement. As the old saying goes, if you can't beat them join them. While we all want to eagerly push past the pandemic horror, there is a new normal in fashion trends that gained exponential popularity in its wake and is here to stay. So, if you are one of those classic fashion police who would think wearing your oversized T-shirt is a faux pas, you may want to tweak your metrics and play catch up. The sight of dolled-up women trotting around in flowing taffetas and georgettes in the fashion capitals of Milan, Paris, New York or London are sights of yore!

The New Normal

With the world learning and acclimatizing to the new normal in work and social spheres, convenience and comfort have made unabated strides in fashion. We have made it through a year working from the couch of our homes, stripped of the need to dress our Sunday's best, where the need to grab something from the shop downtown meant running across in your basic comfort clothing in time for a zoom call meeting. Even if that meant wearing your sweat pants draped with your flashy sling bag! For those off digital platforms wondering what on earth we are talking about and those that haven't updated their vocabulary, go anywhere. Here is all you need to know.

What is Athleisure Wear?

So what really is athleisure wear and what catapulted this rage to take the world by storm? Like a math problem that needs to be broken down, let's break this too. Ath – meaning athletic or sporty and leisure translating to something casual and comfy. Yes! It's just as simple as that. The Cambridge dictionary explains it as " A style of clothing that is comfortable and suitable for doing sports, but also fashionable and attractive enough to wear for other activities".Athletic designer wear has also caught on with the emerging design studios and boutiques.

Trendsetters can now give you exhaustive catalogs ranging from luxury, workwear, and even trendy wear that you can even wear for a perfect airport look. Fitness enthusiasts are a growing population and one that cannot be ignored. Retailers have jumped into this bandwagon making a commercial success of all things synonymous with combining functionality with fashion. So those style renegades wanting to kill by their look of breezy and easy, don't give up your favorite sweat pants and cross back bras just yet. You can thank later and maybe gain some inspiration too.

Back to basics: Bend them like Beckham

Do you remember that Live In jeans advertisements back in the days, showing us this Greek God rising out of a washing machine wearing his denim with a tagline that said, too comfortable to get out of? Athleisure trends have taken it quite literally and decided to get down to bare basics – pairing your sports bra with comfortable sweatpants or biker shorts to run an errand to the nearest coffee shop, is not bizarre anymore. But why does this work and what really propelled this trend further to 2021?
The spell of confinement and lockdowns ushered in virtual everything. From parties to work; interviews to concerts. Attending interviews virtually, translated to wearing a smart top over running shorts to balance the top look. vs bottom look. Not having to compromise being relaxed through a nerve-wracking few moments of question and the answer was the silver lining.

Digital and Technology Footprints

Instagrammers went berserk sharing a sneak of their home routines of board games and everyday chores with their comfort clothing. The phrase, I can't be caught dead in these pants is so overrated.With the outpouring of celebrity trends visible to the world of Instagrammers, retailers and fashion houses have upped their game not missing the opportune moment to stock up what seems to be selling like hot cakes. Technology advancements have also introduced better more sustainable fabric blurring the line of functionality and fashion merging them to create what is now second skin. Consumers looking to easily transition their roles and moods from work to leisure and wellness to casual fashion have an answer in athleisure fashion. It is no wonder then that the Athleisure sector has grown exponentially in the last few years, is forecasted to increase by 2026, it a staggering $250 billion 

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