The athleisure trend sweeping the UK is predicted to drive the sportswear market‘s value to £2.5 billion in 2017.
According to a new report from GlobalData, sports clothing has jumped eight per cent year-on-year as retailers rush to cash in on the trend and release their own athleisure ranges.
This is nearly four times the growth of the total UK clothing market, which rose 2.1 per cent.
The trend has seen a resurgence in brands like Kappa and Ellesse, while more contemporary retail giants like Boohoo, Topshop, New Look and H&M have released their own ranges in an effort to establish a foothold against sportswear specialists.
The popularity of athleisure fashion has been largely driven by the wellness trend, according to GlobalData‘s retail analysts Fiona Paton.
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“The health & wellbeing trend, influence of high profile fitness bloggers and continued investment from the government in initiatives such as improving cycle routes will increase consumer participation in sport and exercise – providing retailers with a larger, more varied activewear customer base,” she said.
“Sales growth in athleisure is set to peak in 2017 but it will remain a very popular category over the next five years, outperforming total clothing.
“As fashion retailers such as New Look, Primark and ASOS invest in affordable, trend-led own brand sportswear ranges, female shoppers have access to more choice, will spend more on impulse and will purchase athleisure pieces in replacement of core casualwear items.
“GlobalData believes non-sports specialists can lean on their fashion credentials and skills in interpreting seasonal trends quickly to ensure regular newness and that collections remain relevant, thereby forcing sports players such as Sports Direct to up their fashion game.”
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