As consumers are facing lockdown globally making many concerned about going outside, indoor activities will be very important for the activewear product development. Also due to cancellation of the organized sports activities in 2021 parents and children are turning to their backyards to keep active and busy.
From the last few seasons, the difference between the activewear and athleisure market spotted winning the various consumer's profile. As millennials and Genz consumers are more like demanding the conscious fashion, and polarized for a social cause or highly interested in on-demand quick satisfaction from the brand, brands need to come up with the highly personalized options. The activewear market in 2020 and 2021 will revolve around the technical and digital lifestyle satisfaction while coming up with sustainable fashion.
Key Message on 2021/22 activewear market
- Outdoor venues or indoor alternatives will continue to be encouraged. Open-air activities remain beneficial, especially the therapeutic effects of the outdoors on mental wellbeing.
- Sales of outdoor sports and toyes will surge. Growth in the Outdoor and Sports Toys super category was driven by several categories that experienced strong dollar gains during April, including Playground Equipment (+81%), Skate/Skateboards/Scooters (+107%), Ride-Ons (+78%), Water/Sand Toys & Accessories (+47%), Pools (+161%), and Sports Activities & Games (+25%).
- Safe outdoor environment will be must for germ and virus free work culture. The key to survive for the food and restaurant industry is essential to survie its business
- City dwellers are searching for an Outdoor Oasis to support their mental and physical wellbeing. Consumers still desire socialisation and human connection despite health hazards associated with large gatherings
Brands need to target the right to gain more brand loyalty for that we have selected the few consumers to profile those who will lead the market.
In early 2017, Running the USA, a nonprofit organization devoted to long-distance running and racing in the USA, revealed in an in-depth survey that for the third year in a row, the number of road race finishers had gradually declined. In 2016,
The Wall Street Journal published an article also addressing changes in fitness habits, Millennials’ preference for non-competitive fitness activities, and what the future may hold for running events.
Despite this seemingly pessimistic scenario for new business opportunities, independent apparel brands are continuing to crop up and are attracting those athletes who have remained loyal to this activity.
Most of these new brands are born as a result of their founders’ desire for a different running-apparel aesthetic or their continuous search for good quality sportswear.
The reason for this lack of high-quality athletic apparel is due to bigger companies, e.g. Nike and Adidas, focusing most of their research on developing shoe technology and not on technical clothing innovation. Another reason is that most major-brand sports garments usually have a unique aesthetic — often very colorful with visible logos — that doesn’t please a large part of the running community.
This was the case with Path Projects, a company founded in 2017 by Scott Bailey, an ultra runner and former CEO of One Distribution Company, the parent company of skatewear brands Supra and KR3W. He was dissatisfied with the running apparel on the market and decided to create a line of neutral-colored, minimal-style clothing made from the best fabrics he could find.
As reported on GQ’s website, over the last five years at least a dozen new brands have entered the market with similar origin stories. The British brands Ashmei and Iffley Road; the Danish brand Doxarun; and the American brands Isaora and Tracksmith, the former American brand focusing on expensive training gear and parkas and the latter investing in a vintage Ivy League aesthetic to name a few.
Similar to the craft beer movement, these independent brands are taking advantage of online shopping and the ease of social media marketing and are creating high-quality clothing for those runners who seek garments to fit both their needs and individual style.
Activewear Consumer Profile:
The definition of sport is broadening thanks to the growing profile of urban sports and e-sports. In cities across the world, river-surfing, women’s 5-a-side football teams and garage gyms are creating spaces for community and experimentation.
Meanwhile, e-sports are attracting huge audiences to watch the world’s best videogame players – game-streaming platform Twitch reports that fans watched 434 billion minutes of content in 2018 alone.
New cultural hubs are emerging across Africa, the Balkan states and Central Asia, as we look for different perspectives. Travel is changing too, as we seek new experiences away from the Instagram-inspired tourist drag, whether that’s forgotten nature parks, regional cities or traditional resorts.