New Year new you, so the slogan goes and with sales of men’s sportswear soaring it would appear every man and his dog is in the gym.
However, according to a new report for men’s fashion brand Jacamo, looks could be deceiving, with one in two men now using workout wear as everyday wear.
Purchases of the increasingly high-tech and well-cut new generation of fitness clothing may have started with good intentions of daily workouts, but the comfortable, on-trend garments have fast become firm favourites with one in two men admitting they choose to wear them out and about away from the gym.
The celebrity–led sportswear trend began with the likes of Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, Travis Scott, Kanye West and Chris Hemsworth staying in their designer fitness gear all day long. Then the high street swiftly followed, producing affordable, eye-catching, ultra-comfortable versions with a universal appeal that cut across age and social groups.
The Jacamo survey revealed that over two thirds of UK men are happy to wear gym clothing to a pub, bar or café, while seven out of ten (69%) say they choose the garments for their style and comfort, rather than how well they will stand up to a work-out.
Labelled ‘athleisure’ wear, industry figures show sales for men and women’s have soared by 8% over the past year, four times that rate of the total UK clothes market and is now worth £2.5 billion.*
Jenni Bamford for Jacamo said: “We have seen the expected spike in interest in our fitness and work-out wear lines following Christmas and the New Year, but we have also seen a doubled of demand in selected sportswear lines over the last 12 months. Celebrities regularly appearing in the media wearing relaxed gym clothes to go about their everyday lives, has definitely had an influence on how quickly this trend has been adopted by everyone else. It’s also great to see that this style is not just restricted to young men, but works all through the generations, on everyone from teens to dads and grandads.
“Sports and fitness wear now comes in a huge variety of choice in fabrics, colour, design, and crucially size. At Jacamo our range of active-wear is accessible to all men whatever their budget, age, shape or size. Even better, gym-wear is now just as appropriate for the pub as it is for pumping iron.”
