How athleisure overtook fashion to become the dominant way that Americans dress

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April 4, 2017 2:27 PM

It's a big change in how we approach our clothes.

Athleisure is the future.

It seems that every major retailer is trying to jump on the movement that was once thought as just a passing trend, but is now seen as a radical shift in what Americans demand from their clothing.

"Athleisure is the new casual," Deirdre Clemente, a professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, recently told Business Insider.

Clemente, whose research focus is on 20th-century American culture and the fashion industry, said that

It's combining two trends that have dominated American casual clothing — durability and comfort — in a versatile way.

"Styling is evolving to merge business casual and sportswear into one," Clemente said. "Durability of sportswear and the versatility of business casual — put those two things together, and who's not going to want to buy it?"

Americans are being drawn to athleisure in larger numbers every year. In 2015, while the whole of retail sales were flat for the year, sales of athletic wear were up 12%, according to Fortune.

While athletic wear was created for a specific use — sports or athletics, obviously — athleisure clothing could theoretically be for any use. And it's this versatility that has attracted many consumers to the category. These days, it can be worn in most offices and social situations without causing anyone to bat an eye. It's also generally more durable, with properties like wrinkle and odor resistance incorporated into its techy fibers.

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