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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

The Reign of Leggings Is Over. What’s Next?

After dominating wardrobes for more than a decade, leggings are no longer the go-to bottom for many younger consumers — even in the gym. Activewear brands are scrambling to adapt.
Free People Movement trackpants.
Track pants unseated leggings as the top-selling bottoms style for FP Movement this year. (FP Movement)

Purba Tyagi is a yoga teacher based in New York City. For the past year, she has not worn a single pair of leggings to class.

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Further Reading

The Athleisure-fication of Everything

Demand for leggings and sweats may have peaked, but the pandemic’s comfort-first aesthetic is hardly dead. It’s simply mutating into something else: a yet-to-be-named category that incorporates stretch and softness into a staggering number of fashion staples, from trousers to jumpsuits.

Is There Room for Another Activewear Giant?

A giant investment from Softbank in 2021 turbocharged expansion plans at Vuori, which is now eyeing global expansion and a takeover of its customers’ closets. But Lululemon, Nike and a host of direct-to-consumer competitors stand in its way.

Denim Enters Its ‘No Rules’ Era

Denim shapes — from the Millennial skinny resurgence to Gen-Z’s ultra-baggy obsession — have been polarising. Now, a number of trends coexist and rise and fall quicker, meaning navigating what’s in and what’s out has gotten trickier.

About the author
Cathaleen Chen
Cathaleen Chen

Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and drives BoF’s coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors.

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