January 9, 2014

Athletic Hype

Well it's a New Year and you know what that means...a rise in gym memberships as people strive to fulfill their annual resolutions to get fit. Not only will the gyms be packed these first few weeks of January, but we've been having a lot of mainstream conversations concerning athletic wear. It's now a lifestyle more than ever, especially as fashion and fitness begin to merge.


Over the past few seasons, things have been getting much more active, especially with the most recent Spring/Summer 2014 shows. From sneakers on the runway at DKNY to tennis influences at Lisa Perry and Tommy Hilfiger's scuba fabrications, this sporty attitude is getting us hyped up. All you have to do is look around and you'll notice the influx of technical fabrications in clothing, people interchanging their wardrobes from gym to work and back again, and the onset of athletic gear influences hitting Hollywood like in "The Hunger Games." Everyone has fitness on the brain and the industry is catching on to the craze as well.

photo via NY Daily News

It's not only on the runway but hitting mass market retailers as well like H&M with their new activewear collection. The fast fashion mega-giant has announced that it will be dressing the Swedish Olympic and Paralympic teams at the fast approaching 2014 Winter Games as well as the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2015.

photo via NY Times

In other news, the cutting-edge brand, Under Armor is planning to open its first NYC location early this year in SoHo, which will also be its largest store to date. This neighborhood is really heating up especially with the already existing Adidas, Sweaty Betty, Athletica, and Lululemon shops. In addition, rumors have been circulating about the opening of a Niketown which would really create some competition. 

video via Nike

As far as the marriage between fashion and athletics goes, it all stems from the obvious: wearable technology. Nike leads the pack with the introduction of its Fuelband SE that measures your whole body's movement to give you better insight into how active your everyday life is. This innovative limited addition gadget nearly sold out following the most recent holiday season. And with the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Gear smart watch, Google Glass, and of course, Burberry's former CEO moving to Apple, who knows what the future will bring.

photo via ft.com

So whether you're into the athletic thing or not, fashion is proving that fitness is an important aspect of our current lifestyle. Wearable technology is getting smarter as new applications allow us to track and predict behaviors via clothing, watches, and footwear. What we wear tells says a lot about who we are already, but with these new innovations, we will learn how to live both fashionably and healthy. 

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