There’s nothing like a cute outfit to get you in the mood to move. It’s true! As soon as you trade-in those saggy shorts for paneled leggings, a mesh T and a fresh pair of Nike’s, something spectacular happens… it’s called CONFIDENCE. And it can completely change the way you enter (and leave) the gym.
The best part is, this confidence doesn’t have to stop at the gym exit. ‘Athleisure’, which started as a basic fashion-meets-fitness trend in early 2015, has now evolved to become one of the most sought-after street styles. And it’s easy to see why… I mean seriously, how many trends let you look this cool while secretly being super comfy?
The thing we love about Athleisure is that it just keeps on getting better and better. In fact, some of it is so good – you won’t want to get it sweaty! But that’s okay because as well all know, these days, athleisure isn’t just for the gym.
Below, we’ve listed some of our all-time favourite fitness/fashion brands that we feel have really nailed the new Athleisure look…
P.E. nation is known for blurring the lines between sports wear and street wear. They’ve got all your classics – shorts, leggings and crops – along with some seriously cool extras like bomber jackets, mesh T’s and relaxed pants. We love the way they do contemporary styles but with retro, varsity style prints and bright colours. P.E Nation is definitely setting the sporty luxe standards high.
Not quite as well known as P.E. Nation but just as cool, Jasmine Alexa is a Melbourne based brand that fuses active wear and day wear. We really love the minimalistic styles of their clothing. It’s simple and cool but also very unique and high-end. We definitely recommend checking this one out if you’re into understated chic.
The Upside is another athleisure brand that has grown hugely in popularity. They’re all about easy, effortless style and are renowned for their unique prints. If you’re looking for sleek basics like leggings, crops and tee’s, these guys have some seriously cool options to choose from.
213 Apparel is all about happiness and freedom. They’re more of a yoga-meets-daywear brand, as opposed to an all-round sporty luxe store. Inspired by nature and Venice beach, their clothing is simple, cool and relaxed. We personally love the printed shirts with ‘Buy The Avocado’ and ‘Happiness Revolution’ across the front. Definitely a good one for all the yogis out there!
Arcadia Movement is probably one of the more fashion-forward athleisure brands we’ve stumbled across. It originated in Byron Bay and so each piece is inspired by the luxe, coastal area. We’d personally shop there mainly for the stylish crops, but there are some really cool shirts and leggings in there as well. All their prints are also created from hand painted artworks that the designer did herself. How cool is that?
Inspired by Bondi Beach, First Base was designed to be clean, simple and iconic. They’re big on cool, laid-back trackies, singlets and leggings but we were also surprised to find some pretty stylish dresses in there as well. There are a few things in the collection that you wouldn’t wear in the gym (like the green, slit back dress) but we would definitely wear them out and about.
