You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

The Emerging Fashion-Oriented Brands are Tapping Millennial Athleisure Market in India Atleisure is the new choice of every groovy individual, who loves comfort and wants to be fashionable at the same time and let's explore the new terminology

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

In earlier times, wearing athletic wear outside any sporty setting was considered as lack of fashion options but in the past few years, Athleisure, a portmanteau of 'Athletic' and 'Leisure' category has grown and grown to the stage where it is no longer a trend but a mainstay in Indian fashion culture.

Today's millennial generation who has become both health conscious and fashion forward proudly sport their stylish athleisure whilst wanting to look good and feel comfortable in what they wear. As a result, fashion brands are becoming increasingly central to athleisure market to tap into the growth of this segment, which has become a buzzword for fashion industry. To keep up with this mega trend, brands are offering more of a mix of functionality and fashion in their products to catch the attention of new consumers.

The Trend Amongst Millennials

The casual athlete isn't the only thing driving the lifestyle push of athleisure clothing, though. There's also been a shift towards using celebrity influencers who are becoming the mainstream curators of what's cool and trendy and are often seen sharing their look on social platforms like Instagram, which itself is a powerful platform for fashion clothing brands.

The Data

Indians are being drawn to athleisure outfits in larger numbers every year. According to industry estimates, athleisure wear as a category is growing at a rate faster than the rest of apparel categories. In 2016-17, Athleisure grew at a rate of 20-25% annually; menswear grew at a rate of 8-10%, while women and kids' apparel segment grew at 11-15%. In the global activewear market, India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.9 %, in terms of value, according to the report published by Allied Market Research titled, Activewear Market by Product and Fabric: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast.

Initiative By The Government

The Indian government is giving huge importance to the fitness-driven lifestyle and are running various programs and campaigns to propel the growth of the overall sports and fitness industry along with activewear industry. The introduction of an International Yoga Day and fitness wave by our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi is an inspiring example of that.

Here is why Athletic wear will get more heed for casual wear in the future thereby bringing more opportunities for fashion retail brands to magnify their profits.

Here is how athleisure trend is helping Clothing & Athletic Apparel brands to excel and magnify their profits.

  • Brands are conceptualizing clothing to suit each and every sport such as golf wear, Poker wear, Football gear etc. This has been a huge hit for sports lovers as these clothes act as an extension to their personality.

  • As India's climatic conditions shower us with heat and humidity for a long part of any year; the need for comfortable clothing is practical to feel less restrained and flexible. Since the comfort and the flexibility is the unique selling proposition of any sportswear, it is ideal that growth opportunities are tremendous in this sphere.

  • The trekking culture is rising in India; more and more youngsters are going to trek. One usually dons sportswear for any sort of trekking. Thus, the social element in trekking influences others to follow the same; hence, demand is account to increase.

  • India's young generation looks out for convenience; Wearing athleisure gives a chance to manage in one outfit inconsiderate of what occasion or place it is.

  • A large amount of people in India have started to pursue Yoga in their daily routine due to which the use of flexible wear is account to head towards growth. Since athleisure lexicon uses the most flexible fabric, the yoga-enthusiasts are going to opt it as their daily wear.

  • Enhancement of performance at gym is a desire of every fitness-follower; Science says, when you're burning calories of your body, the blood pumps oxygen to the muscles, lactic acid builds up as an outcome, which often causes pain, fatigue and cramping. The activewear helps in the stimulation of blood flow and therefore, the production of lactic acid is reduced.
    Since Activewear assists improvement in gym-performance, the profits for fashion retailers in Athleisure segment are going to accelerate.

Based on the points above, it can be inferred that perception of a buyer is changing and new lifestyle and trend is emerging. Therefore, acceptance towards athleisure in vast population can be witnessed.

Emphatically, it can be concluded that athleisure is going to have its base for a long time and thus, it can generate revenues for the business related and associated to it.

Thought Leaders

How To Improve Your Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence in 7 Easy Steps

Using these simple but effective approaches will help a person in their business, life and relationships.

Business News

'Wildly Inappropriate': Woman Says She Was Denied a Job Because She Didn't Wear Makeup During the Interview

Melissa Weaver was applying for a VP of HR job at a tech company via video.

Making a Change

Learn Up to 14 Languages with $460 Savings on Lifetime Access to the Babbel App

Expand your professional reach with help from this popular language-learning app.

Innovation

Up to 90% of Startups Fail — But Innovation Accelerators Can Help Yours Succeed. Here's How.

Learn how innovation accelerators are powering startups, shortening time to market and increasing the survival rate of fledgling businesses.

Starting a Business

Free Webinar | April 25: How to Launch a Business For Creative Minded People

You can monetize your creativity! Join our webinar on April 25th to ask globally recognized design executive Launi King anything you want to turn your passions into money. Register now!

Business News

Uber Is Fixing One of the Biggest Complaints Families and Parents Have With the Company

Uber Car Seat is now available in New York and Los Angeles.