Recently, FEDISA collaborated with FILA to showcase the work of its 2nd-year fashion students. An intersection between Italian leisurewear and African design, it celebrated innovation and creativity, yet also reflected a larger trend that’s taken over the fashion industry – athleisure. 

Sitting in the audience, which was full of the coolest people imaginable (to the woman in the holographic sunglasses, you’re my hero), I thought about the way that sports-inspired fashion has become not only an apparel staple of everyday wear, but of the high fashion world, too. The concept of sportswear as fashion is not a new one. It has its basis in the use of African fur patterns in 1900s sports clothing, in wrap tennis skirts which draw from Japanese kimonos; in the stunning style and practicality of Indian Kohlapuri chappals.

With such a rich thread of history, I wondered –  why has it become so popular now, of all times? How did we get here? 

The start of the modern obsession with athleisure came from the 2010s, in the form of galaxy-print yoga pants and neon workout tanks, before catching on rapidly during the 2020s lockdown era. Post-pandemic, the sports industry faced an enormous boom as people itched to finally get outside again, in turn highlighting a new need of consumers – to have their workout wear be more than just functional – and one which designers were eager to deliver on.

With how lucrative the sports market is, and the heavy cultural emphasis placed on sports, it’s understandable why a couture fashion house would capitalise on that new gap in the industry – especially considering how well that gap could support Western models of beauty. Perhaps it’s cynical, but it  is undeniable that at least part of athleisure’s success is its ability to reinforce body types as ways to measure wealth. 

The fashion industry has long had issues with representing people outside of thinness, with physical performance and health being, unfortunately, huge status symbols for many. Of course, the fashion associated with that faces a similar symbolic designation.  

A dedication to self-improvement – and especially that which leads to greater  ‘beauty’ – is coveted, because not everyone can have it. This is the very nature of what makes something valuable. Athleisure is couture because it can embody that ideal. The clothing you wear to exercise has become just as important as the exercise itself. 

That being said, it’s also indicative of a larger cultural trend towards generalisation. Micro trends have become micro trends have become micro trends, and with the relentless churning of fashion cycles, broad and easily adapted styles like athleisure flourish.  

There is a lot of merit to adaptable wear. It represents a sense of possibility and choice that is unavailable in other, more context-driven outfits. You could go to a meeting, on a run, to brunch, to dinner; it offers a flexibility that other clothing just doesn’t have. Something that can be worn many times, in many situations, is incredibly useful in combating the waste and consumerism of the fashion industry, and it illustrates a shift towards sustainability. 

Plus, athleisure’s adaptable nature also means it has an enormous well of creativity to tap. Brands like Thebe Magugu, Orange Culture, GALXBOY, and Telfar all illustrate the sprawling directions designers can take, and they’re only a few examples of many.  

Isabel Masher, a first-year fashion design student at FEDISA, emphasises  this, expressing that athleisure is “a deeply dynamic, versatile genre of style.” She adds, “I love how designers are reimagining the silhouettes and textiles of traditional active wear to create playful, timeless, and often gender-neutral looks.” And this potential for conceptual and artistic development was evident with the sweeping variation on display at the FEDISA show. 

With matching puffer jackets, puffer skirts and puffer boots; juxtapositional styling between pretty and practical; bright, bold pinks and muted greens; and clothing inspired by not only every sport under the sun, but broader concepts like street art, too, it was a brilliant demonstration of everything fashion still has to offer. 

The athleisure movement is an incredibly youthful one, brimming with voices who demand to be heard. The FEDISA designers have proven that sportswear undeniably has a future in fashion – and hopefully with many more holographic sunglasses to come.  

I asked, earlier how we got here. I present you with a new question: where to next?