Athleisure - what does it actually mean?
The term athleisure was created by the fashion industry blending together the words athletic and leisure. It is a descriptive term, indicating how the trend can stretch beyond the traditional scope of sports. The pioneer of the athleisure wave is the Canadian label Lululemon, whose focus since it was founded, has been on extremely fashionable sportswear that appeals to the modern, athletic business woman. The Boogie Pants, created in 1998, are already a fashion design classic, exhibited at MoMA in New York.
Originating in Canada and the USA, the trend only really gained momentum in the 2010s, also benefiting from new social media like Instagram. Celebrities like Rihanna or Beyoncé (with her own athleisure line Ivy Park), as well as influencers like Caro Daur or Stefanie Giesinger picked up on the fashion trend and helped make it big. Today there is hardly a fashion label without its own athleisure line. Deirdre Clemente, Professor of Cultural and Fashion History at the University of Nevada even claims: "Athleisure is the new casual." It seems like Lycra, lurex, neoprene, elastane, polyamide & co. will be with us for a long time to come.