As activewear has become a hot category for fashion and performance in recent years, more brands have sprung up with strategies to distance themselves from the increasingly dense pack. Here are a few to keep an eye on.
Outdoor Voices
Launched: 2013
Sold At: Outdoorvoices.com
Retail Prices: $50 to $100 with four-piece kits retailing for $295.
Signature: Color-blocked leggings and crop tops in tonal collections of gray, navy and beige.
News: The brand just raised $7 million in a Series A round of funding, led by General Catalyst with participation from Forerunner Ventures, Collaborative Fund and 14W. Cofounders Tyler Haney and Andrew Parietti, who have raised $9.5 million to date, will open a pop-up shop in NoLIta in New York in November.
Heroine Sport
Launched: 2014
Signature: Geometric lines that form a sleek silhouette.
Retail Prices: $90-$175
Sold At: Heroinesport.com, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shopbop and Bandier.
Quote: “Health and fitness is such an integral part of our daily lives that we should express our style in the gym as much as one would on the street,” said chief executive officer Nima Taherzadeh. “We work hard to stay fit and healthy, and we shouldn’t shy away from showing it off.”
Mara Hoffman Activewear
Launched: 2015
Signature: Vibrantly printed spandex and French terry jumpsuits, ponchos and cutout sports bras and tanks.
Retail Prices: $97-$258
Sold At: marahoffman.com, Shopbop, Bloomingdale’s, Bandier
Quote: “Innately, the category endorses strength, wellness and positivity through active and healthy living, which is something I strive to encourage through the voice and work we put out into the world every day,” said designer Mara Hoffman.
Lucas Hugh
Launched: 2010
Signature: Leggings, all with built-in support on the waist and bottom, internal pockets and heat-sealed seams.
Retail Prices: $220-$400
Sold At: Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-a-porter.com and Bandier.
Quote: “I don’t view it as activewear — I see it as ready-to-wear with a technical performance,” said Anjhe Mules, founder and creative director. “We approach the design process as a designer fashion brand would, with fashion collections. I am not a fan of the print frenzy that has boomed with mainstream activewear.”
Zara Terez
Launched: 2008
Signature: Photorealism, Made in New York leggings with graphic prints.
Retail Prices: $52-$85
Sold At: Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Shopbop, Carbon38, Bandier and zaraterez.com
Quote/Inspiration: “Activewear has allowed for prints and colors that were once considered faux pas to become the most sought-after trend in the women’s contemporary market,” said Zara Zimmerman Tisch, founder and chief executive officer.
No Ka’Oi
Launched: 2014
Signature: Concept stitching, exclusive prints and hand-embroidered embellishments.
Retail Prices: $130-$750
Sold At: Net-a-porter, Matches Fashion, Yoox, Harvey Nichols, Excelsior Milano, Luisa Via Roma
Quote: “In our spring collection, I found inspiration in Futurism, a 20th-century Italian artistic and social movement,” said Simona Finelli, art director of No Ka’Oi. “Futurism focused on dynamism, speed and technology. It explored the way the world was quickly changing.”
