A Stance On Athleisure

I recently read a story headlined, “Athleisure Has Finally Gone High Fashion,” by GQ’s associate style editor, Sam Hine. My main takeaway from this piece is that it’s now fashionable to be sweaty, wearing brands like Lululemon, Nike x Matthew Williams, Veilance and Satisfy. To be clear, I couldn’t be more in favor of this trend if I tried (which I have, I run and sometimes lift weights…sometimes).

I appreciate Hines giving short synopsis of each of these brands and the impact they’re making on the fashion world. Besides Lululemon and Matthew Williams collaboration with Nike, I had no prior knowledge to Veilance and Satisfy.

Satisfy in particular caught my attention because it looked grungy and didn’t fit the mold of what runners typically wear. As Hines puts it,

If you ever wondered what would happen if a former skateboarder who is obsessed with Dries Van Noten suddenly caught the running bug and decided to start an athletic lifestyle brand, well, congrats on having such a specific question, because Paris-based Satisfy is your answer.

While this brand has beautiful pieces such as post-run sweatpants and screenprinted tank tops for runners, it’s a bit out of my price range at the moment.

If you google search the term “athleisure” you will get a wikipedia definition stating, “Athleisure is a fabricated style of clothing typically worn during athletic activities and in other settings, such as at the workplace, at school, or at other casual or social occasions.” Allow me to reiterate, I can get behind this.

My first memory of approaching the realm of athliesure came the night I graduated high school. For graduation I wore a navy Hugo Boss suit, complimented poorly by a hazel knit tie from J. Crew. I got home after all the pictures we’re taken and the diploma was secured. I wanted nothing more than to be comfortable after the festivies so I threw on my Lululemon pacebreaker shorts which cut nicely above my knee. I complimented that outfit with a hawaiin shirt from Tommy Bahama (don’t ask).

Although this outfit wasn’t purely athleisure, it was on the outskirts. It was comfortable with a hint of flare. I didn’t know it at the time, but that outfit would be the bases of my “summer look” for years to come. A more reserved top, maybe a polo or short sleeved button up, with Lululemon shorts.

It’s now 2019 and I’m three years into this adoption of athleisure. Nowadays it’s purely athliesure. I had a minor addiction to Lululemon this summer, as it was just a block from my apartment. I walked in one weekend back in June and saw the workers, dressed head to toe in things like windbreakers, joggers and headbands. They were sophisticated and confident. This was appealing to me. I thought, “maybe I can pull that look off too.”

So I did.

I spent more money at Lululemon this summer than I’m willing to admit. I don’t regret a thing. Friends of mine can vouch that I lost most of the denim. I lost the flannels and outgrew the Hugo Boss suit. My uniform is Lululemon’s surge jogger, with their metal vent tech shirts and— my personal favorite—Lululemon lab’s diffract jacket.

This semi new trend of athliesure rising to high fashion has put me outside my comfort zone. It’s made me dress practically for the first time in ages. I’m someone who runs every day, sometimes twice. I try and get to the gym at least four to five times a week. Dressing in athleisure has made me a more confident man. Weights and miles aside, the simplicity of joggers, the comfort of a polyester shirt and the modern James Dean jacket that is Lululemon’s diffract, culminate into a future of less athleisure and just the norm.