Clothes for the reopening

Brands like Athleta, Target, Wilson make a big bet that all-day workout wear is here to stay

CHICAGO — People are going back out in public, but before they leave home they’re weighing wardrobe questions that were largely irrelevant last year — from whether skinny jeans are still in to what’s OK to wear to work now that co-workers will see below a Zoom shirt.

While some look forward to again having occasions to get dressed up, the apparel industry is betting consumers won’t entirely give up the jogger pants, sweatshirts and other comfortable pieces that got them through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods, better known for sports equipment, recently introduced a sportswear line and plans to open its first stores later this year. Meanwhile, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Kohl’s announced new private-label apparel brands in March: VRST, a men’s line at Dick’s Sporting Goods, and FLX, for both men and women, at Kohl’s.

“We expect that desire to be comfortable … to continue for the foreseeable future,” said Diana Smith, Mintel’s associate director for the U.S. retail and apparel industries. “It’s not a trend; it’s more of a lifestyle.”

After a year of spending more time than usual in yoga pants, Jen Ohrn, 46, of Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, said she never wants to put her feet in a pair of heels again.

“I don’t want to go to places that are fancy anymore,” said Ohrn, shopping for an upcoming vacation to Florida at Old Navy in the Goose Island neighborhood.

Consumers were shifting to more casual styles before the pandemic hit, and the popularity of clothing designed to go from workouts to hangouts hasn’t faded since it boomed in the mid-2010s, Smith said.

Whether those casual looks are workplace-ready depends on the company and the employee’s role.

Employers could face more pressure to loosen apparel expectations after workers got used to dressing as they pleased at home, said Jeff Galak, associate professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. Some won’t relax standards, but others could use looser dress codes to compete for talent by offering flexibility, he said.

Several of the women Chicago-based Watson Style Group advises on workplace looks say their companies are relaxing dress codes, said stylist Veronica Lenz.

Someone who previously wore a suit might now opt for dark-wash jeans with a blazer and colorful top, a look Lenz calls “polished casual.”

Heels were already losing ground to more comfortable footwear before the pandemic, but there’s a growing shift to booties or dressy sandals. Sneakers are increasingly accepted, too — as long as they’re trendy, not designed for workouts.

“There are more ways to show personality,” Lenz said.

Athleisure still isn’t recommended, and high-level executives might choose a more traditional business professional look, she said. While overall U.S. apparel sales fell 22.3% during 2020, sales of sports apparel, including performance, outdoor and sports-inspired clothing, saw a slightly smaller drop of 18.9% compared with 2019, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

Several retailers recently have said consumers are still buying clothes for workouts and comfort, even as they update wardrobes with dressier items to venture back out.

While Target is seeing “explosive demand” for dresses, cosmetics and luggage, people are still buying sporting goods and activewear, Christina Hennington, executive vice president and chief growth officer, said during a call with analysts last week.

All in Motion, a private-label activewear brand Target introduced in early 2020, hit $1 billion in sales in one year, Target said.

At Gap-owned women and girls’ active brand Athleta, which had $1 billion in sales last year, “performance lifestyle” clothing like shorts, dresses, swimwear and tank tops did well, executives said during a recent call with analysts. Sales were up 27% during the first quarter of 2021 compared with the first quarter of last year, the company said.

Gap’s other brands are prioritizing activewear, too, with both Gap and Old Navy reporting growth in active and fleece apparel even as sales of dresses and summer fashion pick up.

At Kohl’s, the athleisure brand FLX is part of a new strategy

focused on active and casualwear announced last year.

Both Dick’s Sporting Goods and Kohl’s new lines carry traditional workout styles like shorts and T-shirts as well as “commuter” styles like button-downs, jackets and, at FLX, dresses.

“As more people return to work, resume travel and attend events and gatherings, they are seeking out new and updated apparel, while maintaining the preference for casual comfort — which fits squarely into the product categories we are investing in,” Doug Howe, Kohl’s chief merchandising officer, said in an email.

Kohl’s is moving activewear to the front of the store, giving it about 20% more space, while men’s dresswear will shrink, Howe said.

Kohl’s aims to have active merchandise, including athleisure, footwear and outdoor brands like Columbia, Lands’ End and Eddie Bauer, account for 30% of its sales by 2023.

Those product categories already accounted for about 23% of sales in 2021’s first quarter, nearly double results from 2020’s first quarter.

Wilson, too, says its apparel is designed to be worn all day, from working out or going on a hike to running errands and hanging out with friends, said Joelle Michaeloff, Wilson’s head of sportswear design. The initial collection includes tank tops, polo shirts, track jackets and a crop sweatshirt.

“We want it to be something that can show up for everything, where you leave the court and still look put together,” she said.

While Wilson is best known for sports equipment, it isn’t new to apparel. The company has consistently made tennis clothing, but its apparel heyday was in the 1960s when it was known for its warm-up suits, said Gordon Devin, president of Wilson Sportswear.

A change in ownership created an opportunity to expand the brand, Devin said. Wilson’s parent company, Amer Sports, which also owns brands like Salomon, Arc’teryx and Louisville Slugger, was bought by a consortium led by China’s Anta Sports in 2019.

For now, the apparel is only available on Wilson’s website, but it will be sold in stores Wilson plans to open in the U.S. and China later this year.

While there’s plenty of competition from companies that already jumped on the workout-to-hangout trend, Devin said Wilson believes there’s room for more.

“As a result of knowing that athlete, we know they have needs that aren’t being met,” he said.

“We expect that desire to be comfortable … to continue for the foreseeable future. It’s not a trend; it’s more of a lifestyle.” — DIANA SMITH, MINTEL’S ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR THE U.S RETAIL AND APPAREL INDUSTRIES