{"id":57749,"date":"2019-01-02T07:06:55","date_gmt":"2019-01-02T07:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=57749"},"modified":"2019-01-02T07:06:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T07:06:55","slug":"athleisure-losing-stamina-fashion-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=57749","title":{"rendered":"Athleisure is losing stamina in the fashion world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are leggings on their last legs?<\/p>\n

Not exactly, but they might be past their prime.<\/p>\n

The runaway athleisure train \u2014 including fashion and sports sneakers, leggings and tights \u2014 that gripped the apparel industry over the past four years is slowing down as consumers show a growing preference for jeans and boots.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe athleisure business is losing some steam and finally something else is replacing that growth,\u201d said Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser at the NPD Group, which tracks retail sales data.<\/p>\n

Success can breed overexposure, as now a wide variety of retailers that were not in the sports business began offering stretchy and sporty apparel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey diluted the real stuff,\u201d said Matt Powell, NPD\u2019s sports industry adviser. \u201cThe market has gotten very crowded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denim\u2019s rising popularity is having a trickle-down effect, helping to fuel an 8 percent increase in apparel sales this holiday season \u2014 the biggest jump since 2010, according to Mastercard.<\/p>\n

Sales of sneakers, sporty and fashion-focused alike, grew by a healthy 12 percent year to date through November, to $9.4 billion, but that was a third less than their growth rate over the same period last year, NPD data show.<\/p>\n\n

Meanwhile, sales of fashion boots increased by 9 percent from September to November this year compared with a 7 percent decline over the same period last year, according to NPD.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time there are [fashion trend] changes, it drives changes throughout the whole closet,\u201d Chad Kessler, global brand president of American Eagle Outfitters, told The Post.<\/p>\n

Customers also are choosing to buy shorter sweaters to pair with their jeans and boots instead of the longer tops that typically go with leggings.<\/p>\n

American Eagle recently turned in a \u201crecord-setting fall\u201d for its jeans business, Kessler said. Put another way, it was the best quarter for denim sales in the history of the 41-year-old company, he said, adding that the trend has continued into the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

Some of the hottest athleisure brands, including Lululemon Athletica and Gap\u2019s Athleta brand, are taking notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are both expanding into the outerwear and street wear business, diversifying into other areas that are not part of their heritage,\u201d said D.A. Davidson analyst John Morris.<\/p>\n

Lululemon has added more five-pocket jeans to its offerings for men, including the $128 ABC and Commission pants, which are made from stretchy material but shown with leather dress shoes.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Athleta is offering more dresses that can be worn to work, including the $108 Wilder long-sleeve or the $89 Santorini high-neck dress.<\/p>\n

Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n