The High Street Activewear Brands That Have Changed The Way Everyone Dresses

‘Ladies who lunch’ used to mean a tweed jacket and a Hermès Kelly. Nowadays, however, you’re more likely to see a brunch table of women in leggings than anything resembling a twinset and pearls. Because even if you can’t remember the last time you did a downward-facing dog, what you used to think of as strictly exercise clothes have become most people’s off-duty uniform by default. And as blow-dries have been swapped for baseball caps, almond-toe pumps for cult sneakers, no wonder activewear brands are taking over the high street.

In a retail climate where stalwarts are having to close stores and vacant shop fronts are commonplace, the wellness market is not-so-quietly flourishing by comparison. In the capital, Regent Street has stealthily pivoted to performance brands like Lululemon, On, Gymshark and Alo Yoga, which now occupy prime shopping real estate as you walk towards Piccadilly Circus. Elsewhere, Tala is opening its flagship this spring on Carnaby Street (its founder, Grace Beverley, described the space as ‘a clubhouse for our com- munity’). Gymshark, which has the simple yet effective tagline ‘We Do Gym’, has also just unveiled its first permanent space in Selfridges – its flagship opened in 2022 and a second location is coming this summer in Westfield Stratford City, having built a fitness community of more than 20 million people across 200 countries. To its chief brand officer, Noel Mack, Selfridges was a no-brainer, having already launched the brand’s most premium line, everywear, on the department store’s website last year. ‘Following the success of our first flagship store on Regent Street, we knew “omnichannel” (aka both online and in stores) was the way to go,’ he tells Grazia.

Activewear is also bolstering the bottom line of traditional retailers. Searches for ‘sports leggings’ are up 15% versus last year at John Lewis (Sweaty Betty’s Power Gym leggings are best-sellers). It’s a similar story at M&S. In 2024, there were 1.35 million sportswear-related searches on its website. Its Go Move leggings have also sold more than 1m pairs since they launched in 2022.

It’s not just shoppers who are paying attention. The fashion world is also taking note. At London Fashion Week, Alo Yoga returned for the second time as Official Wellness Partner, offering showgoers facials, IV drips and sculpting treatments at its ‘immersive wellness sanctuary’, AloOasis. This underscores an important shift away from exercise and towards lifestyle. A lot of these brands don’t even categorise themselves as ‘activewear’ (ie, clothes that you put on for a workout and promptly take off ). Alo Yoga’s bio on Instagram? ‘Inspiring mind-body wellness from studio to street.’ Adanola’s also hints at a more holistic approach: ‘Everybody’s everyday uniform’. Founded in 2015, it now employs 110 people and last year upscaled to 13,000 sq ft of office space. ‘The brand goes beyond selling activewear,’ says founder Hyrum Cook. ‘We’re offering our customers a lifestyle that they can tap into and be a part of; a lifestyle that is built around wellness and slow movement, which is the space that we’re predominantly known for today.’

Some brands are upping their fashion credentials even further by collaborating with like-minded designers (NikeSkims is poised to break the internet this spring with products that are ‘designed to sculpt and engineered to perform’). Last month saw the release of SLNSH, Lululemon’s collaboration with Saul Nash, which perfectly walks the line between fashion and function, performance and lifestyle, with transformable pieces that can be customised on the move, such as the Mesh Convertible Skirt. ‘I really admire Lululemon and thought it a great partner to work with to explore movement through a technical lense,’ Nash tells Grazia, adding, ‘The collection has really been conceived with the journey of the wearer in mind.’

And, boy, have wearers been on a journey over the past five years. The pandemic was a turning point for activewear, with the lines between what’s appropriate to wear at the gym, home and work becoming blurred. Adanola gained momentum, Cook remembers, as consumers prioritised comfort. Five years later, and with hybrid working now common, it’s become part of the 9-5. ‘The only difference we’ve seen is that customers have evolved their styling choices. They are integrating different pieces into their everyday wardrobes, opting for transitional outfits over head-to-toe active dressing,’ says Cook. ‘For example, Adanola leggings styled with a blazer or a shirt.’

Leggings are the new jeans, closely followed by grey sweatpants. The easiest trick in the book for making either look intentional is to strike a high-low balance with dressier footwear like ballet flats or pointed kitten heels, as well as a smarter cover-up (a suede blouson or leather bomber). Model Sarah Lysander recently styled her logoed grey sweats with white ankle socks and Maison Margiela Tabis, giving them a preppy spin that was the opposite of sloppy. Hailey Bieber, similarly, teams her cycling shorts with a designer handbag (Bottega Veneta), a cult fleece (Polo Ralph Lauren) and smart loafers (The Row).

Gym membership lapsed and meditation app unopened? You’d never know from your outfit.

Shop: Your Wellness Starter Wardrobe

Natalie Hammond is Grazia’s Senior Fashion News Editor. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).