From Athleisure to Gen Z Businesses

You know the athleisure trend, maybe through LVMH golfcore or lululemon's global success, but you may not know it reveals modern lifestyle and mindset, as well as secrets of success that brands, marketers and entrepreneurs could refer to. What and how, keep reading!

Something Hard: Market Analysis Data

1. Size does matter: the global athleisure market size hit $402.74 billion in 2026, and is expected to head towards $844.77 billion by 2034. The North America captures 37.04% of market share, APAC 25.17%, Europe 30.21%, Middle East & Africa 4.33%

2. It's NOT about Gen Z (14-29): Surprise! You may think athleisure is something for the active people, but among all interviewees who wear athleisure weekly, 39% are Gen Y (30-45) and 33% Gen X (46-61) 33%, fully shown that which generations have achieved financial freedom.

3. Who are your customers? These are the % of weekly athleisure wearers who say the following describes them: Adventurous 27%, Ambitious 25%, I feel in control of my personal data online 24%, I tend to buy the premium version of products 22%, I buy new tech products as soon as they are available 18%, I feel represented in the advertising I see 17%, I consider myself an opinion leader 16%, I buy products/services to access the community built around them 14%

4. What your customers want? These are the % of weekly athleisure wearers who say the following is most important when shopping: Comfort & fit 57%, Quality of materials/craftsmanship 47%, Design & style 44%, Price/value for money 38%, Performance-enhancing features/fabrics 28%, Brand reputation & heritage 27%, Current trends 20%, Customisation options 19%, Limited edition/exclusivity 18% (Gen Y dominates), Ethics & sustainability 15%, Collaboration 13% (58% are Gen Z), Resale or investment potential 7% (28% are Asians)

5. What your customers read? Weekly athleisure wearers between East & West have totally different source of style inspiration. For China and Japan, most wearers read fashion magazines and editorials, while word of mouth from friends and peers dominate in France, the UK and USA.

6. Gen Z, in particular, are 46% more likely than average to look to fashion influencers and bloggers for ideas, that's both a preference and a behavioural habit.

7. Most anticipated crossover brands: Stüssy 45%, Salomon 38%, Carhartt 38%, The North Face 16%, Hoka 10%, Fila 4%. On the other hand, interest in traditional players like Nike, New Balance and Adidas has YoY decreased.

Social Media

1. Top in China: TikTok 69%; XHS (RedNote) 65%

2. Top in the West: Instagram 79%

3. Weekly athleisure wearers' preferred video length: less than 10mins 60%

4. Weekly athleisure wearers & TikTok: TT users are 21% more likely than average to join a hashtag challenge

5. Weekly athleisure wearers & IG: IG users are 23% more likely than average to post a Poll/Question in their Story

6. Weekly athleisure wearers & audio message: 21% more likely than average to send audio message

Something Soft: Athleisure = Consumers Nowadays

• It's not the sports, it's slasher lifestyle: athleisure wearers are actually only 6% more likely than average to work out. So to be precise, what they want is workleisure—something good for their work, school, social gathering, gym, daily errands, travel, and everything between.

• Global warming + techwear: make good use of innovation! Quick-dry, no-iron, whatever-resistant or -proof, layering, foldable, hypoallergenic... anything that sounds cool and tech-savvy!

• Fit & style are important, but money matters, too: to stand out, a crossover limited edition investment piece sounds great for a night-out bragging; but remember nearly 1/4 of people do look at price tags.

• Fit-inclusive: XXS and XXL are rare in luxury fashion, that's exactly why consumers turned to athleisure; it's way easier for commuting and moving around, be it casual or not.

• Gen Z loves talking about sustainability or eco

• Gen Z wants the sense of belonging, and brands that share their vision/emotions

• I'm too rich to wear smart casual: be myself, make me happy, I like it—welcome to the era of egos and pride, from fashion cutting to colour palette to brand story.

  
  

💡 The Takeaway, for Brands & Bosses

• Social media: China TikTok and XHS, IG for the rest of world. Trim your Reels to less than 10mins.

• Focus on the right audience: Forget about the young people, Gen X & Y are the money boss! Position them as some bold souls in your ad, package your business ideas to be an adventure in life. Then, just some collabs for Gen Z is enough.

• A complete strategy & plan: since people call themselves "slasher", your goods/service or campaign has to be through-the-line as well. It's not about KOLs; you should invest in design, materials, packaging, functional feature innovation, branding story, advertising & promotion, and social media and giveaways for connecting with your target community... modern urbanites are impatient, you only get this one chance, go big or go home.

• Don't forget the quiet consumers: the more trendy active lifestyle is, the more attention you should pay to non-active people, simply because they would be even more grateful for brands remembering and caring about them.

• What moves people IS NOT SPORTS, it's: satisfaction of achieving something, freedom of not following rules, and comfort of being your own self.

• Don't trust too much Gen Z ('s spending power): most Gen Z cannot afford expensive eco and sustainable products/services, at least not before they have complete control in finance. Most people who think they are "adventurous" mean they love travelling (pollution to this planet). ESG is one rule to follow, not what consumers do. So, stop your collab with NGOs or budget planning for a celebrity ambassador, and focus back to the quality of your commodity.