Market Overview

• Activewear is "utility apparel, used to enhance the performance of athletes which improves the body movement."
• Activewear product segments include tops, bottoms, outerwear, swimwear/innerwear and others. The market is also split into women's activewear and men's activewear.
• The activewear market is also segmented by fabric type including polyester, nylon, neoprene, polypropylene, spandex, cotton, and other (rayon and lyocell).
•  Yoga pants and leggings are a leading product category for the activewear market.

Market Size

• The global activewear market was valued at $351,164 million in 2017 and is expected to reach a value of $567 billion by 2024, with a CAGR of 6.8% over that time period.
• The women's activewear market was valued at $119,078 million in 2017.
•  North America is the leading market, followed by the European market, Asia-Pacific market and finally the LAMEA region. All regions are currently seeing growth in the activewear market segment.
• The US market accounts for 36% of activewear sales worldwide.

Market Trends

• The global activewear market is seeing growth due to an "increase in disposable income and rise in fitness consciousness customers."
• The use of "green textiles and manufacturing" practices is a trend for activewear products.
• The increase of "ready to wear" activewear products ("athleisure") is a key trend for the market, as it becomes more acceptable to wear activewear products as casual wear.

Customer Demographics

•  Millennial women with incomes over $100,000 per year are the largest consumers of activewear in the US.

Retail Channel Distribution

• Most sales are through offline distribution channels, however, the growth of e-commerce globally is increasing the growth of online distribution channels.
• As for offline channels, activewear is generally sold at hypermarkets, specialized stores, and mono-brand stores.

Marketing Trends

• The use of experiential retailing is one trend in marketing for activewear brands. Lululemon, Nike and Adidas all utilized experiential marketing in their stores in the last year.
•  Influencer marketing has been extremely effective for new entrants in the activewear market like Gymshark.

Brand Analysis

• Major players in the activewear market include Adidas AG, Asics Corporation, Columbia Sportswear Company, Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. Gap Inc., Nike, Inc., North Face, Inc., Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, Puma Se, and Under Armour, Inc.
• Fashion brands not known for athletic wear are entering the activewear market including Topshop, H&M, Forever 21, Net-a-Porter and Matches.

Market Challenges/Opportunities

•  Counterfeit products are a major concern for activewear brands.
• Additionally, the "volatile cost of raw materials and high cost of designing" are a challenge for the market because they increase final product cost.
• Market opportunities include plus size and sustainable products.