Gearfuse Technology, Science, Culture & More
Keeping up with the latest fashions can be difficult sometimes, especially if what you are wearing is unlikely to find itself another airing anytime soon. Far from being buried at the bottom of the pile or languishing at the back of your wardrobe, the latest fashion is moving into what we wear each time we go for a workout. With the world collectively moving towards being much more conscious in terms of health and maintaining active lifestyles, it has become important for many to work out in the latest gear, hitting your fitness stride while looking good at the same time.
Since working out in the street has become such a common occurrence, the clothes available to us in the shops are matching the consumer drive. This means a fair assortment of fabrics to get active with, as opposed to the standard, singular colored baggy pants and tops that hang loose.
It isn’t only for fashion purposes of course, and many of the emerging styles come equipped with impressive technology that benefits us as we break the sweat. These typically sleek and skin-tight products are no longer constructed of cotton, which holds water so well. Nowadays, Lycra and nylon are the most likely materials to make up your ‘activewear’, as the fashion industry looks to make the most of the opportunity, with us all working out more. Indeed, the market for such fitness wear reached a very noticeable £6.4billion just last year, and these exponential trends are only set to continue. More names are also coming out to match these trends, with ‘athleisure’ being the latest combination to be coined.
There are many innovations with these fabrics – aside from being much less water-retentive – that can really aid our efforts to exercise. In similar ways to how wetsuits work for surfers, current fitness wear can contain the heat we generate while working out in colder climates, and such innovations can only help persuade us to carry on our routines when it happens to be cold outside. As our fitness wear evolves, it destroys some of the most stubborn excuses that can prevent us from venturing outside to run a few miles or hit some trails.
It is by no means just about keeping warm, though. Injuries are one of the major obstacles to keeping up a fitness regime over a long period. Thankfully, those designing our clothes have recognized this and continue to make steps to help us prevent those pesky niggles that can sideline us for far longer than we would want.
Compression wear is growing in stature as materials are produced to support the joints and limbs that come under such stress when embarking on heavy workouts, or are simply not ready to keep up with our expectations. Many a page can be found online when looking for such items as compression pants, which keep our bodies aligned in the most natural way so we don’t incur as many stress injuries. If fitness wear can help play such a beneficial part in keeping us fit and attaining our dreams and goals, it is no small wonder that the industry shows no sign of slowing.
As more and more new products emerge, tailored to best suit our fitness endeavors, more styles will end up accompanying these developments. This means that there is more of a chance of there being something that will suit everyone, and this presents the opportunity to express oneself while putting in the hard work. No one ever said we should have to sacrifice comfort for fashion or vice versa, and the continuation of these trends may well tempt many more to get involved.
This increase in those opting to get more involved in looking after their own fitness is only likely to encourage the innovators to keep bringing out new products with an impressive array of injury-preventive measures, while also pushing the boundaries of fashion. Neither the technology aspects of fitness wear nor the changes in fashion show any signs of stopping. Several respected individuals in the world of fashion are getting involved and bringing out their own ranges, as famous fitness-wear brands are recruiting equally high-profile names to help develop the fashion side of their brands.
This mix of an increasingly active society and intentions to make fashion statements is set to help these developments continue to make inroads. As it progresses, it will be interesting to see what we are all working out in, later in the year.
