Athleisure Update – a Market in Transition

Executive Summary

In this report, we examine the US athleisure market, and discuss market size, growth rates, drivers and current trends.

• US sales of sportswear will total almost $116 billion this year, up 7% year over year. Apparel will account for $79 billion of that total and footwear for $37 billion.
• Sportswear is projected to grow at a 6.2% CAGR between 2017 and 2020. Sales of sports footwear are expected to grow slightly faster than sales of sports apparel.
• Athleisure is influencing traditional fashion categories such as denim and formalwear. Ministry of Supply and other startups are offering performance businesswear lines that appeal to millennials’ desire for comfortable, easy-care apparel.
• The sports footwear market is being buoyed by “sneaker culture” across market segments, from mass market to luxury. The sneaker trend is one of the most visible manifestations of the casualization of fashion, and it is fueling the outperformance of the sports footwear category.