Is Athleisure The Next Big Thing?

From yoga pants to sporting sunglasses and new styles of shoes and accessories, the category of what people can wear to both the gym and the office is growing exponentially, and by all accounts is moving faster with men now as it has been with women.

The trend is now displacing typical work wear styles, and cutting in to sales of jeans, with a market size in 2014 as $35 billion, representing an 8% increase from the previous year.

One of the companies taking advantage of the “athleisure” category is US-based Rhone Apparel, headed by Nate Checketts. Rhone has found a growing multi-million dollar niche to create a line of men’s activewear that is both durable and fashionable, and in many cases undistinguishable from what young executives can wear between the gym and the boardroom. Largely launched globally online, Rhone has expanded into retail in 2014, with more initiatives planned to help ride the “athleisure” wave well into the coming year.

We talked to Checketts, whose dad Dave is best known as leading the renaissance of Madison Square Garden and the St. Louis Blues of the NHL and is now the head of Legends, the joint venture between the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys that provides a full variety of hospitality and other services to teams and venues around the world, about the growing trend of “athleisure” and where is startup is carving its spot.

How is “athleisure” today different from what Nike or Under Armour or adidas has done for years?

We believe athleisure itself is different category altogether then what traditional big box brands offer. As opposed to gym gear that really is not meant for outside of the gym, brands are now designing and offering product that is meant to transition seamlessly from the gym to everyday life, melding performance and style.

In addition to apparel, what other types of brands fall into that mix?

We’ve been seeing a lot of accessories brands capitalizing on this trend with items that are extremely functional, versatile and fashion forward. An example is athleisure focused footwear–shoes that you can train and run in but also transition to other aspects of life.

Is this just an American concept or have you seen it grow globally?

We think that this trend follows a focus on health and wellness which in some aspects the U.S. has been traditionally behind on.  As communities, countries and cultures focus more on being active and healthy it makes sense that they will want high quality gear that can keep up with them in all aspects of life.

Have you seen the concept grow with men faster than women, and if so why?

I think men are more concerned about comfort and function than women are, and unfortunately men have really been an afterthought in the marketplace when it comes to fashionable and functional, yet comfortable clothing.  We really set out to change that–designing product for the way men live, work & sweat on a daily basis.

Is it more high-end celebrity driven or is this a new category for the everyday man or woman?

It is definitely for the every day man or woman and meant to keep up with the transitional times of everyday life, whether at the gym, the golf course, coaching your kids soccer game or out to lunch with friends, the idea is that these pieces of clothing look great and feel great all the time.

As a small but growing company, where is Rhone’s position in the trend?

Rhone has grown at a rapid rate since our launch in 2013, with continued projected growth. Our customer is definitely responsive to what Rhone stands for and the product and messaging we are putting out into the market. As one of the few brands that designs specifically for men, we feel our position will continue to grow within this space. We see it as more than a trend but really a new category of clothing that’s here to stay.

You are named after a German region, do you have plans to ride this wave internationally?

We want to grow responsibly and methodically. We have deep roots abroad and would love to share our product with other countries but only want to do it in a way that enhances our supply chain, improves our product offering and deepens our customer understanding.  Often times I think brands rush to expand and risk watering down their product offering and value to the customer. We are extremely focused on doing what is right for our community and will always defer to that as the rule in decision making.