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Now that the defining lines between athletic wear, loungewear, and relaxed after-hours wear have been blurred to soft smudges, searching for the best athleticwear is a triple play. In 2023, everything lives beyond the gym, the studio, or, of course, the yoga mat.
Designer collabs and ballet-all-day layers (i.e. the return of stirrup leggings, like the popular Splits59 version below) are leading activewear’s metamorphosis. Alo Yoga has become a favorite of highly lensed megastars from Addison Rae to Maude Apatow for its ability to make a disco-themed leotard feel perfectly suited for a barre class yet flattering enough for a night out. Wilson (which added sportswear to its line just over a year ago) launched a sold-out Kith capsule while their women’s performance pieces continue to strike the rare balance of comfortable performance fabrics with a polished, mixable, matchable aesthetic. An Adidas collaboration has already blessed Gucci’s runway, and another with Sporty & Rich is quickly disappearing. The latter’s founder, Emily Oberg, turned her line comfy sweats into one of the most in-demand brands for fashion insiders with exclusive pieces like wool varsity jackets on Moda Operandi.
Here, a running tally of the emerging, essential, and delightfully useful brands making some of the best activewear in the game to shop and infinitely style.
The Best Activewear Brands, According to Vogue:
Associated with supermodels like Candice Swanepoel (who hosts a series of digital workouts for the brand) and the Hadid sisters, Alo Yoga’s designs are exactly the kind of athletic wear you’ll see in celebrities-in-the-wild paparazzi shots and yoga classes alike.
Lululemon’s leggings and contoured outerwear have become legendary amongst fitness buffs. Their bestselling scuba collection offers oversize essentials for land, not sea, while the brand’s fastest-drying fabric, Everlux™, pulls sweat away from the body with a soft, skin-friendly texture.
The Burch brand has tennis whites (or, for its latest collection, neutrals like olive and navy) and on-court accessories baked into its DNA. Its best-sellers blend Coolmax® EcoMade fibers with classic silhouettes for preppy staples that feel safe to break a sweat in.
Along with flattering lines, the body-sculpting Compression Texture material that Outdoor Voices utilizes in their designs makes head-to-toe spandex look easy. Trim tennis dresses and bike leotards are top-performers.
Girlfriend Collective considers all bodies in their process with extended sizing (and these maternity leggings), then goes a step further to offer an eco recipe for each piece. For example, their oft-sold-out bike unitard diverts 26 water bottles from landfills, while their Dylan bra diverts 12.
Staud designer Sarah Staudinger is known for her American sportswear label’s colorful signatures. In the activewear space, expect two-tone tennis dresses and remixed staples that are anything but basic.
In apparel, Nike’s figured out the sweet spot for high-performance fitness pieces that masquerade as real clothes. Aside from cozy sweats and puffers, their DRI-Fit tech, featured in compression pieces, is thinner (and somehow stronger) than traditional stretch yarns for a featherlight touch that lets you move more freely.
Sporty & Rich founder Emily Oberg has worked with The Sunset Tower Hotel (as part of the cult hotel merch movement) and Adidas to share her vision of comfy sweats and basics. Now, staples in classic silhouettes feel like the obvious step forward.
A favorite brand of New York City Ballet’s Corps de Ballet dancer India Bradley, Splits59 offers body-friendly fabrics with ultra-flattering silhouettes. While the stirrup leggings are the new essential, these Raquel leggings (available in 4 lengths) are an insider favorite for somehow always being in the right place at the right time.
Sleek lines give way to recycled cult classics in Adidas’s most popular silhouettes. For something with more pop, though, they’ve partnered with the Better Cotton Initiative to support sustainable cotton farming– and create colorful classics like cardigans in candy-bright shades.
Bandier’s in-house lines like All Access, Le Ore, and Wesley have drawn celebrity fans like Hailey Bieber and the Hadid sisters for streamlined performance sets that can plug-and-play with multiple options and layers. Bestsellers include leggings with built-in pockets, sports bras with corset-flattering support, and perfectly bouncy ribbed tanks.
Varley’s London–to–LA style influence comes in the form of straightforward silhouettes and elevated basics. For an eco spin, the Net Sustain Bradford Active top featured brushed recycled jersey with a relaxed fit that works for yoga or jogging.
Co-founder Robyn Berkley left a career in fashion to get a yoga certification in Bali that eventually led her back to fashion—this time, using conscious fibers and production methods to create Live The Process. Think hi-tech fabrics with a ballet-pretty aesthetic.
The slow build of buzz around Beyond Yoga started with expectant mothers talking about how fabulous the line’s maternity activewear felt on the body. Now, they’re topping the charts for comfy basics that work in any life stage.
Catherine Spindler, chief business officer of Lacoste, says the line’s latest collections aim to “create versatile clothes to accompany women’s lives.” Whether it’s their Bandier or Sporty & Rich collaborations that you’re eying or a tennis classic (it was the brand’s founder, René Lacoste, who invented the polo shirt, after all), Lacoste’s sporty classics are designed to carry you from the competition to the club.
For streamlined basics, FP Movement makes it easy. Lightweight pullovers are wardrobe workhorses for running errands and more, while the line’s bestselling The Way Home shorts are available in a vivid rainbow of shades to match every season.
To build on their century-old history of sports equipment, Wilson launched activewear just over a year ago with a collection of technical, style-forward pieces designed to play together. They’ve already partnered with pros like Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk as the first Wilson ambassador to wear and compete with their gear, head-to-toe.
The cinching effect of Year of Ours leggings (like their popular lace-up football waistband) has drawn in celebs like Hailey Bieber and Eiza González. A new rib-knit versions offer functional pockets and bike-short lengths.