Despite the fact that the sportswear niche is in demand all over the world, the US fashion market can hardly boast of the popularity of domestic sports brands. We look at the goods of a Russian manufacturer with distrust, having become accustomed to the products of “monopoly” brands. While Nike and Adidas are taking over the world, there are almost no well-known sportswear brands in US - the remaining brands either offer products only for professional athletes, or cannot compete with Western counterparts. A serious problem is also that such sportswear is usually purely functional and comfortable, but does not look aesthetically pleasing: it is also not at all aimed at forming an individual image, which is important to maintain during outdoor activities.
Today, sportswear is becoming part of our everyday look: we wear, shorts(quick dry running shorts), sneakers and leggings not only to the gym, but also to go to the store or to a techno party at the same time. Both luxury retailers and the mass market pay special attention to the so-called athleisure: for example, H&M, Zara, Asos and Topshop regularly release collections with a certain amount of sports goods. This, obviously, cannot but influence the preferences and demands of the Russian consumer, who adapts to the trends of the world market.
The demand for retro aesthetics is also fueling the growing mass market attention to sportswear: nostalgic looks of the 90s with running joggers and jackets with oversized logos are back in fashion in 2022. The key factor was the formation of a more relaxed attitude towards the dress code and a reassessment of the concept of luxury. The phenomenon of Gosha Rubchinsky, after which the Eastern European “sporty” style became associated with high fashion, was also the impetus for the spread of retro-craze: it is obvious that with the almost complete absence of sports brands in Russia, the culture of everyday wearing Adidas sportswear and windbreakers is widespread.
Sports brands also collaborate regularly to shape the lifestyle agenda. Thus, loyalty is built: the client goes in for sports more and, accordingly, makes purchases more often. Most often, fitness brands turn to such a strategy: for example, Under Armor not only motivates customers to exercise through the MyFitnessPal and MapMyRun apps, but also reminds them of their willingness to help the buyer with the choice of the right product. At the moment, the growing attention to sports in US (for example, the trend towards a healthy lifestyle and the success of the USA football team) is effectively working in a “lifestyle” environment and contributes to the successful development of sports brands.
In this regard, in recent years, the situation on the US sports market has been gradually changing: brands with both functional and aesthetic clothing have begun to appear in US. Among them is the brainchild of the famous fitness blogger Anastasia Mironova Iron by Mironova: the brand has been producing premium class women's sportswear since 2016. Among the classic models of the brand there are push-up leggings and tops in non-standard "metallic" colors. Over time, the collections also began to be supplemented with swimwear and casual wear: jeggings, hoodies, tracksuits, bomber jackets. The brand's feature is leather leggings, which, despite the specifics of the material, do not look vulgar at all.
