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UK athleisure order volumes rise since pandemic started
26 Feb '21
2 min read
Pic: Shutterstock
The lockdown has boosted UK athleisure sales, while a lack of social occasions has seen formal wear order volumes plummet compared to last year, according to data from True Fit, a personalisation platform for apparel and footwear retailers. Order volumes of women’s athleisure apparel rose by 84 per cent since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Order volumes of women’s athleisure bottoms peaked in December 2020, with almost five times the volumes of orders placed in April during the first national lockdown. Men’s athleisure clothing sales weren’t as pronounced as the rise in demand among female shoppers for leisurewear, but still finished the year 20 per cent higher in terms of order volumes than in 2019.
True Fit’s Fashion Genome, the world's largest connected data set for fashion, analyses data from 17,000 retail brands and data from 180 million True Fit Members, who are registered shoppers on the platform.
In January, M&S announced it would expand its activewear range, Goodmove, to kids and men as demand for athleisure rose during the pandemic; online sales of its activewear grew by 200 per cent between March and September 2020.
M&S reported that 52 per cent of its customers now wear athleisure items more often as everyday clothing when compared to last year, prompting Jill Stanton, its womenswear and kidswear director, to declare that 2020 ‘cemented activewear as a staple’ of the nation’s wardrobes.
Similarly, Sweaty Betty saw a 60 per cent rise in revenues in 2020, prompted by consumers turning to athleisure or investing in activewear as they worked out at home with gyms closed during lockdown.
Meanwhile, with most social occasions cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, dresses of sales and women’s formal wear never reached 2019 levels throughout last year, according to True Fit’s data. Order volumes for dresses plummeted by 60 per cent year on year during the first lockdown in April.
Order volumes of women’s athleisure bottoms peaked in December 2020, with almost five times the volumes of orders placed in April during the first national lockdown. Men’s athleisure clothing sales weren’t as pronounced as the rise in demand among female shoppers for leisurewear, but still finished the year 20 per cent higher in terms of order volumes than in 2019.
True Fit’s Fashion Genome, the world's largest connected data set for fashion, analyses data from 17,000 retail brands and data from 180 million True Fit Members, who are registered shoppers on the platform.
In January, M&S announced it would expand its activewear range, Goodmove, to kids and men as demand for athleisure rose during the pandemic; online sales of its activewear grew by 200 per cent between March and September 2020.
M&S reported that 52 per cent of its customers now wear athleisure items more often as everyday clothing when compared to last year, prompting Jill Stanton, its womenswear and kidswear director, to declare that 2020 ‘cemented activewear as a staple’ of the nation’s wardrobes.
Similarly, Sweaty Betty saw a 60 per cent rise in revenues in 2020, prompted by consumers turning to athleisure or investing in activewear as they worked out at home with gyms closed during lockdown.
Meanwhile, with most social occasions cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, dresses of sales and women’s formal wear never reached 2019 levels throughout last year, according to True Fit’s data. Order volumes for dresses plummeted by 60 per cent year on year during the first lockdown in April.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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