You only need to look at the number of acquisitions and IPOs in recent years to know how busy the direct-to-consumer (DTC) athletics and athleisure space has been.
In 2021, Sweaty Betty was acquired by Wolverine World Wide, Beyond Yoga was purchased by Levi’s, and Running Brand and Allbirds both filed for initial public offerings (IPOs).
Additionally, brands are targeting the athleisure trend — where clothing can be worn for both active and more casual pursuits without sacrificing style.
It’s no surprise with the surging popularity of activewear, and the proponent of customers wearing it as part of their everyday lifestyle, that more and more companies are entering the athleisure market.
We created a list of the fastest-growing DTC brands that sell “athleisure” products. Charm.io’s Growth Score is used to rank these brands accordingly.
Charm.io’s Growth Score is a multi-dimensional scoring algorithm that is indicative of a brand’s performance over time. Charm.io is the premier ecommerce intelligence platform that tracks 160+ metrics across over 4 million DTC brands.
Let’s explore 10 of the fastest-growing athleisure brands in the market today.
Photo courtesy of lululemon.com
Founded in Vancouver, Canada in 1998, lululemon is known for its technical athletic apparel for yoga, running, tennis, and other activities. While the brand advertises itself for people who want to live active lifestyles, that doesn't mean their clothes aren't worn for everyday activities or even lounging around the house.
Photo courtesy of vuori.com
A premium performance apparel brand, Vuori, focuses on sustainability in regard to materials, waste reduction, carbon footprint offsetting, social responsibility, and community leadership. They offer a new perspective on performance apparel by integrating fitness, surf, sport, and art.
Photo courtesy of bornprimitive.com
Athlete-driven and patriot inspired, Born Primitive is an active-duty owned-and-operated company striving to inspire customers to exemplify the values of the men and women who defended our freedoms at all costs. They have over 1,2000 fitness/athleisure products for men and women and support a variety of charities supporting the military, first responders, and cancer research/prevention.
Photo courtesy of adanola.com
“Everybody’s everyday uniform”, this London-based label offers a range of durable and sustainable active and athleisure wear focused on minimizing its carbon footprint. Adanola is a brand for minimalists with signature styles like its Pocket Leggings and Double Strap Sports Bra in a range of tonal hues like “Coffee Bean” and “Dark Olive.”
Photo courtesy of shopcsb.com
Crop Shop Boutique (CSB) was created to bring consumers stylish and functional activewear, inside and outside of the gym. They seek to provide pieces that are unique, compliment your body, and celebrate your beauty. CSB products want you to think sexy, functional, quality, support, and comfort.
Photo courtesy of activelyblack.com
This Black-owned entity saw a void in representation and investment back into the communities whose culture created the cool factor for giant brands like Nike, Adidas, and Jordan. Actively Black is a premium athleisure and sports apparel brand determined to re-invest and improve the mental and physical fitness of the Black community.
Photo courtesy of whoisnerdy.us
Whoisnerdy is a Korean-based company all about encouraging customers to accept who they truly are. They are popular for their unique, high-quality, and comfortable sportswear including t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, sweaters, and more.
Photo courtesy of goldhinge.com
Gold Hinge is a boutique clothing company promising athleisure wear that’s elevated and made with the intention of being comfortable and casual. They offer versatile athleisure wear including trendy tops, bottoms, and outwear with the modern, on-the-go woman in mind.
Photo courtesy of gymdeity.com
With the belief that activewear isn’t just for exercise, GymDeity exists to create a community encouraging women on their fitness journey to self-love and find their inner deity within themselves. Their women’s activewear pieces fit your budget and style and are made with high-quality fabrics for all of life’s adventures.
Photo courtesy of wearetala.com
Founded in 2019, TALA is known for its figure-hugging silhouettes and smoothing seamless fabrics. They offer a variety of sets and separates, made with 75% recycled fabrics, in multiple, subtle tonal hues. TALA aims to provide sustainably-made activewear that delivers performance, fit, quality, and style, without the hefty price tag.
Interested in learning more about these brands and others? Start a free Charm account where you can get more in-depth and detailed DTC insights.
And don’t forget to sign up for our monthly Charm webinar to hear from our Customer Success Managers about how to use Charm to grow your business.
Let’s grow together!