6 activewear trends to embrace this summer
Layering is gaining traction this summer, and it can be easy to pair tops together to get the double look.
The right outfit can boost your motivation – whether that’s for going to the gym, heading out on a run, or playing sport with friends.
For Hannah Hastings, head of women’s brand at Gymshark, it is “the difference between a good session and a bad session”.
And as we head into summer, fresh trends are cropping up in the world of activewear – not just for working out, but also to wear in your day-to-day life. sHere are six new trends that might help you get moving this summer…
Noughties-inspired designs have taken over fashion, and sportswear is no different.
Hastings says this “2000s revival” has been “building for a while, but it’s definitely properly landed in activewear this year. Whether it’s baby T’s, capri lengths, bold colours, a bit of attitude.” Within this “2000s revival”, she says she’s seeing “a lot of graphics” – particularly oversized graphic T-shirts. These can be styled in a multitude of ways, from cropped and knotted, to being paired with a “bolder kind of bottom that wouldn’t normally be considered a matching set”.
For Hastings, pinks, oranges and purples are the big colours encapsulating this millennial revival in activewear.
Hastings says she’s “really excited” to see the layering trend gather steam this summer, calling it “such an easy” thing to get involved in.
“It’s not just about wearing one top anymore, it’s about how can I bring two tops together to get the double look,” she says. While there are plenty of mock layered pieces available to buy, it’s just as easy to do without having to buy anything new. You can simply layer two tops you already have together, focusing on different colours and silhouettes to really make the look pop.
Julie Dickson, fashion stylist at Cotton Traders, agrees that layering is set to be big this summer. She’s spotted people “wearing their leggings underneath a pair of wide-leg trousers, so they’ve got a little bit of waistband of the legging popping up, so there’s a flash of colour”.
This is a particularly good one to do if you’re doing a workout, then going straight out – you can wear your leggings to the gym, then pop on a pair of contrasting joggers over the top and it “looks quite cool and trendy”, Dickson says.
Dickson suggests there has been a “shift away from those ultra-compressive, matchy-matchy sets – there’s a more relaxed vibe to leisurewear and activewear this year.
“I’ve noticed people really wanting clothes that seamlessly transition from the gym to wearing all-day long” – and that’s contributed to the rising popularity of “softer, wider-leg bottoms”.
Hastings describes these trousers as “not just joggers, but wide-leg, lightweight training bottoms” – the kind of outfit you can wear to lift weights, or to a Pilates class – then to “pop to brunch after”.
She adds: “We were in a world where it was [all about] tight-to-body tanks and bras and leggings, but now it’s about how can I move beyond that and have a bit more fun?”
Dickson credits the rise of tenniscore styles to the growing popularity of padel. It’s that “preppy Ralph Lauren vibe”, she explains: “Lots of polo shirts, little pleated tennis skirts, little dresses.” Again, this trend leans into the idea that people “want to look as good in the gym as they do on the street”, Dickson says.
“I’m a runner, so I love that running shorts have almost become their own feminine fashion moment for women,” says Hastings.
“Running culture has had a massive resurgence through HYROX and running clubs,” and now functional shorts are taking over in a range of bright, joyful colours.
Think pleated styles that move while you run – almost like skirts – with inner shorts underneath for a “bit of extra coverage”.
“We’ve been in this clean girl, matching set, solid colour era, but what we are seeing is [people] really leaning into prints again,” Hastings notes.
Playing around with brighter, clashing colours and prints is a way to “become a bit more playful”, she adds. It’s a way to show your personality: “You can do that through colour, graphics textures. I think what we’re seeing is [people] want to express themselves, they want to feel confident in the gym, versus just reverting to a matching set.”
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