Men's Workout Clothes: Top Trends
A quick glance at social media can tell you a lot about fashion trends, especially in the world of athleisure. As casual apparel becomes more acceptable for day-to-day wear, the trends are constantly changing — and we think it’s for the better.
What Makes Workout Clothes Trendy?
Workout apparel is all the rage right now, but how do you know what’s trending?
Social Media Appeal
These days, we can’t discuss trendiness without mentioning social media. With the advent of Instagram and TikTok, it’s never been more important to tailor your online image. Influencers understand this better than anybody, and you can tell by quickly looking at their profiles.
If you’re trying to make your social media pop or increase your own reach, the clothing you wear in your posts is incredibly important. You want the clothing you’re seen in to project your best self, which means that it not only should fit well, but it should also reflect your personal values.
Overall Fit
The overall fit of the clothing on social media is incredibly important. How often have you seen a popular influencer looking frumpy and shapeless? Part of the appeal of social media advertising is the ability for the consumer to see how the clothing will look on their body — and how their body will look in the clothing.
This is especially true when it comes to activewear, which is often more form-fitting than other pieces in your wardrobe. Poorly made activewear can be oddly shaped, making the body of the wearer look oddly shaped as a result. If anything’s too loose, you run the risk of losing yourself in the material; if it’s too tight, the clothing might look constricting.
So the first step to making an effective and attractive photo for social media is ensuring that the clothing you’re wearing in it fits perfectly.
Impact On Environment
Scrolling through Instagram, it’s clear that activism has made its way into social media with a passion. People are passionate about many different causes, and they use their social media to raise awareness about issues that matter to them. An influencer can choose a side in a cultural battle simply by posting a picture online, whether they intend to or not.
In today’s environmentally conscious society, it can be dangerous for an influencer to wear clothing from companies whose values don’t align with the planet’s well-being. All it takes is one absent-minded post for an influencer to associate themselves with a company that contributes to large-scale pollution and ecological devastation. If you care about the environment, you want your social media to reflect that — and the clothing choice you make is an indicator of your priorities.
Watching Trends On Social Media
If you’re trying to up the trendiness of your athleticwear, consider turning an eye to social media to see what’s trending.
Influencers
Influencers with a wide reach can end up setting a lot of trends simply by posting pictures of themselves wearing something new. With that in mind, it’s easier than ever to follow the trends simply by following influencers; the clothing that they wear is an indication of where the fashion world is heading.
Showcasing Performance Of Clothes In Videos
When it comes to activewear, photos don’t tell the whole story. The point of activewear is to allow you to be physically active, and you can’t show how well athletic apparel performs by looking at a picture.
That’s why so many influencers are now posting videos rather than photos. A video of a guy doing deep squats in a pair of gym shorts can show how well the fabric of those shorts moves and stretches with his body.
Take a look at the Instagram account of pro golfer Scott Stallings — the athlete-turned-influencer posts reels to his feed that show him working out and teeing off wearing specially-designed golf apparel that helps him perform to the best of his ability.
Using Real People To Tell Their Stories About The Clothes
While celebrities are undoubtedly real people in that they’re human beings, they’re not always identifiable to the average person — and that’s where the beauty of social media comes in.
Sam Brockway isn’t a celebrity, but he’s a photographer and an avid outdoorsman. He posts photos of his many adventures (usually with his dog Baker) and wears a variety of hike-friendly activewear while he does it. The down-to-earth nature of an everyday guy wearing clothing that works for him is a much better sell these days than a Kardashian with a cola.
Trendy Clothing Styles
Style is important when it comes to workout clothing, sure. But there are certain features that are just as important, if not more so.
Comfort
While aesthetic stylishness is one of the most important factors of choosing a trendy workout outfit, most consumers care about one aspect of clothing more than anything else: comfort. If an article of clothing isn’t comfortable, many people won’t care if it looks great in a photo.
That’s especially true when it comes to activewear. Since the perfect pair of workout pants can function as both a piece of high-performance athletic gear and a comfy pair of pants for a lazy day on the couch, comfort is incredibly important. When buying athletic apparel, make sure that you’re not just thinking about its image but how it will feel on your body.
Enhanced Technology
There have been some amazing advances in textile technology in recent years — especially when it comes to athleisure.
Because working out produces a lot of sweat, some of the most important factors in buying athletic gear is whether it will stand up to moisture and odor. So, in addition to finding apparel that makes you look and feel good, be sure to look for clothing that wicks moisture away from your body, and that fights odors before they start.
There are many synthetic materials on the market, like spandex and polyester, that are made to have moisture-wicking and anti-odor properties. However, these synthetic materials need to be treated with harsh chemicals in order to obtain these properties, and those chemicals can be harmful to both your body and the environment.
Be on the lookout for clothing made from natural fibers that organically wick moisture and fight odor without harmful chemicals.
Versatile Clothing Is Your Best Bet
When it comes down to it, the easiest way to look good at all times is to find clothing that looks good anywhere. A pair of stylish shorts can be worn on the golf course at high noon, but can also go for a stroll down the boardwalk at sunset. A smart polo can stand out at an office picnic and still hold up when that pickup game of touch football gets going.
So while you’re looking for the latest styles, make sure you’re thinking of versatility in addition to all other factors.
Why Eco-Friendly Apparel Is Trending
Eco-friendly clothing isn’t just a trend — it’s a lifestyle and an understanding that our personal choices impact the world around us. When buying clothing, it’s important to think about how your purchase will affect the greater world.
Biodegradability
Synthetic materials made from plastics take a very long time to biodegrade, which is bad news for the planet. The global trash crisis gets worse by the day, with landfills piling up and oceans filling with garbage. Buying clothing made from natural, biodegradable fabrics is one thing you can do to help the planet.
Sustainability
The way that a fabric is produced can also have a lasting impact on the planet. Many natural materials make for comfortable clothing, but some are more sustainable than others. Cotton, for example, takes a lot of water to grow and process into clothing (it takes about 700 gallons of water to make a single cotton t-shirt), while bamboo uses about a third of that amount. Not all materials are equal in their impact on the earth.
Organic Materials
One excellent way to ensure that you’re helping the environment with your clothing choices is to buy clothing made from organic materials. We at Tasc Performance swear by the power of bamboo — not only is it one of the most sustainable crops being used in clothing production today, but it’s also incredibly comfortable. It also has natural moisture-wicking and anti-odor properties, making it perfect for fabric in athletic apparel.
Conclusion
While fashion trends come and go, our impact on the earth will last long after we’re gone. The choices that we make today will make all the difference in the world that future generations inherit, and that’s never been more apparent.
As important as it is to look and feel our best, it’s just as important to make sure that the clothing we wear today doesn’t hurt the world tomorrow.
Sources:
Activism in the Social Media Age | Pew Research
Fashion Unknown Fact | Non-Biodegradable Clothes Take 20 to 200 Years to Biodegrade | Edge
T-Shirt Blues: The Environmental Impact of a T-Shirt | HuffPost