Athleisure Is Dead. Long Live Athleisure.

Well that was fun while it lasted. According to a recent story at Business Insider, athleisure, once the darling sub-sector of general apparel, is officially over.

“The athleisure trend is dead, and dying faster every day,” Tom Nikic, a Wells Fargo analyst, told BI, somehow implying both total destruction and impending doom. 🤔

Citing a wide range of market data, the story paints a fairly grim picture for a group that includes Nike, Under Armour, and Lululemon, among others. “The athletic apparel/footwear space was one of the strongest sub-sectors in our group coming out of the recession; but after an impressive multi-year growth cycle, we see several areas for concern that are not only likely weighing on the industry, but also have the potential to accelerate,” Nikic said.

And even though this information came from Wells Fargo — a real pillar of scruples as of late — the implications are scary for an industry still trying to catch its breath after a historically bad couple of quarters.

Since 2011, athletic wear was basically just a Fly Knit-fueled growth machine, ultimately accounting for “30 percent of the total [clothing] and footwear industry” by 2016. But now, even Nike, the sub-sector’s backbone, is “being conservative in how it’s guiding investors,” while Under Armour has been “one of the hardest hit companies” as the market moves toward “more fashion-forward brands.”

(Notably absent from this forecast was Adidas, who continue to sell sneakers at a rate that’s on par with most illicit narcotics.)

Look, no one is going to cry for athleisure. The portmanteau was about as popular as the word “moist” and the companies that produce it aren’t always easy to root for. But if they’re not buoying retail industry, someone needs to.

You can read more about it at Business Insider.

[image via]