A few weeks ago, after several months of not working out, I decided to tag along to a barre class with a friend. I dug through my drawers and fished out an old Gymshark set—baby-pink leggings with a matching sports bra. Squeezing into them required the flexibility of a Cirque du Soleil performer and when I looked in the mirror, not only was every lump and bump of my body on full display but I felt kinda ridiculous—like a grown-up Teletubby (these were clothes I’d worn in the past without batting an eyelid). In a panic, I swapped the leggings for a pair of running shorts and an old T-shirt, bracing myself to be the only person in class not dressed in a cute matching set. But to my surprise, I wasn’t alone. The room wasn’t just a sea of skintight leggings anymore—boxy tees, flared pants, and loose shorts had infiltrated the scene.
It wasn’t long ago that gyms and buzzy fitness studios were overrun with women in matching, vacuum-sealed activewear sets—the kind worn by the cougar trio in episode two of the new season of The White Lotus, who Piper Ratliff categorises as the “rich bohemians from Malibu in their Lululemon yoga pants.” But lately, in a curious turn of events: gym fashion is getting breezier. Billowing tank tops and tees, airy joggers, and flared pants are taking over. “I just prefer wearing a loose T-shirt because it’s more comfortable than a tight crop top,” said a fellow barre-goer in her mid-20s, sporting an oversized tee and cotton sweatshorts. Rupangi Grover, a freelance stylist, tells me she prefers clothing that feels “effortless and a bit thrown together” when it comes to workout wear, like pieces from Adidas’s collaborations (Y-3, Wales Bonner, and Stella McCartney) that are functional, fun, and blend seamlessly into everyday wardrobes. Gone are the days of stuffing yourself into body-con activewear just to break a sweat. The new gym uniform is all about ease, practicality, and looking like you didn’t try too hard—which, of course, is the ultimate flex.
The rise of looser gym wear aligns with a broader cultural shift toward anti-fit fashion (think barrel leg jeans, culottes for men). While the aesthetic may signal effortlessness, the brands leading the charge are anything but lazy. Industry heavyweights like Nike and Lululemon are adding baggier, more versatile designs that blur the line between workout gear and everyday wear, while homegrown brands like Blissclub and Cava Athleisure are making roomy clothes that look as good sprawled on your couch as they do on a yoga mat.
Nike is leaning hard into the trend with its 24.7 collection, which includes oversized long-sleeve shirts and sweatshirts, joggers, pleated skirts, and high-waisted loose wide-leg pants that look more ready-to-wear than performance clothing. “Consumers expect more from their apparel today. They want functionality without sacrificing style and are looking for pieces that seamlessly transition between activities,” says Jaclyn Safley, general manager of Global Nike Training, Women’s. And these pieces are no slouch in the tech department either. They feature new fabrics like ImpossiblySoft (a spacer-knit fabric with four-way stretch) and PerfectStretch (a sleeker, tailored fabric) combined with the brand’s signature Dri-FIT technology.
