As two in five people globally have continued to work from home in 2022*, demand for comfortable athleisure has remained high, according to GlobalData. However, with 55%** saying that they are still wearing these clothes for more than just sport activities, the leading data and analytics company notes that this ongoing casualization will start to make its way into traditional offices.

Louise Deglise-Favre, Apparel Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “People have simply been able to get more wear out of athleisure clothing while working from home over the pandemic. Now, with hybrid working set to continue, people will still want to dress casually and work out on the days they are not in the office. As for in-office working, we expect that to become more casual too. Trainers at the office and the sweatshirt-under-a-blazer look will be more popular. All of this traction will help the sportswear market grow by an impressive 25.1% to $551 billion between 2021 and 2025.”

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Global Sportswear Market 2020-2025’, reveals that a quarter of clothing sold in 2020 were sportswear pieces—as more people both worked out at home and worked from home. While the share of sportswear is expected to decline slightly in 2022, as people switch back to more dressy items for social events, sportswear will still remain popular for home, work and workouts, which will increase its share of the apparel market to an impressive 23.6% by 2025.

Deglise-Favre continues: “As hybrid working continues and brands embrace the casualization trend, consumers will continue to want more multifunctional, comfortable athleisure pieces that are appropriate for both wearing at home and in social settings. However, technical sportswear—clothing that presents performance characteristics that are used exclusively to practice a sport —will also be important as consumers continue to prioritize their health and fitness, and team sports are due to have their first full year without disruptions. The uptake in outdoor activities and cycling started by the pandemic is also expected to continue in 2022 and beyond, boosted by the representation of mountain activities in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.”

Nina Nowak, Senior Researcher at the Consumer team at GlobalData, adds: “A growing health awareness following the pandemic has also shaped a new outlook on diet and hygiene, boosting interest in both vegan foods, as well as germ-killing products. These trends are set to stay, since 48% of shoppers opt for plant-based claims when choosing products, while a whopping 84%*** actively seek products with ‘hygienic’ claims.”

* GlobalData’s 2022 Q1 Consumer Survey, March 2022, Sample size of 500 respondents. Combined responses: “Continue to do this”, “Doing this more frequently”, “Started doing this”

** GlobalData’s 2021 Sportswear Survey, January 2021, Sample size of 20,300 across 29 global markets. Response: “During leisure activities and in my free time”

*** GlobalData’s 2022 Q1 Consumer Survey, March 2022, Sample size of 500 respondents. Combined responses: “Nice to have” and “Essential”