Yoga, first as an exercise and later as a cultural phenomenon (or cliché, depending on your cynicism), had yet to take hold.
The biggest businesses now in the athletic wear space have invested heavily in growing their womenswear lines.
By Kim Bhasin and Gerald Porter Jr.
The practice of yoga, a trifecta of physical, mental and spiritual disciplines involving specific postures and movements with origins in ancient India, was first popularized as an exercise system in the West in the 1980s. It dropped off for a while, only to return more commercialized than ever in the early 2000s. A 2016 study from Yoga Journal found that more than 36 million people in the U.S. practice yoga, up from about 16 million eight years ago. Boutique fitness followed, as women (and more than a few men) flocked to sparkling new studios to work out in groups for SoulCycle spin classes, sweat at Barry’s Bootcamp or sculpt their cores at Pure Barre. None of these expensive fads has anything to do with yoga in practice, but yoga clearly blazed a trail for them—and the clothing their adherents wear.
The biggest businesses now in the athletic wear space have invested heavily in growing their womenswear lines—especially in developing new fabrics and features for the once-simple yoga pant. In 2014, Nike Inc. began working toward a $7 billion sales target for its women’s business, reporting almost $5 billion in revenue. Executives realized women were “driving a larger global movement of health and fitness.” A year later, the company reported that the global growth for women’s business was outpacing that of men. That same year, Adidas AG began directing its youth brand, Neo, toward younger women. The German sports giant even brought on former Lululemon Chief Executive Officer Christine Day as a strategic adviser.