Enclothed Cognition & LuluLemon

The idea that clothes can influence and impact our behavior, feelings, and actions is very intriguing to me and is an important aspect of my blog. In a previous post, I discussed an article relating to looking good and feeling good and this post ties in with that.  I talked briefly about two Northwestern researchers, Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky, who tested the idea of “enclothed cognition” and explained some of the mental changes our brain endures when we wear certain clothing. For the study they had half of the volunteers wear lab coats and the other half wear nothing special and then asked them to perform certain tasks. The group wearing the lab coats “proved significantly more successful” and Adam says this could be applied to other areas, such as fitness apparel. Jamie Wiebe discusses her thoughts and opinions on this concept in an article in the Atlantic titled “Psychology of LuluLemon: How Fashion Affects Fitness.”

Jamie talks about a similar concept that plays a role in this mentality, called group-think, meaning you start to think as a group instead of individually. A psychologist and personal trainer named Susan Rudnicki says, “I see girls at hatha yoga wearing Lululemon clothes, and they look the part, and I think: They must be really good. They have their life together. I’m an instructor, and even I feel that.” LuluLemon definitely knows this and capitalizes on it. They started the “active wear explosion” and have changed the negative connotation of wearing workout clothes not to the gym. They’ve made gym clothes into something so casual and carefree that women are loving and embracing in their lives.

In the article the author says that an NDP report released that the active wear market had grown 7% over the past year compared to the general apparel market only growing 1%. LuluLemon isn’t the only company who has recognized this growth and implemented active wear into their lines of clothing, companies such as Gap, Kmart, etc. have all joined in. The author also talks about how the price of the fitness clothing doesn’t necessarily matter, but what is important is if the clothing makes you feel more confident.

I agree with the idea of “enclothed cognition” and I think what I wear definitely impacts the way I feel and my behavior. However, for me it doesn’t particularly matter the brand or how expensive my workout clothing is, but it is exciting purchasing cute workout gear to make me feel more motivated. On a college campus,  I see this among many of my friends. LuluLemon is extremely popular and you see countless girls wearing their clothing on campus daily. It is a trend to wear this brand – but not everyone feels the need to spend an excessive amount on their workout apparel. Overall, I think what you wear does impact your confidence and motivation level, and women are becoming more and more comfortable wearing workout gear in their daily lives not only to the gym. Yoga pants are here to stay!

Can’t Find The Right Pants?

Athleta Can Help!

Athleta tweeted a picture of their new “pant finder” tool they currently offer on their website. This makes it easy for women to find exactly what they are looking for in terms of their workout pants. The options are tight, skinny, flare, lose, or jogger and there are numerous different styles, patterns, and colors. In each category there are sub-sections to narrow it down even further – yoga/studio, run/aerobic, and on-the-go. I thought this was interesting and a great marketing tool to bring people to Athleta’s website to help them find the perfect workout pants for their lifestyle. This tool personalizes shopping online for customers and gives them the feeling that Athleta can find and provide them with what they want, like the customer service might get from actually going to a store. Check it out and use the pant finder tool here!

The Bubble of Fitness Apparel

Can Nike Inc. and Under Armour Inc Survive an Athletic Apparel Bubble?

This article by Bradley McNew talks about how the sales of athletic apparel have been booming and almost surpassing sales of regular clothing. The top leaders in this market have always been Nike and Under Armour, however they are facing some competition with other, newer retailers. New companies have been creating lines dedicated to fitness apparel and have been extremely successful. Celebrities have also jumped onto the trend and are making consumers more interested in purchasing their products rather than past top competitors. Fitness apparel is becoming “trendy” and fashionable and it has been affecting the the latest boom in the worldwide athletic apparel market. The article talks about how Nike and Under Armour will survive this “bubble.” Continue reading here. 

What is “Athleisure”?

Athleisure is the latest trend in fashion these days. This is a made up word and it refers to the fact that “designers and retailers are obsessed with clothes that fit a somewhat broad category of being appropriate for either athletic or leisure pursuits, or both.” Eric Wilson talks about this new fad in an article from InStyle magazine.

This trend includes pieces like designer leggings, cashmere sweats, and other expensive clothing items. “Après sport” and “Gym-to-the-office” have been used to describe this new phenomenon. The popular clothing website “Net-a-Porter” has created a site dedicated just to fitness apparel and named it “Net-a-Sporter.” The website has different products ranging from basic Nike to more expensive items like cashmere and linen tracks pants costing $600.

Most people agree that this trend is here to stay because it is extremely convenient. People in this generation are so busy, they need a style that fits both aspects of their lives.The casual sporty look is even becoming a trend for high fashion designers such as Chanel, Mui Mui, and Stella McCartney which has never been seen before.

InStyle shows the athleisure pieces shown on the runway during fashion week in Paris. Pictured is Chanel, Dior and Iris van Herpen.

This piece talks about 5 reasons why athleisure is here to stay. The author, Roger Hardy, says that this is more than just a trend and is a more of a cultural shift in how we are dressing. Years ago people wouldn’t imagine wearing gym clothes to work, class, or anywhere besides the gym and now that has completely changed.

Keep reading about Athleisure here:

• How Jennifer Bandier Got In on the Ground Floor of Athleisure
• Cozy is the New Cool
• This New Nike Collaboration Turns Athleisure Wear Into Pure Art

Gap Kids is Out, Ivivva is In

The Washington Post released an article about how LuluLemon recently launched a sister brand called Ivivva, which is essentially yoga clothes for children. The tops, pants, and sports bras look exactly like the women’s collection at LuluLemon, just miniature.

Sarah Halzack writes about how Ivivva products are cheaper than LuluLemon’s prices, but are definitely expensive for children’s wear. The tights/leggings cost around $68, while jackets are around $88. Even though this sounds ridiculous, parents have been willing to spend this much because Ivivva’s sales have significantly increased in the last year.

Companies are concerned that the trend of yoga pants have been stretched so far that it will start to lose its appeal. Once children start wearing the same workout clothing and style, will adults want to buy the same or similar products? This could be detrimental because so many companies have made the move into adding fitness apparel to their collection. Yoga pants have changed women’s style and are an important staple in most ladies wardrobe. For more information on yoga pants and their effects, read this Wall Street Journal article on how the yoga pants craze has denim retailers worried.

Kohl’s New Fitness Partners

This week Kohl’s announced their new partnership with a few fitness brands as they are launching their new section of activewear.  They are partnering with top name brands like Nike, Fitbit, Nutribullet, Adidas, Asics, and Fila Sport.

The store has a new “Make Your Move” initiative in place to try and motivate their consumers to be more active. The new section of their fitness clothing will have special pieces for yoga as they hope to inspire women to purchase the Kohl’s clothing if they cannot afford other expensive yoga apparel. The quote below was released by Kohl’s chief customer officer during the press release that the product was announced.

“Kohl’s is the go-to destination to Make Your Move, and we have inspired thousands of families to embrace a more active and well life. This spring, Kohl’s will offer new fitness gear that gets them energized, tips on how to change things up and try new activities, details on great yoga poses from Gaiam and Two Fit Moms, and so much more,” – Michelle Gass 

The Importance of Accessorizing

An important part of fashion is making sure you have the right accessories to match the outfit. In fitness, this means the latest wearable fitness gear. Technology is constantly updating and new products are making their way into the fitness market.

This article discusses how “smart clothing” can impact your workout. It talks about clothing that has tiny sensors woven into the fabric that can test your heart rate, breathing rate, and the calories you burn.

CNET Magazine came out with an article that compares the best wearable tech of 2015. Examples of these wearables are the Jawbone, Fitbit, Garmin, etc. The article compares and contrasts these products and what sets each of them apart.

Here are a few other articles that discuss fitness technology and give ratings, reviews, and opinions that I believe are the most helpful and beneficial in understanding these different products and what they can do for you.

• Data Crunch: The Best Fitness Trackers
• Smart clothes: The next big fitness craze?
• 5 Reasons Why You Need Technology in Your Workout Sessions

Evolution of Workout Clothes

Leisure sport activities have been around for a long period of time, however certain aspects have changed and developed throughout the years. The sport activities women do are different now than 90 years ago, as well as, the clothing they wear while performing these activities. The fashion surrounding fitness and working out has drastically changed in style along with the nature of working out for women. I worked off of Sarah Klein’s article in the Huffington Post and Sarah Lipoff’s article to write this post.

1920’s

This is a photo of woman exercising on a motor machine. She is wearing a dress and booties with fur, which demonstrates that this form of exercising probably wasn’t very difficult.

1930s

It was in the 1930s when going to the gym started to become popular for women. Women started wearing more form fitting clothing while they exercised. This was also a time when different work out gadgets and weights came out to enhance workouts.

1940- 1950s

From the 40s- 50s there was a shift in the trend of fitness apparel. The clothes became more baggy and lengthy. Women would wear longer skirts and shorts, pairing them with a sweater or t-shirt. The second photo below shows Marilyn Monroe wearing shorts with a short sleeve sweater and was said to be doing yoga.

1960s

This decade was when technology really started to boom. The “portable walk man” came out which allowed people to listen to music on the go, which allowed people to exercise differently. After years of loose fitting garments, tight workout apparel made an appearance again.

1970s

In these next years one trend became extremely popular; tracksuits. They were all the rage and everyone wore one while exercising. They came out in the late 60s but became more and more prevalent leading up to the 80s. This is interesting because tracksuits have changed and developed into what they are today and are still seen on some athletes.

1980s – 1990s

The 80s began with a whole new outlook on fitness apparel, named as the time of “flashy fitness fashion.” The clothes were bright and tight and anything went. Women would wear scrunchies, neon spandex, leg warmers, etc. These trends continued into the 90s with a twist in fun patterned spandex.

2000s

In the 2000s workout clothing remained tighter, but new designs came out for functional and performance purposes.  It was in this decade that the yoga pant and yoga in general became increasingly popular.

2015

All of these trends throughout the past hundred years have shaped what women and men wear today for fitness. The clothing worn has changed and developed into something that can be worn for multiple purposes and is designed specifically to enhance performance in fitness. Women still wear tight workout gear including yoga pants, workout tops, etc., but they also wear loose fitting tops and shorts as well. There is such a blend and variety of fitness gear that is worn by women all of the world that it is hard to pin just one trend or type of workout gear for this decade. Here are a few pictures of fitness apparel that are popular today.

*Photos used from Huffington Post, Popsugar, LuLuLemon*

Fitness Apparel Advertisements

For this post I thought it would be interesting to look at different fitness apparel commercials and advertisements and note their differences and similarities. The majority of the commercials I found I had never seen on TV previous to looking them up online, which is something to note as well.

LuluLemon Commercial 1

• This commercial was interesting because it had multiple people in it of both genders wearing the clothes and performing. LuluLemon has the stereotype of being more for women, so I think this commercial is trying to encourage men to look at the product also
• The song- “All You Need is Love” is very calming and relaxing going along with the fluid yoga poses.
• To me this commercial promotes yoga and the calmness and fluidity of the activity

LuluLemon Commercial 2

• This commercial differs from the first because it is only one woman wearing one outfit
• The song vibe is similar to the first commercial
• Woman is doing yoga also

Athleta 

• Incorporates running and yoga
• “Power to the she” is shown at the end which promotes this company as being sorely for women
• Beach

Fabletics 

• Yoga, running & other fitness exercises
• This one is different from the others because it shows the clothing in a setting other than working out – more directed towards life style and casual wear “made for work outs, designed for real life”
• Stars Kate Hudson which is different from the other commercials

IMPACT

• Running, yoga, and boxing (not seen in the other commercials)
• Motivational quotes “wake up and make an impact”
• Jillian Michaels was in it, similar to Fabletics
• Takes place outside and indoors

After watching these five commercials I noticed a few common themes among them. First, they all involve nature and being outdoors in some way, including the beach, the woods, and a neighborhood. These commercials promote being outside and having an active, healthy lifestyle while wearing the brands. They all also incorporate activities such as running and yoga, which is interesting and demonstrates the main focal point of the brands. Each of these companies is targeting mainly women with their products and ads. The only commercial that wasn’t all women was the first LuluLemon ad, which was pretty rare in my research of fitness commercials. Overall, the five commercials I found have some differences but they are pretty similar to each other and the demographic they market towards.

Finance of Fitness

In one of my previous blog posts titled “Yoga Pants are the New Perfume” I discussed three fitness companies who were in the mid to low price range of work out apparel. Before I post about other fitness lines who are in the high price range such as LuluLemon, Athleta, and more, I want to discuss the overall finances of fitness apparel and get a better understanding of the market and how well it is doing as a whole.

This article talks about a report done in 2015 for the worldwide market for Sports and Fitness Clothing. It is divided into two segments which are Sports Apparel and Fitness Clothing and analyzes the markets in the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the rest of the world. It also predicts market changes from 2013 until 2020. To read the full report on 381 companies click here.

Global Industry Analysts (GIA) also performed research on the market for sports and fitness apparel and found these results in 2011 from PRWeb that I found from Lauren William’s article on Girls Gone Sporty.

“The Global sports and fitness market is projected to reach $126.30 billion by the year 2015, spurred by dramatic lifestyle changes, increasing sports participation particularly by women, and demand for stylish, functional and versatile sports apparel. In addition, with rapidly aging population, there is a definite emphasis towards healthy lifestyle and activities such as sports, yoga and jogging. This, thereby, offers a strong business case for sports and fitness apparel, and is expected to play an instrumental role in driving future growth.” 

Since 2011 the market for fitness apparel has exploded and the yearly income gathered is much higher than it was just a few years ago.

To demonstrate this I am attaching the income statements from a few of the most profitable fitness and sports apparel companies.

Lulu Lemon Income Statement

Nike Income Statement

Under Armor Income Statement