Sportswear Round Up

Sportswear Round Up:

Planning and Research:

I started out by looking at sportswear in department stores to get an idea of what was available, I found out a lot about what was new in sportswear and what materials and colours were being used.

I decided to do Yoga as my sport, because it was a sport that has a lot of new developments in and something I do a lot so I already knew a lot about it. I started off with looking at high end yoga wear, to see how much people are willing to spend on their yoga wear. I looked at Lululemon first; this brand has created a lot of controversy for themselves by claiming that they only designed for “skinny” people and not for larger people.  I also looked on net-a-porter and Selfridges to look at designer’s yoga collections, like Alexander Wang.

Brands I Researched:

-       Nike

-       Lululemon

-       SwettyBetty

-       Victoria Secret

-       Gap

-       Gilly Hicks

I then looked at yoga across the world to see how it was seen around the world, I looked at monks in mediation and then looked at Hindu symbols and traditional practices so that I could get an understanding of all areas of yoga.

From all of this I decided to write a series of articles around yoga, I thought that a magazine like Elle would be correct for this style of article. So I then went on to research Elle and the people that read it.

I also looked at relaxed poses for the photographs to go along with my articles; I wanted them to incorporate sportswear but also to look stylish.

Articles and Photos:

I wrote 3 articles; Yoga as a trend, does yoga really help your mental and physical wellbeing and yoga as a business.

Yoga As A Trend:

Yoga wear has come more into the fashion scene over the past couple of years. The street style and sports luxe trends have been in and out of fashion for the past couple of decades but now more than ever the trend has seen a lot of presence during fashion weeks and stylish work out wear is incredibly popular and high in demand, with some brands earning billions in profits from the sales. Company’s such as Nike and Adidas has turned their companies into fashion houses instead of being just for people partaking in sport. It’s a way to be fashionable and comfortable in day-to-day life.

Yoga wear has come more into fashion in recent years, with companies such as Lululemon creating fashionable but practical pieces. Although Lululemon has created a lot of controversy for its company by saying they only cater for “skinny” people, as they’re the only ones who look good in yoga pants.  The Victoria Secret fashion show has been increasing in popularity too, although always popular in America the show is now watched world wide and the PINK label has a yoga line, the pants especially are seen not only as a practical piece of workout wear but also as a fashion statement with their bold patterns and glittery lettering.

Yoga is defiantly a new comer to the sportsluxe trend but it is slowly making its mark. It is not unusual now to see people in yoga wear out and about, especially in summer, due to the materials used yoga wear is perfect for summer time as its designed to keep the cool and dry.

Yoga wear is also becoming a social standing, like a clique you want to be part of. By wearing yoga wear day to day you’re giving the world the message “yes I do do yoga to keep fit” this can be seen as snobby but isn’t that why it’s a trend, it’s a social status something to slide into daily conversation, or boost about? Yoga has become so popular with 24-40 year olds that there have been so many trends surrounding it. Obviously you want to be comfortable when doing yoga, but you will feel better about it if you know you’re wearing £150 Alexander Wang yoga shorts.

In the media yoga is represented as being a social status too, with the most idolized doing it, so many celebrities are snapped leaving yoga studios looked refreshed, that it encourages us to try it. Most trends we get from celebrities are damaging but this is one that can only be beneficial, it’s a trend that’s actually helping us. Even if some people are only doing to say they’re doing it, they’re still benefitting from yoga and exercising more can never be a bad thing.

Does yoga really help your mental and physical wellbeing

Yoga is very popular with the city workers the over stressed workers of banks and big companies who just don’t have time to relax, and they say yoga is the answer, its both exercise and relaxation. There is a debate to whether or not yoga truly helps with your mental wellbeing, does it cure stress and anxiety or is it all just a hyped placebo?

Psychologists would say that is can help to aid the affects of stress on the mind but doesn’t really cure it. The mediation side of yoga can be very helpful to get a person to relax and clear their mind but it wont make their job any less stressful. It is true however that exercise releases endorphins, which make a person happier, and means they will feel a lot better after their yoga session.

If yoga and mediation makes a person feel like they are better able to deal with there life then it is a positive however some may use it as an escape and that’s where psychology feels some problems should be dealt with so they can be solved rather than the person “losing their subconscious” and being at the stage of ‘enlightment’.

It is obvious that yoga is very good for your body and helps with flexibility and core strength, which help you to maintain a healthy body weight. The new trend of hot yoga could be considered very unsafe, it involves doing intense and very hard yoga moves whilst in a room the temperature of the average sauna. This can lead to serve dehydration if you haven’t consumed at least 3 liters of water that day and continuously drink through out the session (normally 1 hour 30 minutes). There is also the matter of hygiene in this scenario of 30 or so people being packed into a small space incredibly sweaty, this is the perfect place for bacteria to spread, so it is highly advised to take a shower straight after your session and to only partake is completely healthy (no current infections or undressed open wounds). If you have drunk a lot of water beforehand and during the exercise it is a great experience, which leaves you feeling very refreshed, but also you feel like you’ve had a great workout.

Incorporating yoga into your work out routine can have great benefits and really helps to improve balance and focus, which can help you improve in many other sports and exercises. Yoga however is not about losing weight it is about detoxifying the body, which is why it is best, combined with other exercises if you want to lose weight. 

Overall yoga is great for all ages and for all fitness levels, and a great way to kick start back into a fitness routine or just to give you a bit of relaxing time after a long workweek, it can also be enjoyed as a family or completely alone (as there is no speaking during a yoga teaching).

Yoga as a business

Due to increasing interest in yoga the business is booming, the yoga market grew by 25% just last year and is predicted to continue this way. New yoga studios are popping up everywhere (Antarctica included), each offering a different type of yoga; forest, bikrim etc. these studios can be pretty costly, some offer lessons for around £20 an hour to £60 an hour. Inside of a yoga studio you have all the other moneymaking ploys, there’s the juice stations, claiming amazing health benefits, which are “perfect after your sessions”. Women are competitive in all areas, and inside a yoga studio it doesn’t stop.  Women spend hundreds on the latest yoga wear from the top designers, such as Alexander Wang or Emma Cook. Even the high-street sports wear can be costly, an entire outfit from Lululemon or Sweaty Betty can cost up to £200.

Yoga at home is popular too and you can buy a whole multitude of equipment for at home practice, Yoga mats can cost anything from £5 to £100 depending on where you go.

I interviewed an avid yoga participant aged 40,

What is your opinion on yoga as a whole?

It’s so good for your joints and muscles and helps me keep my weight the same, its great for beginners and for more advance yogis. After a long stressful week it’s great way for me to relax and forget about my stresses.

What do you think about the price of yoga?

Yoga lessons are very expensive, mine are £15 for an hour, but it is worth it as you have a very personal work out session and the yoga teacher is very focused on making sure everyone knows exactly what they’re are doing. I personally think it is well worth the money especially as I enjoy it so much.

What do you think about yoga wear?

The main thing my workout wear needs to be is comfortable! But I do like to still look stylish, so I don’t mind spending a little bit of money on it, I like to go to Nike for my yoga wear as its made from brilliant materials and stylish.

Have you ever-tried hot yoga, if yes what do you think of it?

I have tried hot yoga and found it a lot more challenging than I planned; it really is a serious work out. I did really enjoy it though as I felt very refreshed and energized afterwards. The hot yoga is better suited to people who have been doing yoga for a time and want a more intense work out, however it is also a brilliant way to detox.

Lululemon have come up with a unique way to draw in customers by offering free yoga sessions in their stores, which promotes their company and encourages people to buy their yoga wear but also introduces new comers to yoga, and helps people who may not have been sure how to take up yoga.