Smart Fabrics for Women's Sports Apparel

In recent years, the enormous popularity of athleisure (active wear worn as day-to-day clothing) has energized an otherwise sluggish apparel industry. The global growth is expected to continue, with sales forecast to reach US$350 billion by 2020 (up from only US$197 billion in 2007). Among the primary consumers who have propelled this trend are women who are leading more active lifestyles and wearing relaxed, gym-inspired clothing to work, school, and places beyond the yoga studio or tennis court. Plain and functional no longer, women’s sports clothing has been transformed into fashionable garments sold by everyone from retailers, to pop stars, to high-end designers. Wearing comfortable, stylish exercise clothes, both to exercise and to have lunch with friends, is becoming more commonplace for women of all ages. It is therefore no surprise that major brands are actively expanding their female sports apparel lines, offering an almost limitless array of colorful compression leggings or brightly patterned sports bras. Sports bras, in particular, have undergone several transformations through the years. In 2002, sports bra sales accounted for approximately 6% of the US$4.5 billion bra market. By 2015, the bra market was worth about US$15 billion.