How to Win Activewear's Pandemic Boom

Retail Reborn [View on Web]( [Add to contacts]( [New reader? Subscribe]( [BoF]( THE DAILY DIGEST ADVERTISEMENT [Brookfield Properties Sept9-12]( THE UPFRONT Dear BoF Community, If there’s one place to be in fashion retail right now, it’s activewear. While the pandemic has crushed sales in most segments of the market, consumers are still shopping for loungewear and workout gear from their sofas. The surge in online sales has opened up new opportunities for independent and digitally native labels jostling to carve out market share. But the activewear market is a notoriously competitive space, dominated by a handful of powerful behemoths. In today’s must-read BoF Professional Feature, Tamison O’Connor examines [how to turn today’s trend into long-term success](. Plus, Casey Hall breaks down Louis Vuitton’s [latest multi-million dollar brush with counterfeiting]( and Doug Stephens kicks off a new podcast: [Retail Reborn](. Sarah Kent, Senior Correspondent TODAY'S MUST READ [Intelligence]( [How to Win the Pandemic's Activewear Boom]( BY Tamison O'Connor [Workout clothes have been a bright spot in the struggling apparel sector this year, but independent brands need to play smart to turn the current bump into long-term success.]( LONDON, United Kingdom — Sweatpants, yoga leggings and sports crop tops are the hero products of the pandemic. Though not immune to the retail downturn, activewear sales in the US are down just 2 to 3 percent year-on-year, compared to a decline in the mid double digits for other apparel categories, according to Earnest Research. Online sales of activewear jumped 30 percent in August compared to a year earlier. It’s “really completely outperforming almost every other apparel sector,” said Michael Maloof, associate director at Earnest Research. “Overall, it’s the brightest spot in apparel and accessories.” But it’s also a crowded market that’s difficult to master. Form-fitting leggings and trendy sweatshirts are easy to copy, and competition is fierce at every price point. Similarly, few companies have the resources to compete with the likes of Nike and Adidas, which spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on technical innovation. On the other hand, the pandemic surge is opening new opportunities for well-placed independent brands. Those that can capitalise on this moment will be well set up to thrive after the pandemic, but it won’t be an easy game to win. [Read More.]( Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 [JOIN]( TOP STORIES [Global Currents]( [The Pandemic Has Created a ‘Perfect Storm’ for Counterfeits. Just Ask Louis Vuitton.]( BY Casey Hall [As if Covid-19 hasn’t already done enough damage to the fashion industry, intellectual property experts are now warning that it has also left the door open for counterfeit products to proliferate at an unprecedented pace.]( Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 [JOIN]( [Podcasts]( [Retail Reborn: A New Podcast Series Investigating the Future of Retail]( BY BoF Studio [In an exclusive new series, Doug Stephens and BoF investigate the seismic shifts transforming the retail ecosystem. From the post-pandemic consumer pscyhe to increased risk and growing calls for responsibility, we identify the new fundamentals of a reborn retail industry.]( [News & Analysis]( [Live Blog: England Enacts New Gathering Restrictions to Six People, American Designers Produce Biden-Harris 2020 Merch]( BY BoF Team [Follow our live blog for continuous updates from the frontlines of fashion.]( [IN OTHER NEWS]( [Chris Benz Exits J.Crew]( [Bolstered by Lockdown Measures, Lululemon Beats Earnings Estimates]( [Interparfums Outlook Hits Market Forecasts]( [JD Sports Restores Outlook as Sales Start To Recover]( [DAILY DIGEST Fashion News from Around the Web]( 1 [Retail Is Having a Darwin Moment That Will Transform It Forever]( [FAST COMPANY]( 2 [The Two Men Buying Your Favourite Retailers]( [THE NEW YORK TIMES]( 3 [Aurora James Is Changing How We Think About Fashion]( [FASHIONISTA]( 4 [How Covid-19 Created a New Kind of Consumer in Just 90 Days]( [FAST COMPANY]( 5 [Virgil and Mercedes-Benz Want To Rebuild the Luxury Landscape, They Explain How]( [HIGHSNOBIETY]( FEATURED JOBS  [EMEA Wholesale Communication Manager]( [B]( Veneta](   Milan, Italy  [Studio Manager]( [Carolina Herrera](   New York, United States  [Stylist (Full time)]( [LN-CC](  London, United Kingdom [View All Jobs](  [Subscribe Were you forwarded this email? To subscribe to this newsletter, click below.]( for Free]( Follow Us [The Business of Fashion]( [Sponsorship & Advertising]( [About]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Add to Address Book]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Edit Newsletter Subscriptions]( The Business of Fashion Moray House - 6th Floor · 23-31 Great Titchfield St London W1W 7PA · United Kingdom