Erin

Gautier
The Future Success of Leggings
November 28, 2018































 Introduction
With the health-craze on hand, athletic wear continues to dominate the clothing industry.
Leggings, which fall into this category, will continue to be a market success in the years to
come. This report will provide information on the increase in demand for leggings, the
target consumers of leggings, and the success of athletic wear.

Increase in Demand for Leggings
Style/Color of Leggings
Leggings have become a staple item to any outfit. High-rise leggings especially have
gained popularity (Industry evolution, 2018). When worn with a sports bra or even a crop-
top, it serves its purpose at the gym or with a casual outfit. Not only is this style of leggings
popular, but it is also becoming available in more colors. For example, primary colors like
teal have attracted customers. Pastels are also in with lavender becoming the new
neutral (Industry evolution, 2018). Overall, the style of leggings continues to change to
accommodate increasing demands.

Materials
The fabrics are also changing to accommodate new needs. For example, leggings are now
being made out of Nulu and Luon to help with running and other fitness activities
(Lululemon Athletica Inc., 2017). Instead of just focusing on yoga, they are adapting to fit
a wide variety of sports.

Jeans Try to Compete
Leggings have replaced jeans when it comes to casual wear. Jean sales have dropped
4.5% in 2014 and 3.4% in 2015 (Steele, 2017). This could be partly due to the growing
popularity of leggings. Leggings have caused jeans to innovate and change to meet new
consumer demands. People want to feel comfortable in the clothes that they wear. Now,
jeans are being made to look like jeans on the outside but still feel like a yoga pant inside
(Steele, 2017). This further reiterates the fact that people prefer comfort over style,
which is why leggings continue to dominate the clothing industry.

Target Consumers of Leggings
Who is the Target Market?
Lululemon is a brand that mainly attracts females. This is because it focuses on sports
usually intended for women, such as yoga. Another important point to mention is the
females who buy this product must have an income high enough to afford this product.
Although they use the same material to produce their yoga pants, Lululemon’s prices are
higher than competitors (Wu, Greenburg, Pridemore, Yuan, & Yan, n.d.).

Why Women?
According to Dalavagas (2016), the target consumers of leggings are “sophisticated and
educated” women because they tend to care about their health the most (The Business
section, para. 4). Women also tend to spend more money on clothing. These women
tend to spend their money on athletic apparel specifically yoga pants (Dalavagas, 2016).
They are willing to spend the extra money for a nice pair of leggings if it means bettering
their health. The best way to message these consumers is to inform women about the
versatility of leggings both inside and outside of the gym (Dalavagas, 2016).

Success of Athletic Wear
Increased Sports Participation
Athletic wear is not going to disappear anytime soon. In fact, by 2020, it will increase by
50% to $100 billion in revenue (Germano, 2014). This increase is partly due to the
increasing wear of leggings both inside and outside the gym.

Figure 1: Sports Participation

Figure 1 above illustrates the growth in sports participation. This information is important
because as sports participation increases, the demand for sporting goods also increases.
This includes apparel, which leggings are a part of.

Alternative exercises, such as yoga and Pilates, have been gaining popularity, which also
contributes to the growth of athletic wear industry. According to an industry report,
athletic wear will grow at an annualized rate of 1.9% to $57.5 billion (Hyland, 2018). This
industry will only continue to grow, as there are no obvious barriers to hinder its growth.

The Versatility of Leggings
The versatility of leggings extends beyond their intended purpose of being strictly for
yoga. In 2013, yoga participation increased 4.5%, while sales of yoga apparel went up
45% (Germano, 2014). This increase reveals that people are buying leggings for more
than just yoga.

Leggings appeal not only to those who are active and go the gym, but also to those who
do not go to the gym. They are perfect for wearing around the house, running errands,
 or wearing on a daily basis (Hyland, 2018). The fact that leggings are acceptable
anywhere, not just the gym, appeals to women.

Conclusion
This document presented information on the increase in demand for leggings, the target
consumers of leggings, and the success of athletic wear. Leggings are one clothing item
that will continue to succeed in the market. As health concerns increase, the athletic
clothing market will also increase.





































References

Dalavagas, I. (2016, April 12). SWOT Analysis: Lululemon Athletica Inc. Retrieved from Value
Line database.

Germano, S. (2014, August 20). Yoga poseurs: Athletic gear soars, outpacing sport itself;
customers snap up stretchy tees and leggings, boosting growth for 'athleisure'
apparel. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Hyland, R. (2018, October). IBISWorld Industry Report 45111. Sporting Goods Stores in the US.
Retrieved from IBISWorld database.
Industry evolution: new campaigns, store formats, technical fabrics, and private label brands.
(2018, October). Retrieved from Mintel Academic database.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. Apparel and Footwear (World). (2017, June 20). Retrieved from
Euromonitor’s Passport database.

Steele, A. (2017, June 11). Blue jeans get their game back; denim makers are emphasizing
stretch, comfort and styles that fit more like leggings in a bid to win back the athleisure
customer. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Wu, D., Greenburg, J., Pridemore, J., Yuan, X., & Yan, Z. Lululemon Athletica. Retrieved from
http://jenniferpridemore.com/BMGT353FinalProject.pdf