From the enduring popularity of racket sports and a burgeoning buzz around golf to interest in cricket and even boat racing, fashion’s active obsession is leaning highbrow. While some brands seek to democratise elite sports for previously sidelined demographics, others capitalise on their proximity to the old money crowd by tapping stealth-wealth style cues and accessible luxury aspirations.

As consumers increasingly demand versatility from their purchases, active brands are cementing themselves as covetable status symbols with both practical and sartorial merit in the gym and beyond. This form-meets-function emphasis is driving exciting change as fashion-led collaborations pivot their attention from lifestyle to performance (especially wellness-adjacent activities like running, dance and Pilates) while hybrid design makes commercial strides in footwear.

Brands are taking a more all-encompassing approach to active’s ongoing femininity focus in a bid to better meet both pragmatic and aesthetic needs. Team uniforms and performance gear are evolving to better serve women athletes and adventurers while mashed-up design cues and hyper-girly accents inform merch and lifestyle offerings that appeal to their sartorial tastes.

Fashion ventures are now lucrative side hustles for sports teams, leagues and athletes alike, with many using the insatiable consumer appetite for merch to encourage fan engagement and build revenue streams. With everything from inter-team collaborations and activism-led kits to trend-driven capsules creating hype, unexpected partnerships and creative experimentation have become key to cracking sportswear’s new style codes.