Shelly Banjo, Columnist

Has the Activewear Fashion Fad Run Its Course?

The once-hot market for yoga pants and crop tops is reaching a saturation point.

April 13, 2016 at 4:50 PM UTC

Shelly Banjo leads the global business team for Bloomberg News in New York. A former New York bureau chief and senior tech writer, she’s covered business, finance and economics for two decades.

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Activewear is getting overstretched.

"Athleisure" -- so popular it grew into its own category within the clothing industry -- rocked the fashion world in recent years by taking stretchy leggings and neon crop tops out of the gym and into everyday life. Now, after a pretty great run, sales of the fitness attire that Under Armour and Lululemon made stylish to do "absolutely nothing (and everything) in" are losing steam. Meantime, as discounters Walmart and Target push further into sportswear, and fast-fashion retailers like Forever 21 and H&M get in the game, prices are coming down.