Apparel Online India Magazine December 1st Issue 2018 | Page 11

WORLD WRAP
obligatory solo destinations, fashion
has become central to working out.
Not difficult to guess is another fact
that it is yet again the millennial
consumer who is driving the
wellness trend into a desirable retail
category. According to the Harris
Group, 72 per cent of millennials would
rather spend money on experiences
than on material goods. “For
millennials, wellness is a daily, active
pursuit, and one they are willing to
spend on. Many of them bring fitness
into everyday life visibly by wearing
athleisure apparel for all kinds of
activities other than working out.”
Also interesting to note is that wellness
is not an experience only restricted
to the West, as consumers in China
are also taking an increasing interest
in lifestyle and health. According to a
2017 report by the Hurun Report and
the Shenzhen Catic Wellness Group,
“Chinese families were spending up to
a quarter of their income on
healthcare and fitness, including
things such as gym memberships and
products from athletic equipment to
functional clothing.”
Banking on this wealthy and rapidly
growing Asian consumer – brands
such as Lululemon, a yoga-inspired
Canadian athleisure brand, is
strategically launching expensive
gyms and top-end athleisure lines,
placing them carefully in the more
exclusive shopping areas and malls in
the Chinese market. Another brand,
Lane Crawford, one of China’s top-end
department store, is adding athleisure
and sportswear brands to its roster
as well.
Analysing all these strategic
partnerships in the recent past, it is
not hard to notice that wellness itself
is becoming the new definition of
luxury. Proving the concept worthy, are
luxury brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton
and Chanel which have launched
new lines of ‘athleisure-couture’ and
premium footwear in the last one year.
Be it the Asian customers or the
shoppers from the West, wellness
without doubt is the most aspirational
theme on Instagram – influencing
young customers throughout the globe
who are far more conscious of their
social media image today. Taking the
“Chinese families
were spending
up to a quarter
of their income
on healthcare and
fitness, including
things such as
gym memberships
and products
from athletic
equipment
to functional
clothing,
according to a
2017 report by
the Hurun Report
and the Catic
Wellness Group.”
trend extremely mainstream are also
prominent celebrities such as Kendall
Jenner and Rita Ora to Beyoncé,
Rihanna, and Kanye West. With millions
of social media followers taking notice,
these celebrities have transformed
the perception of activewear and have
turned it into a fashion statement.
In fact, there are more celeb-founded
wellness brands in the current fashion
space, with the most famous ones
being Fabletics by Kate Hudson;
Calia by Carrie Underwood; Mission
Statement by Hilary Swank; MPG
Sport by Julianne Hough; The Warm
Up by Jessica Simpson; Fenty x
Puma by Rihanna; Good American
by Khloé Kardashian; and Beyoncé’s 
Ivy Park.
With so many influencers
across platforms broadening the
conversation of wellness in our daily
lives, wellness is a state of being that
cannot be ignored today. Everything
from a healthy sophisticated living
to a fashionable comfortable lifestyle
is driven by the idea of wellness – a
market that is extremely beneficial to
the fashion business today.
www.apparelresources.com | DECEMBER 1-15, 2018 | Apparel Online India
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