The Tamesis
The strategy reflects a broader realignment around how consumers actually use activewear. “Sports has moved into non-functional brands to a large extent because it has become part of people’s daily wardrobe,” said Emay Enemokwu, founder of premium streetwear brand Jehucal. “People train, travel, work and socialize in the same place.” At the same time, hybrid work blurs the distinction between workwear and casual wear, while climate fluctuations increase the need for sweat-proof, heat-resistant and durable clothing.
However, the development process is often more demanding than expected. “This process takes much longer than our mainline development,” Worswick said. “Each sample undergoes rigorous performance testing, which pushes back the timeline, but it’s important to understand how each product holds up workout after workout.” Unlike casual clothing, activewear requires new supplier relationships, specialist fabrics and more extensive wear testing. Brands often need to reach outside their existing manufacturing networks to gain performance expertise, resulting in higher costs and longer lead times.
Ensuring consistency across categories presents additional challenges. “With every piece, regardless of category, we ask the same question: Does this feel distinctly fashion club?” says Worswick. In practice, this means that the same in-house design team responsible for the mainline range also wear-tests performance products, keeping brand authenticity at the heart of the process. At the same time, suppliers must “bridge the two worlds” and meet high-performance standards while understanding the brand’s design requirements. “While our development cycles may be longer than some performance-led brands, our attention to detail and craftsmanship ensures each fabric performs as effortlessly as it looks,” he adds.
community-led marketing
For some brands, the biggest shift in launching activewear is no longer the product, but the process. Sportswear is no longer dominated by lookbooks or performance claims, but is increasingly being introduced through shared training programs.
Streetwear brand Jehucal, for example, launched Form & Time as the brand’s January discipline challenge, alongside the launch of a new training app. The program centers around free training sessions, fitness apps and podcasts focused on real-life sports stories, with participants gaining access through consistency rather than purchase. Rather than being product-led, apparel is introduced at the end of a training session, using anticipation to reinforce a long-term commitment to showing up and getting the job done.
This behavior-first approach reflects a broader recalibration of how brands build credibility in performance categories. As consumers become more knowledgeable about activewear and skeptical of vague technical claims, community engagement provides the kind of evidence that marketing alone cannot. Training sessions and challenges can allow consumers to experience the use of a product in the context of its design before being asked to purchase it.
It’s becoming more and more common, especially in the indie streetwear scene. Kelly Acheampong, founder of fashion discovery platform Undiscovered, mentions premium streetwear brand A Day Without Angst. In late 2025, the brand brought viewers together for group aerobics workouts, where participants competed and encouraged each other. While handing out the awards, Acheampong noted that “a highlight was also the sportswear item that was teased on the day,” demonstrating how products can be introduced organically through shared experiences rather than traditional marketing.
