It wasn’t too long ago when fashion and

sportswear seemed to be decidedly at odds

with one another. I mean, both were at the

polar ends of usage and target audience;

sportswear was strictly for sports and

exercise and fashion was for those who were

in pursuit of taste, beauty, and aesthetics. Yet

today, sportswear and fashion have so much

in common these days.

Sportswear is taking to the street these days

and is increasingly becoming a way of life

for fashion enthusiasts across the globe,

and for just the right reasons. Hustling has

become the order of the day today and times

as such calls for versatile, multipurpose

fashion apparel that can be worn for various

occasions.

On the other end, everywhere you look,

people are making conscious eff ort

towards leading a healthier life and are

hence investing in a range of activewear

which is defi ned as the ‘new semi-casual’.

Overall, sportswear has changed the way

people dress up for the gym, casual, social

occasions, and even for work. Such intense is

the popularity of the trend that it’s fast fanning

out into various sub-segments like athleisure,

activewear, gym wear, and much more.

This issue of IMAGES Business of Fashion

outlines how the fast blurring line between

sports and fashion has spawned a market

that harbours opportunity like never before.

We bring to you a detailed look at the fact

that ‘Sports-leisure’is no longer a trend, but a

fundamental shift in how the world dresses

today.

The issue is replete with details of the fastemerging

categories of Sportswear and

Athleisure in India as well as the size of the

market, opportunities for retailers, key trends

and latest innovations. Apart from this, we bring

you market leaders in categories and deep dive

into what makes the successful.

We hope you fi nd our sportswear special issue

useful and insightful, as always.

Cheers!!