Spending habits show consumers focused on premium athleisure over premium fashion – study

There’s been a “notable” shift in consumer spend towards athleisure-focused brands and fitness, and away from equally premium fashion retailers that focus more on formal and casualwear, according to a new consumer study.

Through analysis of its ‘Brand Dimensions’ platform, which tracks £4 billion of monthly spend across 300 brands’, business consultancy CACI found a big year-on-year shift to premium sportswear brands such as Gymshark (+51%), Lululemon (+24%), and Sweaty Betty (+20%), significantly up sales-wise.

Back to spring 2023 and CACI found that despite inflationary pressures, higher average transaction value (ATV) retail brands like Reiss, Sunglass Hut, and Patagonia experienced strong growth in sales. 

But a little over a year later, these brands have failed to build on that momentum and those that have seen considerable drops in spend include & Other Stories (-23%), Mint Velvet (-22%), Flannels (-19%), and Ralph Lauren (-13%), comparing May 2023 with May 2024.

Of course, that doesn’t mean those brands will be reporting sales falls of that magnitude comes results time. This is after all just one set of figures for one month from an external source.

But the Brand Dimensions data indicates that “premium fashion as a category continues to attract consumer spend, but the brands with a core formal and casualwear fashion offering are currently losing out to those with a comprehensive own-brand sportswear collection, or dedicated athleisure concept”.

Rachael Bedford, Principal Consultant at CACI, added: “What a difference a year makes. Our Brand Dimensions data paints the picture of a consumer trend to invest in high-end athleisure and wellness, as many premium fashion brands outside of this space struggle to build on the momentum we identified in spring 2023. 

“Whilst traditional premium brands are losing their grip on their fashion market share, consumers are choosing to expand their wardrobes with high-end athleisure clothing, signalling a new wave of premium fashion with fitness ingrained.” 

She added: “We’re seeing many high street retailers release own-brand fitness lines, no doubt because they’re also seeing athleisure go from strength to strength. As people continue to place more attention to their outgoings, it’s never been so important for retail to remain agile, responding to changing consumer behaviour to capture discretionary spend in a seriously competitive space.”