The Fall of Denim

Athleisure

There was a fascinating article on NPR last week*. The article concerned the 6% drop in sales for denim over the past year. This is significant downturn as denim sales have remained steady for decades. 

What could be the culprit? Yoga Pants. Yes, you read it right and I am sure you are not surprised. The sale of yoga pants and active wear rose by 7% in the same time period. Athleisure may be here to stay. Says Amanda Halley of LIM College in Manhattan, "Everyone wants to look like they're running to the gym, even if they are not."

It seems Americans love elastic waistbands and soft stretchy fabric. The article also mentioned the relative non-wearability of recent trends such as skinny and colored jeans.  

Personally I am doing my part for both industries by supporting designer jeans and a terrible lululemon habit. I am a giver.

*NPR. Blue Jeans Losing their Grip on American Hips. L. Carol Ritchie, 9/6/14. Web. www.npr.org

Athleisure: Teeki Yoga Pants

 I give you Teeki Yoga/Pilates Pants:

For real. I am fascinated by this company. The look of their product is new and unique. The prints are graphic, western, funky, and eye-catching. Teeki  is dedicated to recycling. Each pair of pants is made of at least 8 recycled water bottles. I love the concept from A to Z. Plus, I live in my workout pants and prefer to not look like everyone else at the gym. Winner winner.

The fabric in the pants is something close to swimwear material and dries quickly. My hope is that they are simultaneously thick enough to stay in place during hard work-outs. We'll see... I ordered a pair last week.  The waistband is wide and folds easily for a lower fit on the hips. Conceptually, you can throw on a drapey sweater or sweatshirt and hit the town.

Teeki Balanced Traveler, $66.

Teeki Deer Medicine Capri, $52. Love this print!

Teeki Awakening Hot Pant $66. The first person I see in these is going to get a high five- BOLD move.

Living the athleisure dream. I'm in.