The athleisure trend is now more popular than ever as more men and women are learning that there’s no need to compromise between style and comfort. These functional and fashionable clothes provide ease of movement as people tackle various responsibilities at home. Athleisure companies have continued to see a steady rise in the demand for their products, and it’s impressive that they’re also participating in confronting important social causes today.
Athleisure Amid COVID-19
The stay-at-home measures initially implemented to keep people safe from the COVID-19 virus have contributed to the rise in popularity of athleisure clothes. When people started working from their homes, office workers made a complete 180-degree turn and switched their office attires to activewear-inspired clothing.
Athleisure is suddenly becoming the unofficial work-from-home uniform. With this style of clothing, workers who spend their days in video conferences can easily transition to nights of movie binging. So, in many ways, this particular style and trend can help people take good care of themselves and look after both their physical and mental health this year.
More Than Just Brands
As mentioned, certain athleisurewear brands also support different charitable organizations as a way of giving back. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the global challenges in the economy, athleisure brands actively took part in the you shop, brands donate campaign that aims to extend compassion, kindness, and generosity with the help of customers. For every item sold, these companies will donate a fraction of their profits to the charities they partnered with or the ones you directly choose to help.
Moreover, athleisure companies aren’t just doing this because of the rise in their profitability. Many of them already chose to give back even before the pandemic began. However, there has been an undeniable rise in companies supporting charitable organizations.
As these brands continue to experience steady business, the industry’s value is expected to reach USD$257 billion in 2026, according to the data from Allied Market Research. This isn’t surprising since athleisurewear purchases in the states alone reached an estimated value of USD$81 billion in 2021.
Deserving Charities
Here are a few of the charities receiving aid from the athleisure companies:
1. Children With Cancer
A brand made it a mission to donate to American children who have cancer by selling beanies. The sales of over 130,000 beanies benefited pediatric cancer patients. Non-profit organizations have also received half of the profits to support pediatric oncology research and other related works. Part of the proceeds also went to fund the immediate needs of the families of the children battling the disease.
2. Strays and Wildlife
Humans aren’t the only recipients of the kindness of athleisure brands. For instance, the owners of a certain brand, who also happen to be dog lovers, launched a mini collection featuring their two dogs. Ten percent of the proceeds from the matching top and legging set will go to charities that rehome strays. Some companies are also funding the wildlife rescue in Guatemala. A fraction of their revenue aids in the rehabilitation and release of animals to the wild.
3. Mothers
A few athleisure brands launched a maternity collection that allows expectant mothers to be active during their pregnancy. One of these companies is partnering with an organization to provide aid to impoverished expectant mothers. For every product purchase, funds are set aside for local and international recipients such as the Downtown Women’s Center, California Wildfire victims, Midwives for Haiti, and prenatal care.
4. Clean Water For Poor Families
Access to clean drinkable water may be a fundamental human right, but some of the world’s most impoverished neighborhoods see it as a luxury. Many people continue to suffer from the effects of water scarcity. Fortunately, some of your favorite activewear brands donate at least 5% of their net profits to multiple charitable causes.
5. Factory Workers
Factory workers in many developing countries often have to make the most of unfavorable working conditions. For this reason, certain athleisure brands made it their goal to work with a non-profit organization, ShareHope, to provide monetary aid for social programs in these developing countries. At the same time, factory workers are offered the opportunity to finish high school education and receive training in health, waste management, and proper sanitation practices.
In Conclusion
Contrary to what many believe, not all companies only care about profits. Some, including many athleisure brands, still acknowledge their social responsibility and donate to worthy causes as a way of add meaning to their businesses. They also offer an opportunity for customers to help out way simply by purchasing their products.
