How to Design Athleisure Wear: From Gym Function to Street Fashion
The wall between workout wear and everyday fashion has come down. Athleisure, a blend of athletic apparel and street style, is more than a trend—it's a lifestyle. But creating custom pieces that truly work for both the gym and the street requires a smart approach, one that marries high-performance function with a sharp, modern look. Here's how to design gear that's ready for anything.
Start with Smarter Fabrics
Every great piece of athleisure begins with the fabric. The material is the foundation for how a garment feels, performs, and ultimately looks. Getting this choice right is the most critical step in your design process.
Performance Powerhouses
Today's fabric technology offers an incredible range of options. Synthetics like polyester is popular for a reason—it's tough, durable, and great at wicking moisture away from the skin, keeping you dry and comfortable.
For that essential stretch and shape retention, nothing beats spandex. It's almost always blended with other fibers to allow for a full range of motion, which is just as important for a yoga class as it is for a day of running errands.
Modern and Eco-Friendly Blends
The world of textiles goes much further. Innovative fabrics can now regulate body temperature, keeping you cool during a tough workout and warm on a breezy evening. For a more sustainable angle, eco-friendly materials like soft, naturally antibacterial bamboo or recycled polyester are becoming mainstream.
You can also get the best of both worlds with a cotton-poly blend, which combines the softness of cotton with the sweat-managing durability of polyester. Your choice here sets the stage for everything else.
Build for Better Movement and Comfort
A great fabric is only half the story. How a garment is actually put together—its construction—makes all the difference in how it feels and performs when you're on the move.
Engineered for Comfort
The placement of seams can be the difference between a comfortable workout and a distracting one. Flatlock seams, which are smooth and lay flat against the skin, are an industry standard for preventing chafing.
Another clever feature is a gusset, a diamond-shaped panel sewn into the inseam of leggings or shorts. This small addition provides a much greater range of motion and a more ergonomic fit.
Details That Matter
Small, practical features add immense value. Think about hidden pockets in leggings for a key and a card, thumbholes in the cuffs of a long-sleeve top to keep sleeves in place, or an adjustable drawstring for a perfect fit at the waist. Ventilation is also crucial.
Strategically placed mesh panels in high-sweat areas, like along the back or under the arms, can dramatically improve airflow. Women's custom activewear uses this mesh panel design. Every detail, down to the zipper pull, contributes to a piece that doesn't just look good, but works brilliantly.
Infuse It with Street-Ready Style
Functionality gets you to the starting line, but style is what wins the race. To elevate gym gear into an everyday essential, you have to nail the fashion aspect. It's all about creating pieces that look as good as they feel.
Playing with Shapes and Hues
The goal is versatility—clothing that transitions effortlessly from a spin class to a coffee shop. Look beyond the basic t-shirt and leggings. Asymmetrical cuts, cropped tops, and slightly oversized hoodies can give classic athletic shapes a contemporary twist.
While neutral colors like black, grey, and navy are timeless, don't be afraid to experiment with bold, expressive colors or sophisticated pastels. Color-blocking is another great technique for creating visual interest and a flattering silhouette.
The Finishing Touches
Subtle textures and patterns can lend a sense of luxury. A tastefully placed logo, a unique zipper, or a sleek reflective strip can turn a simple garment into something special. Settle on the overall vibe you're aiming for. Is it clean and minimalist, or bold and graphic? Your answer will guide your design choices and help you build a distinct and memorable brand identity.
Bring Your Vision to Life with Print-on-Demand
Starting an apparel line once meant huge upfront costs and ordering more inventory than you might need. That's all changed thanks to print-on-demand (POD), a model that lets you create and sell custom apparel as it's ordered.
A Smarter Way to Start
Print-on-demand services remove the financial risk and guesswork. Companies like Inkedjoy provide a catalog of high-quality blank athleisure—from sports bras and leggings to joggers and hoodies—ready for your custom designs. The process is simple: you upload your artwork, position it on a digital mockup of the garment, and add it to your online store.
Unleash Your Creativity
When a customer buys your product, the POD company prints, packs, and ships it for them. This hands-off approach frees you up to focus on design and marketing. It also opens the door to incredible personalized gifts, which is a huge plus for today's shoppers.
Using a platform like Inkedjoy, you can bring any vision to life, from intricate patterns to bold graphics, all on performance-grade fabrics that live up to your functional standards.
This model is a game-changer for independent designers.
- Forget about holding onto expensive inventory.
- Enjoy endless creative freedom with custom prints.
- Choose from a wide variety of quality base garments.
- Lower your financial risk as a new or small business.
- Let someone else handle the shipping and fulfillment.
It's a more accessible path to market that rewards creativity and allows you to build a brand that is both distinct and quick to adapt.
Wear Your Style Everywhere
Ultimately, great athleisure is a thoughtful blend of art and science. It's built on a foundation of high-performance materials and smart construction, then brought to life with a real sense of style. By striking this balance and using modern tools like print-on-demand, you can create custom apparel that gives people the confidence to move through their entire day, looking and feeling their best.
