“Stealth wealth” is taking over fashion, and the fitness apparel category is no exception.
Flashy labels are a thing of the past, at least for now. Thanks in large part to Succession and the understated (yet costly) fashion choices of the Roy family, quiet luxury — also known as stealth wealth — is the name of the fashion game in 2023.
Ever since this term burst on the scene, a handful of celebrities have proven that quiet luxury is indeed where fashion is focused at the moment. Gwyneth Paltrow, for example, has stepped out in a handful of pricey, understated fits, complete with pieces from upscale brands like The Row, Celine, and her very own G. Label by Goop.
Annie Walters, Vice President of Retail at Equinox, says that while Succession has certainly played a role in the movement toward quiet luxury, the pandemic could have something to do with it, too. “I think if you look at how we have navigated the last few years through COVID, there has been this need to feel luxurious and comforted but not necessarily to flash it,” she says. “There has been a shift in terms of how people perceive wealth. It’s more like, ‘If you know, you know,’ but not needing to be so ostentatious.”
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How Quiet Luxury Has Bled Into the Activewear Space
While the stealth movement mostly focuses on everyday clothes, that’s not the only area of the retail space where this trend is popping up: Walters says quiet luxury is having a moment in the athleisure world, too. “If you look at what our assortment is comprised of today versus pre-pandemic, you'll notice there are virtually no prints and that everything is about hand touch,” she says. “The performance fabrics are a lot softer and pieces come in more natural, neutral tones — very monochromatic as opposed to a bold print.”
Walters also emphasizes that athleisure has been moving in this direction not this year, but since 2021. “[As the world opened up], there’s been this feeling of, ‘Okay, we're coming back into the world, but we're not going to be loud about it,’” she says. “And that trend has persisted since 2021 — it's been this steady state of seeing fabrics continuing to evolve, get more elevated, and fit better. But you haven't necessarily seen the reemergence of bold prints.”
How to Tell If an Activewear Piece Is High-Quality
The quiet luxury movement is all about quality. But just because something comes in neutral hues doesn’t mean it’s going to be made of top-tier materials. Luckily, Walters says, there are some easy ways to tell if a piece is high-quality or not.
“You can typically look at the seams and see how a garment is finished to help understand how it's going to wear,” she explains. “Hand feel is important, too: You want to have a good hand feel that'll determine if it's a nice fabric, and also look at how products are finished. Are they bonded? Are they stitched? How are they stitched? All those little details will show you how they ultimately wear.”
If you don’t feel skilled in the art of examining seams and stitching for quality, Walters has a few brands to recommend.
“Eterne and Leset are elevated lifestyle pieces for women,” she says. “In terms of menswear, we've seen a shift in our guy emerging as the fashion hero post-pandemic. If you think about [brands like] Rhone or Lulu, they're pretty basic, and you'll notice there's a lot more logo treatment and novelty.”
Accessories are another booming business in the athleisure sector. “Dagne Dover is great. Whenever they drop a new fashion color or fabrication — that's been blowing up for us, as is Rains, which is an emerging brand that's more lifestyle-driven in their bags and athleisure.”
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Where Activewear Is Headed in 2024
So, will stealth wealth continue into the new year? Probably, but with a little more flair. “I think we're almost ready to start seeing more prints, specifically for women,” Walters says. “There may be an emergence of some sexier silhouettes and cuts.”
Mesh may come back as well, she says, and you could see fewer monochromatic sets in muted tones. “We continue to see similar trends with men; he's not just buying the blacks and navies. We’re also seeing that men’s shorts have gotten shorter and are staying shorter,” Walters notes. “So the guys who used to work nine- and seven-inch shorts are truly married to their five-inch shorts now.”
For the moment, it’s all about those neutral tones and soft-to-the-touch quality — in both the athleisure and everyday fashion spaces.
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