Leggings, which are a shape enhancing, skin tight piece of clothing covering the legs and meant to be worn by both men and women, have been seeing steady upswing in demand. Leggings are the most popular bottom wear for the women population. Actually, leggings come with knitted fabric. However, leather or woolens leggings are equally popular as a fashion trend.
Nowadays, leggings come in multiple colors, designs, and patterns. Furthermore, leggings come in different sizes and length. Generally, people can produce different types of leggings from several fabrics like Lycra, spandex, nylon, polyester, silk, cotton, wool or others fabrics. Basically, women with the all age group wear leggings.
Whatsmore, one can team up leggings with the several upper outfits. These are kurta, tunics, t-shirts, coat, jackets, tank tops and any other tops or ethnicwear. Additionally, these are perfect for yoga or workout. So, it is natural that the demand will increase more in the future.
Effortless Chic: Your Guide to Easy and Comfy Daily Wear
leggings cover the daily-wear needs of women on the go. Leggings are now available in varieties like churidar, ankle length, Capri and in the different style like laced, layered, printed and solids.
Leggings provide a slim look in the easiest possible way. Furthermore, it comes at an affordable price for the major population. So, the popularity of leggings will definitely increase more in the future.
⦁ Demand for leggings is expected to continue to rise.
⦁ Growing westernization trend and rapid urbanization in developing countries such as India, Indonesia, etc., is expected to result into high adoption of leggings.
⦁ An increasing number of joint ventures of international companies with the local player as well as growing sportswear production is expected to support the growth of the market over the forecast period 2026.
⦁ The nylon segment (by material) is expected to contribute major revenue share in the global leggings market and is expected to register the highest CAGR of over 6%.
⦁ The end-user segments, the women segment is expected to contribute major revenue share in the global leggings market and is expected to register the highest CAGR of over 7.0%, in terms of revenue.
The increasing demand for leggings is the enduring appeal of the product, which is catching up even in the oriental nations with different clothing habits. This is because of the convenience and comfort it offers to the wearer. Both men and women can wear it for various purposes – both for the sake of fashion or for working out or indulging in sports activities.
In America & Europe leggings have been a front runner in driving demand for leggings worldwide. This is because the pair of clothing is also used as hosiery in the region. Apart from that many sports and yoga enthusiasts alongside the high spending capacity of people has served to boost their markets too. Besides the two regions, merging economies in Asia & Latin America are also proving to be lucrative markets. The influence of western culture affecting the food and clothing choices of people, mushrooming clothing manufacturing units, and increasing disposable incomes of people in the regions are mainly bolstering sales there.
The Legging Market: Trends, Growth, and Insights
It is impossible to examine the present market in the U.S & india. without recognizing the importance of leggings in the athleisure movement. Wall Street Journal reporter Holmes (2015) credits Lululemon with popularizing the concept of wearing yoga pants to places outside of the yoga studio. Leggings, as well as other athletic pieces, have successfully been integrated into consumers’ leisurewear and workwear, building the athleisure market. This segment of the apparel industry became so successful that in 2016 athleisure first appeared in Merriam Webster Dictionary defined as “casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use” (Athleisure, n.d.). As stated previously, the difference between the athleticwear and athleisurewear categories depends how consumers choose to wear their clothing items; it is essential to look at the sportswear market to assess the sales of athleisure (Wein swig, 2018).
Indian Fashion System with a Special Emphasis on Women’s Occasion Wear
The Kurti also was modified to Kaftaan (Loose Robe without attached sleeves) silhouette. The Kurti (Tunic) trend coincided with the trend of tunic tops in western fashion. The popularity of skinny jeans and leggings led to hybrid jeggings. This also triggered the trend for comfortable Knitted – spandex blend, leggings, substituting the bias cut fitted churidar pajama’s (bias cut fitted Indian trouser variations, often cumbersome to wear due to the desired snug fit). The ready to wear knit leggings are a huge leap towards acceptance of Knitwear in the Indian ethnic / fusion garment category which have been dominated by woven textiles. In early 2000 the knit sari blouse fad did not find much favor eventually. The technological innovations in terms of new fibers, fabric technology, garment manufacturing, dyeing and printing technology, supply chain, and retail formats have affected the Indian Fashion system favorably however it’s not sufficiently featured in the fashion media communication to the consumers.
Fabric When examining the structure of leggings, fabric construction that allows for ease of movement is essential. Fabric is “a pliable, planelike structure made into two- or threedimensional products that require some shaping and flexibility” (Kadoplph, 2010, p. 256). Fabric is not just a conglomerate of yarns and fiber but instead should be thought of as a structure which can impact the intended performance of the garment (Shishoo, 2015). Sportswear commonly incorporates three major fabric construction types: knitted, woven, and non-woven fabrics. Among these, knitted fabrics are most frequently used in skin-layer and mid-layer sportswear due to their superior stretchability compared to woven fabrics (Troynikov & Watson, 2015; Uttam, 2013). Leggings are typically made from knitted materials. Weft knits. Weft knits are formed when “one yarn or yarn set is carried back and forth and under needles to form a fabric. Yarns move horizontally” (Kadolph, 2010, p. 313). Even though weft knits can unravel more easily than warp knits, weft knitting is generally used in fashion and apparel items (Kaufmann, 2015). Jersey knits, rib knits, and purl knits are among the most common types of wefts knit types (Elsasser, 2010). Weftknitting machines comprise approximately 90-95% of all machines used for apparel creation, which is likely due to the increased demand and production for athleisure (Kaufmann, 2015). Weft knitted fabrics have been used frequently in seamless sportswear and have widespread structural abilities (Troynikov & Watson, 2015).
⦁ Athletic/Activewear Leggings
⦁ Casual/Everyday Leggings
⦁ Compression Leggings
⦁ High-Waisted Leggings
⦁ Fashion/Printed Leggings
⦁ Thermal/Fleece-Lined Leggings
⦁ Maternity Leggings
⦁ Jeggings
Stretch recovery
The skin expands 10-50% when a body moves, therefore athletic garments must be flexible. Knit fabrics are often classified by their ability to stretch; two-way stretchy knits can be used for skintight appearance, and super stretchy knits are used in sportswear for performance enhancement, having the ability to stretch 100% or even greater in the lengthwise and crosswise directions. Elastic fibers are also often used in athletic apparel to allow for flexibility and shape retention. The “yield point” in elastic fabrics is the point at which fabric has reached its extension limit but will recover. Fibers such as spandex can add up to 30% elasticity and can be repeatedly stretched to twice their length and usually recover after stretching.
Abrasion resistance
Abrasion occurs when fabric rubs against itself or an external surface such as another fabric. When an abrasion occurs, fibers may transfer to the surface of a fabric resulting in fuzzing or pilling. Pilling and fuzzing are not desirable since they can impact the appearance of a garment and degrade its serviceability to its wearer. Fuzzing. When examining a fabric’s reaction to continual abrasion, fuzzing is the step that occurs before a fabric begins to show pilling. Fuzzing is the result of broken microfibers beginning to protrude from the fabric’s surface; with continual abrasion, the fibers begin to split or fray into smaller fibers giving the fabric a fuzzy appearance.
Fuzzing may also be referred to as linting. Lint has different meanings, but for this research, the definition most like fuzzing will be used: “loose, short, fine raveling’s or fluff from yarn or fabric” (Fairchild’s Dictionary of Textiles, 2014). Lint accumulation on a garment may come from the garment itself or abrasion with another textile. Both linting and fuzzing cling to the surface of a fabric and negatively impact the appearance of a garment. Pilling. Pilling is caused by the short fibers and fiber ends protruding from a garment entangling and forming pills which are balled up or knotted fibers.
Furthermore to impacting the appearance of the fabric, pilling can create a texture change and cause degradation in the comfort and serviceability of a garment. The degree of pilling depends on factors such as fiber durability, yarn fineness, the number of short fibers present, and fiber cross-section shape. The ability of a fabric to resist pilling is a performance factor used to evaluate its quality.
Care and Maintenance
While care labels vary for different garments, there are general instructions to consider when laundering and storing leggings. It is suggested that to avoid shrinkage, low heat settings, or air drying should be used for knitted garments, especially those which contain cotton and have not been appropriately preshrunk. Lululemon advises its customers to machine wash their products in cold water and tumble dry on low or let air dry to protect the life of the spandex (Lululemon Care Instructions). Nylon is considered an easy-care fabric and is safe to machine wash and dry, but a high heat setting may cause wrinkling. While cotton fabrics may be susceptible to mildew and should be stored in a dry location, nylon and polyester do not.
Summary
Uses for leggings have evolved throughout their history, yet they were often intended for exercise related activities because of the range of motion and movement they allow. However, the leggings of the athleisure movement transitioned outside of the gym for wear during non-exercise related activities when creating the athleisure industry. The relatively new athleisure market is extremely competitive because of the vast number of options consumers face, and many 21 believe that athleisure is here to stay because of its associations with an esteemed lifestyle of wellness. When a market is competitive, it is important to prioritize the opinions of those who will be purchasing the final product, meaning the consumer. Fabric, design, construction, performance features, and intent for wear vary.