Death of The Matching Set
The coolest girls you know aren’t wearing their matching Alo Yoga sets or Set Active sets to Pilates anymore. In fact, they’re not even buying from the hottest workout brands. Instead, buying vintage athleisure wear is in, and it’s most likely bought from an online reseller such as Depop or Beyond Retro. The new outfit formula consists of track pants or capris paired with a slouchy, off-the-shoulder top and a beat-up pair of New Balance 990s.
The trend of second-hand buying and vintage sourcing has been the shopping currency for some time now. However, vintage lovers have recently entered a new level beyond searching for the perfect Yohji Yamamoto coat to pair with Prada’s 2000s bowling bag. Now, the resurgence of laid-back, model off-duty vintage athleisure wear is back. They’re coming from the tried and true brands we know best: Adidas, Nike, Puma, and Reebok. What goes around always comes back around in fashion, and this return signals more than a shift in how we dress for a workout class. It reflects something deeper — a longing to return to the basics.
Back when going to the gym was less performative and more of a private ritual. Purely functional and done quietly. Think Princess Diana wearing an oversized crewneck and biker shorts. Or, Jessica Alba in a graphic tee with juicy track pants, walking to the gym while talking on her hot-pink flip phone. Athleisure wasn’t about signalling taste or uniformity; it was anonymous, even. A way for major celebrities to blend in and escape the Paparazzi. Dated sweatshirts from a university your dad attended, softened cotton shorts, and zip-up track suits from Juicy defined the look. The return to vintage gymwear feels like, ironically, a rejection of minimalist culture — of monochrome colour-coordinated sets and hyper-branded logos — and instead, a return to simplicity and nostalgia.
There is something effortlessly chic about clothes that have a lived-in quality. Vintage athleisure has become an “in the know” statement. Those who have always worn their track pants and old T-shirts to the gym may gawk at the sudden fixation on vintage gym wear, because to them, this is their normal lifestyle choice. We’re seeing the resurgence of vintage activewear both online and in real life. The discourse circulating on TikTok frames the trend as a call for nonconformity, simplicity, and personality. Consumers no longer want picture-perfect anymore. They want character. They want messiness. Fashion stylist, Sophia Valachovic, agrees on the trend's resurgence, noting: “People want to dress for themselves and show individuality. Vintage athleisure doesn’t scream for attention, but it shows confidence.”
So why now? The overexposure of copy-and-paste influencers and their curated online wellness world has created a monotony that feels both overused and at times, an unattainable ideal. The return of casual, workout wear makes the act of movement seem more approachable and actually fun again. As fashion consumers continue to cycle through trends, this return to vintage Gym basics suggests the epitome of cool may lie in the lived-in pieces that feel effortless, personal, and authentic.
Publication in mind: US Vogue
