P.E. Nation designer Pip Edwards dishes up summer workout inspiration.Credit:
Working out what makes good, ahem, working out clothes can be like navigating a high-tech science experiment.
Terms such as "moisture wicking", "performance" and "cooling" on many labels are designed to lure us into believing we are buying something that's good for us (and those around us). But really, a lot of it is marketing guff.
Still, there are advancements in technology and fabrication that offer active bodies a new option when it comes to working out. And best of all, some of them benefit Australian farmers. Yes, I am talking about wool.
Hang on, you're probably thinking, wool is warm; it's the stuff of grandma's knitted jumpers and merino base-layers for hiking – surely you can't wear it to yoga or, heaven forbid, the gym?
Well, you can. And Woolmark, the industry body charged with promoting Australian merino, is working to shift wool's image from one of cosy to cool, both in the literal and figurative sense.
Stuart McCulloch, the man charged with the task, says the organisation's new "Live and breathe" campaign targets 25 to 35-year-olds about the sports, active and outdoor benefits of wool.
The campaign, which takes a shock-and-awe look at the impact of synthetic, petrochemical-based fibres on the planet, is controversial, he says, "but we think the timing is right for that because Millennials want to understand where [their fabrics are] coming from and where [they're] going to".
Everyone from adidas to Lululemon and Puma are getting on the wool bandwagon, with P.E. Nation the latest high-fashion brand to join the party, launching an eight-piece collection in collaboration with Woolmark during New York Fashion Week in September.
"Wool is making serious inroads into the previously polyester-only 'athleisure' market, in everything from running shirts and shoes to hoodies and yoga leggings," McCulloch said.
Regardless of whether wool whets your workout whistle, summer is a great time to invest in some new exercise gear. Rather than spending your Christmas vouchers on fast-fashion "candy", some new leggings from a cool brand such as Jaggad or Nimble could be the difference between finding the motivation to exercise during the silly season, and putting it off until February.
At the root of the relationship between clothing and exercise is a concept called “enclothed cognition”, which argues that the clothes we wear can influence our behaviour.
One of the men who coined the term in 2015, Hajo Adam, reasoned that wearing nice (and I'll add new) gym clothes could spur us towards exercise.
However, with the explosion of active wear as daywear, I would concede that the past three years may have diluted some of the cognitive associations of wearing active wear with <em>actually doing exercise</em>.
Still, it's a nice idea we can aspire to at this time of year. So if you're considering a summer sports gear reboot, consider the age of your sneakers: are the soles worn down or do they have holes? Have your leggings been through the dryer one too many times? And if your socks are starting to resemble crinkle-cut chips, then it's definitely time to hit the reset button.
Get the look
Bella Freud at Matchesfashion.com, $456.Credit:
Nike at JD Sports, $250.Credit:
P.E. Nation x Woolmark, $299.Credit:
Lorna Jane, $50.Credit:
Nixon, $130.Credit:
Stockists
JD Sports: jd-sports.com.au
Lorna Jane: lornajane.com.au
Matchesfashion.com: matchesfashion.com
Nixon: nixon.com
P.E. Nation: pe-nation.com
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