The athleisure market – the fusion between sportswear (athletic) and leisure clothing (leisure) – is worth some $150 billion in the United States in 2024 for the entire sportswear/lifestyle sector, a large part of which is related to athleisure.  The cradle of athleisure, California – and more strongly Los Angeles and San Diego – has seen in recent years the birth of some success stories like Alo Yoga, Vuori, Set Active, Fabletics and even Beyond Yoga. A competitive and innovative market which is interested in retail, e-commerce, and also wholesale. FashionNetwork.com highlights the brands that are dominating the market in California.

Alo Yoga

Founded in 2007 in Los Angeles by two childhood friends, Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge, both yoga practitioners, Alo Yoga positions itself as an ethical and sustainable brand and relies from its beginnings on a community of influential yoga teachers on social networks.
 
Alo quickly became popular thanks to his ‘studio-to-street’ style combining technical clothing and chic urban aesthetics. From 2018, the brand fully adopted its fashion shift by seducing ambassadors such as Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Taylor Swift, and confirmed its positioning as a premium fashion brand. Alo Moves, a digital fitness platform, followed. Result, in 2022, the company generated more than one billion dollars in revenue.

Today, the brand has more than 130 stores around the world, including thirty abroad. Among them, the ‘Alo Sanctuaries’, originally virtual and immersive spaces, associate in physical spaces, yoga studios, shopping, and coffee with à la carte organic juice. 
 
The brand continues its global expansion and recently expanded in Asia by opening its first store in Seoul, in the Gangnam district. First shops have also been opened in Europe in recent months in Dublin and Amsterdam. Other openings are set to happen in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

Lululemon

Founded in Vancouver in 1998 by Chip Wilson, the brand Lululemon was born from the desire of its founder to create better fitting, high-performance apparel after experiencing yoga first hand.
 
Its first boutique opened in 2000 in Vancouver and introduced fabrics like Luon, Nulu, Everlux, and Luxtreme, setting new standards in comfort and performance. From 2003, the brand has launched in the United States. Two years later, Lululemon added its collections for men, then accelerated its expansion by opening new stores in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
 
Over the years, the brand has expanded into new distribution segments by investing in particular tennis, golf, hiking, training and running. 
 
Today, Lululemon has 770 stores worldwide and is present in about twenty countries. The brand is notably accelerating its development in Europe, in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

In July, Lululemon opened its first shop in Italy, in Milan and announced the launch of a series of activations with the local community. A “holistic” policy that includes partnerships with fitness studios, running clubs and a new ambassador program. The company expects 2025 net sales of between $11.15 and $11.3 billion.

ASRV: three stores in California

Founded in 2014 by Jay Barton, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from San Diego, the ASRV brand first launched online with slim jogging pants. Over the years the brand has built a high-performance collection with technological fabrics combined with a minimalist design.
 
“We have come a long way since 2014, from a few select styles to the development of a full line of technical apparel. Workout clothing has been nothing short of transformative,” explained Ethan Frame, ASRV’s director of marketing and growth in an interview with FashionNetwork.com.

“Now, we are dedicated to offering a wide range of innovative and performance-oriented clothing suitable for a range of training disciplines, from bodybuilding to marathon.”
 
After the opening of a first store in Beverly Hills in March 2022, ASRV opened its second store in San Diego in 2023, followed by a third at the Americana in the Brand shopping center, in Glendale with Alo Yoga and Nike Collective as neighbors. A third store opened in Venice in 2024 but closed one year later.
 
Partnered since 2023 with the gym club brand Equinox, ASRV today distributes its collections in more than 80 Equinox locations in the United States. Last year, the brand even introduced its first capsule collection for women.

“The internationalization of the brand is on the horizon” declared Frame last year. “We are actively exploring opportunities to make our products more accessible in the UK and Europe, with plans to potentially partner with selected high-end retailers in these regions.”

Vuori

Founded in 2015 in Encinitas, Southern California by Joe Kudla, a former climber, Vuori – which means “mountain” in Finnish – started online and became profitable two years later. 
 
Blending a relaxed Californian aesthetic inspired by surfing, yoga and the outdoors, comfortable, high-performance materials, and a sunny mindset with environmentally certified, neutral fabrics, the brand received $400 million in 2021 from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, valuing the company at $4 billion and allowing its expansion in international markets. At the end of 2024, additional investments of approximately $825 million from Genetal Atlantic and Stripes increased the valuation to $5.5 billion.
 
In 2022, the brand opened its first store in Soho, New York, and expanded in London, Seoul, Shanghai, Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong, Middle East with both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores. The location of some stores snear its main competitor, Lululemon, would contribute to its success. 
 
Today, the Vuori brand has more than 100 stores worldwide, including 80 located in the United States. The brand has notably set a goal of opening 100 stores in the United States by 2026 and wants to strengthen its physical presence in Asia, particularly in China and South Korea, and its digital presence in Europe next year.

Athleta

Athleta is a women’s performance lifestyle brand founded in 1998 in Petaluma, California, the same year as Lululemon. At its origins, the brand was created to offer athletic clothing designed specifically for women, combining functional performance with stylish design, all sold online.
 
In 2008, the brand was bought by the group Gap Inc. for around $150 million, which opened three years later its first brick-and-mortar store in San Francisco on Fillmore Street, marking its retail debut. 
 
The brand continues to develop, and gains in notoriety by sponsoring in 2019 athlete Allyson Felix and in 2021 gymnast Simon Biles, marking a partnership focused on empowering women and girls through sports. 
 
In 2020, Athleta opened its 200th store in the United States in Abington Township, Pennsylvania and added in 2022 a major multi-level store in Soho, New York. A year later, the brand launched in New York its new experimental series ‘Move with Athleta’ which included private fitness classes for influencers, product giveaway and live music. The concept was notably duplicated in Los Angeles, Miami and Boston.
 
There are today 259 stores in the U.S., with California having the most stores with 32 locations.

Fabletics

The Fabletics brand was created in 2013 by entrepreneurs Adam Goldenberg, Don Ressler and Ginger Ressler, within the TechStyle Fashion Group, quickly joined by actress Kate Hudson who took over the creative direction. Their initial idea was to offer sportswear that is both stylish, technical and affordable, with an innovative model based on membership. 
 
With a monthly subscription concept, VIP members pay around $60 per month for access to exceptional discounts and personalized selections, allowing the brand to create a loyal and engaged community. A concept that pays off: in less than two years, the start-up is valued at more than one billion dollars. 
 
After the opening of a first store in New Jersey, Fabletics now has more than 90 stores worldwide and over 2 million VIP members. In California, the brand is notably present via a dozen shops, with locations in malls and shopping centers such as Del Amo Fashuon Center in Torrance, Brea Mall in Brea, Fashion Island in New Port Beach.
 
The brand also announced for the first time to enter the wholesale market this year, notably in partnership with the department stores Nordstrom and Van Maur in the Mid-West. Finally, Fabletics is entering the international markets with partnerships signed with the department stores KaDeWe in Germany and Next in the UK. Fabletics also partnered with Liverpool, a Mexican omnichannel retail group.
 

Set Active

Former head of a social media startup in Los Angeles, Lindsey Carter founded the brand Set Active in 2018. Her idea was to propose a minimalist aesthetic with a Californian trend, monochrome and coordinated sets in neutral tones, designed to move effortlessly from sports to everyday life. 
 
The brand rapidly gained notoriety thanks to Tik Tok and Instagram through a meticulous strategy focusing on limited drops, occasional collaborations and highlighted by lifestyle and fitness influencers. Celebrities followed like Kaia Gerber and Hailey Bieber.
 
While Set Active focused initially on leggings and bras, today it offers lounge clothing, sweats, basics, accessories and even products for the home. A universe to discover on-line and in its two physical shops. The first opened on Melrose Place in 2022, designed as an immersive experience around screen walls and touch zones to touch fabrics. The second one opened a year later on Bleecker Street, New York at the beginning of summer 2023, first in the form of a pop-up. 
 
Despite a controversy born a few weeks ago over statements made by Carter about ambition and work, her brand continues to grow. Set Active is estimated to generate approximately $20 million in annual revenue. Her recent resort collection even generated $1 million in sales within the first hour.

Municipal

Launched in summer 2020 by actor Mark Wahlberg and sports expert Harry Arnett, Municipal combines the best of modern street style with sporty performance, comfort and versatility. A positioning that is interested in many sports including training, gym workouts and daily movement. 
 
After the opening of a first shop “Municipal Pro Shop” at 8609 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, Municipal opened last November a second location in Oceanside, California. This last format combines retail, head office operations, a cafe by Urth Caffé, outdoor seating, hair salon and lounge so people can meet. 
 
The brand plans other openings under the format of the Pro Shop of West Hollywood and targets in particular cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Boston, New York and more. 20 more flagship stores should open in the next seven years. Particularity of the brand, its expansion into gym clubs with a goal of opening 50 locations in the next 10 years. The first one will open in 2026 in Summerlin, Las Vegas in partnership with Eōs Fitness.
 
The brand should also launch its membership program within a few days.

Beyond Yoga

Founded in 2005 by Jodi Guber Brufsky, daughter of the legendary musician Peter Guber, Beyong Yoga began as a brand rooted in authentic well-being, inclusivity, body positivity and ethical production with all pieces made in the United States, mainly in Los Angeles. Over time, Beyong Yoga has expanded from yoga equipment to everyday comfort clothing: leggings, bras, maternity wear and loungewear. 
 
In 2021, the brand is acquired by Levi Strauss & Co, marking the first step of the company into the premium sportswear space. In the wake, Beyong Yoga opened its first retail store in Santa Monica, a comfortable and bright space. Today, the brand has five stores located in California, in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, or even Culver City, two others in Chicago and Seattle. The last one in Greenwich, Connecticut opened in May this year.
 
Other opening projects are also announced in Boston and Marin, California. Beyond Yoga is also present in the wholesale market with more than 1,200 sales stockists worldwide, especially fitness studios and hotels like Four Seasons.
 
With the recent appointment of Nancy Green as new CEO, the Beyond Yoga brand launched other activations including the Beyond Club in New York, its very first experiential and retail pop-up that offered a mix of wellness classes, workshops and exclusive experiences of the brand. The brand also launched its first Tik Tok store, becoming the first brand of Levi Strauss & Co. to have a showcase on the platform, allowing the brand to reach a new audience.
 
Beyond Yoga’s sales for the fiscal year of Levi Strauss & Co ended on December 1, 2024 were $131.1 million, representing a 13.1% year-over-year increase.