Yoga clothing is becoming a battleground for sports brands

In the current sportswear field, the yoga wear track is becoming a hot field for many brands to compete for market share. From well-known domestic brands to international sports giants, they have increased their investment in this market segment, trying to get a share of this potential market.

Take Anta Group as an example. Many of its brands are actively exploring growth opportunities in the field of yoga pants. FILA successfully attracted many consumers during the 3・8 Women's Day with the help of the #LatteGirl# yoga wear series, setting off a wave of enthusiasm. The high-end outdoor brand DESCENTE is not to be outdone and has vigorously launched the 2022 spring women's sports series, suitable for comprehensive training, life, and boxing. As a leader in domestic sports brands, Li Ning has already laid out in advance and launched yoga pants products with unique characteristics to meet the needs of different consumers.

NIKE, the top international sports brand, also values ​​the women's sportswear market and has released a new leggings series to expand its market share in yoga wear.

According to QYResearch survey data, the scale of China's yoga pants market has reached 1.623 billion US dollars in 2021, accounting for about 22.92% of the global share. It is expected that by 2028, this figure will grow to 3 billion US dollars, accounting for 26.44% of the global share. In 2022, North America will still be the world's largest yoga wear market, with a global share of more than 41%. In the market environment where yoga pants are highly popular, North American consumers have a rich variety of choices. In addition to traditional brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, there are also brands such as Aritzia with a sports and leisure style, Athleta with a casual and simple style, Bombshell with a sexy and wild style, Alo Yoga with a goddess series, and Vuori, which focuses on men's yoga wear.

With the continuous emergence of new products, the functional segmentation of yoga pants has become clearer. The yoga pants product lines of major brands usually cover products with the characteristics of no feeling, shaping, and breathability, which are suitable for different sports scenes such as static exercise, comprehensive training with iron, and running aerobics.

The entry of sports brands is also quietly changing the price structure of the domestic yoga wear market. In the past, the yoga wear market in the thousand-yuan range was almost dominated by Lululemon. Now, high-end outdoor brands such as Descente, Alo Yoga, Sweaty Betty, and Lorna Jane are competing fiercely on e-commerce platforms. NIKE and FILA are directly targeting the high-end yoga pants market, positioning themselves, while brands such as Maia Active and Neiwai are working hard to fill the gap in the Chinese yoga pants market. Li Ning, with its precise market positioning, is committed to creating mid-range and cost-effective yoga pants products to meet the needs of more consumers.

Yoga pants have become the focus of competition among many sports brands, and different brands have their unique strategic considerations. Broadening the breadth of brand products makes yoga wear a key choice for brand cross-circle development. For example, when FILA faced a growth bottleneck, yoga wear became an important breakthrough for it to open up new growth points for the brand; Descente saw the high-end demand in women's fitness scenes and regarded yoga training grounds as the next important goal after the outdoor market.

For those well-known brands that have already been involved in the yoga pants product line, yoga wear is also a key path for them to regain the market share of sports women's clothing. Take NIKE as an example. It continues to launch new yoga wear products every year, not only to resist the fierce competition from Lululemon, but also to continuously explore and expand in the field of women's sports.

The lack of brand categories and the relatively weak market competition have led many brands to choose to enter the yoga wear market. When the competition in the mid-range offline channels has not yet reached a fever pitch, Li Ning, who is positioned in the mid-range market, has not only filled the gap in this category for its brand by launching yoga pants products, but also successfully entered the mid-range offline channels that have yet to be fully developed.

Different brands have gathered in the yoga pants category with their strategic goals, and the market competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Whether it is adopting a high-profile brand strategy, a marketing method of live streaming, or a variety of community activities, each brand is trying to find opportunities to stand out in the noisy market.

However, in a track where many players gather, brands that only have novel marketing methods but ignore product quality will eventually be eliminated by the market. With the influx of more and more brands, the diversification of yoga pants product lines and the diversification of applicable scenarios will surely become the future development trend.

Big brands have successively invested in the yoga wear market. Lululemon has successfully become one of the top three sports brands with "a pair of yoga pants". This phenomenon has made other sports brands unable to hold back and has accelerated their entry into the yoga clothing market.

FILA, which focuses on casual fashion style, cleverly integrated sports elements last year and launched the "Latte Girl" special topic. Its flagship product, "Slim Waist" yoga pants, has been sought after by many young consumers; high-end outdoor brand DESCENTE has turned to the field of women's indoor training clothing. The comprehensive training pants in its "Body Flex" series are priced as high as 1,280 yuan on the official website. Li Ning has innovatively launched new leggings series products, such as "soft pants" and "Qiaoqiao pants," based on the original leggings product series to meet the needs of different consumers for yoga pants.

For those brands that already have a leggings series, they have also begun to reshape and upgrade their product lines. With the launch of Puma Studio in China, Puma has updated its yoga line products and launched a joint yoga clothing series with supermodel Cara Delevingne and fitness blogger Pamela, injecting new vitality into the brand's leggings products.

With the continued popularity of Lululemon, NIKE's competition in the field of women's sportswear has become increasingly fierce. In 2020, NIKE successively launched yoga pants using a new fabric, Infinalton, and released the NIKE(M) series designed specifically for pregnant women. Recently, NIKE has also released a yoga clothing series, such as "Empty" and "Blooming", targeting different static and dynamic sports scenes, providing consumers with a more professional and comfortable product experience.

According to QYResearch, the current market size of yoga pants in China has exceeded 1.6 billion US dollars, and will maintain an annual growth rate of 10% in the next two years. Driven by the phenomenal topic of "yoga pants can accommodate three bedrooms and one living room", the yoga pants market is even hotter.
Whale Consultant data shows that the overall sales of yoga pants on JD.com in 2022 showed a significant growth trend, especially in the third quarter. By September, the monthly sales of yoga pants increased by more than 100% year-on-year.

With the continuous influx of new players, the yoga pants track has gradually formed a category segmentation pattern. Through the observation of many yoga pants product lines, it can be found that the products are mainly divided into "non-sensing" series suitable for static sports, "shaping" series suitable for comprehensive training scenarios, and "breathable" series designed for dynamic aerobic exercise according to their functions and applicable scenarios.

In the current yoga pants market, there are many competitors from different backgrounds. Among them, lululemon, as the pioneer of the "yoga pants" category, has become the benchmark and ceiling in the industry with its high-end product positioning, excellent quality, and high prices.

Also attracting much attention are those overseas yoga clothing brands active on e-commerce platforms. Take Lorna Jane as an example. The brand focuses on women's care and healthy lifestyle, positioning itself in the mid-to-high-end market. Its outstanding performance in the field of "sports underwear" makes it quite competitive in the yoga pants market. Although Lorna Jane lacks direct access to offline physical stores, it can still maintain a high brand influence through the promotion of KOL social media.

In the global yoga clothing market, Sansansun, as a hot OEM brand, is an outstanding representative of Chinese yoga clothing manufacturers in the mid-to-high-end field. So far, Sansansun has successfully helped more than 3,000 customers achieve the continuous development and growth of their brands. For those who dream of creating their own sportswear or yoga clothing brand and want to adopt their unique customized design or choose from ready-made products, Sansansun will be a powerful helper in realizing their dreams.

Against the backdrop of the booming global yoga wear market, Chinese yoga wear manufacturers have also ushered in unprecedented development opportunities. With their exquisite craftsmanship, strict quality control, and innovative design concepts, they have gradually emerged in the international market. From product research and development to production and manufacturing, and then to later quality inspection, every link embodies the wisdom and sweat of Chinese yoga wear manufacturers. They not only provide professional OEM services for many well-known brands at home and abroad, but also continuously launch their brand products to meet the needs of different consumers for high-quality yoga wear.

With the continuous segmentation of the market and the increasing diversification of consumer demand, Chinese yoga wear manufacturers are also actively exploring new development directions. On the one hand, they increase their investment in the research and development of new materials, and are committed to developing more comfortable, breathable, and elastic fabrics to enhance the wearing experience of yoga wear. On the other hand, they focus on the fashion design of products, combining the current popular elements with the functionality of yoga wear to create a product series that is both beautiful and practical. In addition, Chinese yoga wear manufacturers are also actively expanding sales channels, and by participating in internationally renowned sportswear exhibitions and cooperating with e-commerce platforms, they promote their products to a wider market and enhance the brand's popularity and reputation.

In short, the yoga wear market is booming worldwide, and the influx of many brands has made the market competition increasingly fierce. In this process, yoga wear manufacturers play a vital role. With their professional technology, high-quality products, and innovative ideas, they continue to promote the development and progress of the yoga wear industry. Whether it is providing OEM services for well-known brands or building their own brands, Chinese yoga wear manufacturers have demonstrated strong strength and unlimited potential. I believe that in future development, they will continue to lead the trend of the yoga wear industry, bring more high-quality and personalized yoga wear products to global consumers, and help further spread and promote yoga culture.