Latest news with #TyHaney
The Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Is athleisure still a thing? Fashion's favourite hybrid is undergoing a reboot
Remember athleisure? It was fashion's illegitimate child of the millennium: an aesthetic portmanteau of workout wear and weekend wear. The term became official in 2015, when it entered the dictionary, creating an entirely new market sector that reached its apogee during the Covid-19 pandemic, when elastic-waist pants, fleece hoodies and Pelotons became aspirational items. Now it is once again in the news, along with one of its avatars, Ty Haney. Yet what exactly 'athleisure' means these days – if it means anything at all – is unclear. Haney, for those who may not remember, founded Outdoor Voices in 2013 as the millennial woman's answer to Lululemon. Known for its colour-block leggings, blue tote bags and exercise dresses, as well as for its 'Doing Things' tagline, Outdoor Voices was a runaway success. It pulled in venture capital funding, propelling Haney to girlboss status and getting her crowned by Outside magazine as the 'Queen of Athleisure'. But by 2020, it all came crashing down. Haney stepped away from Outdoor Voices amid rumours of misbehaviour, mean bossiness and conflict with some of the more seasoned executives that had been brought in. She went on to other athletic-adjacent projects, including an energy drink called Joggy, but without her, Outdoor Voices did not have quite the same momentum. Last year, all of its stores closed, and it was bought by Consortium Brand Partners, which, it turns out, turned back to Haney. Read more: From gym to glam: Why the fashion industry is obsessed with sportswear right now This week, with great fanfare, Consortium announced her return as partner and co-owner, charged with bringing Outdoor Voices back to its roots. Only better, of course. You can understand the reasoning. The global athleisure market was estimated by Fortune Business Insights to be worth US$338.48bil (approximately RM1.43tril) in 2024 and is projected to reach US$716.05bil (RM3.03tril) by 2032. Rival brands like Vuori, Outdoor Voices's male equivalent, which was valued at US$5.5bil (RM23.3bil) last year, as well as Alo Yoga, are in expansion mode. So, why shouldn't Outdoor Voices get in on the game? Especially because back when Haney graduated from Parsons School of Design, she had the big idea that workout clothes should not be limited to workout environments because all life, really, was a workout. It seemed like a revelation. It was such a good idea, in fact, that it soon became a commonplace idea, with women and men strutting from gym to coffee shop to computer in clothes that telegraphed a commitment to both wellness and cuteness at the same time. The problem is, at this point, the principles of athleisure are as much a part of fashion – which is to say, as much a part of everyone's wardrobe – as the principles of streetwear, another subsector of fashion once identified as a discrete market segment that has become part of the sartorial status quo. 'Athleisure is ubiquitous now,' said Valerie Steele, the fashion historian and director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. And not just for daywear but evening wear, too. Simply consider that at the recent ESPY awards, Simone Biles wore an Athleta by Zac Posen gown: a sapphire-beaded number made from the four-way stretch fabric of her favorite leotards with a back inspired by Athleta's Transcend workout tee (Posen is the creative director of Gap Inc, which owns Athleta). Or that in Michael Rider's debut collection for Celine, shown in July, he included a host of leggings for men and women, paired with double-breasted jackets and rugby shirt tunics. Or that Demna, the creative director of Balenciaga, treated track pants like tuxedo trousers. Or that in 2024, Tory Burch showed bathing suits as bodycon cool cocktail wear, after combining her Tory Sport line and her main line, because, she said at the time, that's how women dressed. 'Luxury brands, especially quiet high-end luxury brands, have borrowed from athleisure, either directly or by adapting elastic waistbands for virtually everything and using fabrics that are technical in nature,' said Jeffrey Kalinsky, the former executive vice president for designer merchandising at Nordstrom. The point, as Posen said, is that athleisure, or what was formerly known as athleisure, has now become 'a part of the everyday language of getting dressed; a part of the fashion bloodstream, like jeans or T-shirts'. It's why there really is not an argument anymore over the question, 'Are leggings pants?' An entire generation – more – of consumers has already responded. As far as they are concerned, the answer is yes. Little wonder that when talking to Texas Monthly about her return, Haney, who had always professed to hate the word 'athleisure', used words like 'fashion forward' and 'sexy' to describe the new Outdoor Voices collection. The product, she said, 'is more than matchy compression bras and leggings'. They're there, sure, but so are pieces like a crisp white cotton poplin Sun shirt with pink pinstripes, a new 'energy dress' with contrast stitching and a Juicy Couture-like cropped zip-up sweatshirt with 'Doing Things' embroidered in rhinestones in a Juicy-like script on either side of the zipper. Read more: Fashion's new power move? Turning away from influencers and the overhyped Juicy, being an OG athleisure reference from the early 2000s, was appropriated by Demna at Balenciaga for his Autumn/Winter 2024 show. Now Haney has co-opted the look, in a sort of meta-commentary on the way fashion that evolves from low to high to middle, just as categories themselves have begun to meld together. So perhaps it is finally time to retire an outdated term like 'athleisure'. Even 'activewear', which now means mostly performance wear, implying certain technical advances in manufacturing that enable athletic achievement, is sort of fashion dada. Isn't a suit also performance wear, really? Perhaps the true takeaway from all this is that the best word for all of the above – the one that really describes Haney's new vision for Outdoor Voices – is that old-fashioned favourite: 'sportswear'. For decades, it referred to coordinated separates that offered an alternative to the matchy-matchiness of designer clothes, rather than to anything to do with sporting activity. And honestly, it did not make any sense. Until now. – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Business of Fashion
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business of Fashion
The New DTC Rebranding Playbook
Last week on Outdoor Voices' Instagram, it might have been 2013 again. On Wednesday, Ty Haney, the activewear label's founder who was ousted in 2020, appeared on Instagram Live just days after announcing her return to the brand. But while she might have been a familiar face to those who fell in love with Outdoor Voices' colour-coordinated workout sets 12 odd years ago, the product she presented in the video was different. She showed off polished a-line dresses, cotton poplin button ups and cotton cashmere cardigans designed to be layered over the brand's sports bras and skorts, a shift from a previous overemphasis on technical compression fabrics. 'I'm really expanding this recreational style beyond what you wear to sweat in, to include things you can add a bit more dimension and style with,' Haney told fans during the livestream. More than a return to form, it was a 180-degree pivot that tapped into what today's consumer wants: an interchangeable wardrobe of dressy and casual options. Put differently, it was a rebrand. Luxury houses are notorious for overhauling everything from design to marketing when a new creative director rotates in. But for the DTC brands that emerged in the 2010s and were mostly founded by savvy entrepreneurs, undergoing a creative refresh — including new products, logos and slogans — is relatively uncharted territory. As a new generation of shoppers gravitate to labels with a clear narrative behind products that would otherwise blend into an endless stream of identical goods, many of these former direct-to-consumer darlings are being forced to sharpen their vision beyond the DTC premise alone. A few are bringing in leaders from established brands to help create a distinct identity that appeals to new audiences. Shoemaker Rothy's hired Jenny Ming in 2024 from Gap and Old Navy who turned it into a Gen-Z fashion girl's go-to for ballet flats; and that same year, Everlane brought Alfred Chang from Fear of God and PacSun to realise its dreams of being considered an affordable luxury label. Others are updating their storytelling: skincare label Hero Cosmetics crystallised its brand image with campaigns that emphasised how its acne patches helped customers 'reveal the hero within' prior to selling its company to consumer goods firm Church & Dwight in 2022; while sustainable womenswear label Pact is rolling out a new tagline 'Dress Yourself Well,' as it chases an 80 percent year-over-year increase in sales in the next year. For several of these companies, however, a rebrand is as much a lifeline as a marketing exercise: Outdoor Voices was on the brink of bankruptcy when it was acquired by investment firm Consortium Brand Partners in 2024; and Rothy's and Everlane's sales declined before their respective new leaders arrived. All three are optimistic their strategies will catapult them into a new phase of growth. A rebrand is just the first step in a long process, and there's no guarantee of success. Rothy's shift from making unassuming, commuter-friendly ballet flats to trendy styles like Mary Janes and clogs led to a 17 percent year-over-year sales jump in 2024, but Outdoor Voices and Everlane still have more to prove. Haney said Outdoor Voices is aiming to surpass $100 million in annual sales in the 12-18 months (its full-year revenue previously peaked at $90 million in 2020), while Everlane is hoping to hit $260 million in annual sales by 2027, from its current $200 million. For any creative refresh to land with consumers and generate longer term growth, companies have to build on their original mission, make necessary improvements to their products and find the smoothest and most compelling ways to communicate those changes to new and existing customers. 'The success in which we speak to our consumer is directly correlated towards the sales that we're able to have,' said Jack Briger, founder of creative and brand strategy agency Lemon. Brands have 'to communicate that through our branding even better than we're currently doing.' Subtle Changes Rebrands can range from complete teardowns — think of Abercrombie's complete product and image overhaul and shift in target demographics — to less aggressive renovations, a la Burberry unveiling a new logo. For DTC startups that were built on having a direct connection with their customers, much of their original messaging was rooted in the benefits of that model, conveyed to consumers through social media ads. They have to update that messaging, but it's critical that they find ways to inject new energy without alienating the longtime consumers that initially helped them grow, said Scott Markman, founder and president at branding agency MonogramGroup. 'You're going to have to push your way into somebody's awareness, consideration and purchase patterns that you didn't really have to worry about before,' Markman said. 'At the same time, you have to make sure you're not contradicting yourself to the loyal customer that you've served for so long, in the interest of expanding.' Outdoor Voices, for instance, is introducing dressier silhouettes embroidered with a flashy new logo in cursive spelling to hook Gen-Z shoppers, but is appealing to its Millennial loyalists by bringing back its popular 'doing things' slogan, which is also printed on some of its new gear. The brand also still offers workout clothes in its signature geometric patterns, along with several of its original hero items, such as its compression leggings and sports bras. 'It's really the same mission around this vision of a recreational world, but it certainly needed a new coat of paint,' Haney told The Business of Fashion. Applying that new coat of paint means the core brand proposition should remain, but should evolve based on how that applies to today's customer — and be told in new, more engaging ways. At Pact, former Crocs executive Michelle Poole was hired this month with a remit to build a narrative that wearing the company's organic materials is a form of wellness, starting with a new tagline: 'dress yourself well.' To disseminate that message, Pact will start advertising across Gen-Z-centric shows on 'Call Her Daddy' host Alex Cooper's podcast network, Unwell, in the coming weeks. Pact's strategy supports its aims to grow annual sales 80 percent year over year to $270 million in 2026, said Brendan Synnott, the company's founder and chief executive. 'You have to reach out to new people with new messages and new priorities and new value propositions,' said Emily Heyward, co-founder and chief brand officer of creative agency Red Antler. 'How to do that while still staying true to the essence of the brand is very hard. You need a leader that's excited to navigate that tension.' Form Follows Function For some labels, a rebrand means not just refreshing marketing, but also adjusting product, especially if their wares have contributed to a dip in momentum. That can include creating new styles it's never carried before or simply updating its materials. 'A rebrand is not going to fix all your problems if you need to work on your product a bit more or you need to rethink how you're communicating over socials, or you need to strengthen your in-house team,' said Briger, who likened the strategy of improving products during a rebrand to 'form following function.' Everlane, for instance, has been slowly updating its basics-driven offering to include fashion-forward silhouettes like barrel-leg pants and funnel-neck tops, and is planning to introduce more silk and viscose into its upcoming fall collection after complaints about its organic materials not retaining their smooth quality, the company's chief executive, Chang, told BoF in July. Even companies that aren't rebranding because of a slowdown plan to make incremental product updates to proactively make efforts to retain the new customers they're hoping to reach. Pact, for example, is refining the fit and design details on popular categories like underwear, sleepwear and T-Shirts to 'offer really great wardrobe essentials, but also make sure it seems interesting to the consumer and she keeps coming back for more,' Poole said. 'It will be evolution, not revolution,' she added. Whichever rebranding strategy DTC labels choose to invest in, they should avoid morphing into the type of staid, overly traditional brands they originally sought to disrupt, according to Heyward, and are able to grow without feeling too corporate. When that happens, for consumers 'it's like you love a band and then the band becomes popular,' Heyward said. 'What's tough is they all reach a point where they have to expand and scale and grow up,' she added. But it's important to 'do that in a way that you don't become your parents.'
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Millennials went wild for Outdoor Voices. Can it become cool again?
In the 2010s, millions of millennials made the lurch into adulthood, bringing with us our famed earnestness and idealism as well as our gently tasteful Millennial Aesthetic. Declared immortal in 2020, pronounced dead 2021, said Aesthetic washed out our homes and gathering spaces in dusty pink and sage green, with soft arch-shaped accents and big, groovy plants. It wiped away maximalist commercial culture to replace it with pleasing, Instagram-friendly sans serif fonts and ad campaigns starring models with freckles. A totem of this particular time: the undyed canvas Outdoor Voices tote, bearing its 'Technical Apparel for Recreation' tagline in a bubbly blue font. It bobbed around city blocks on the shoulders of women who sometimes also wore the brand's distinctive, pale-pastel-color-dipped leggings, or its tennis-adjacent Exercise Dress, or the baseball cap that bore its tail-waggingly cheery slogan, 'Doing Things.' By the end of the decade, you could route yourself to almost any major metro area's liveliest postgrad neighborhood just by Googling directions to the local Outdoor Voices. Parsons School of Design graduate Ty Haney founded Outdoor Voices in 2013 at the age of 23. The former track athlete quickly rose to fame alongside it, a trajectory common to a whole class of young, stylish female founders of the then-burgeoning direct-to-consumer movement. Haney was pushed out of the role in 2020, but the company came under new ownership last year and announced last week that Haney had returned to the helm. (Also, as it happens, a common development lately for said class of female founders.) In the week since the announcement, a flurry of TikTok videos have materialized celebrating the return of 'Ty,' with whom fans seem to be on a parasocial first-name basis. The first collection of her second stint dropped Tuesday. Outdoor Voices 1.0 was earnest, it was friendly, it made the pursuit of health feel fun. It was, in many ways, an ur-millennial brand, free of irony and determinedly welcoming. But it worked the first time because it was — to borrow a then-buzzword — disruptive. Now Haney faces the tricky assignment of once again standing out in an athleisure market over which Outdoor Voices has undeniably exerted an influence. Back in 2013, workout gear was 'like, shiny black Spandex and superhuman-looking,' Haney told me this week. 'I wanted to go the other way, with neutrals and texture, things that would integrate nicely into your daily wardrobe.' So in the early years, Outdoor Voices' matte color palette largely consisted of light, creamy hues called 'oatmeal' and 'ash' and 'beach' and 'white sand.' Even the more saturated tones had names such as 'dandelion' and 'evergreen,' and the high neck- and waistlines of most OV garments gave even their body-hugging high-compression workout sets a sweetly modest affect. Today, if something gets described, or derided, as 'millennial-coded,' chances are it looks like Outdoor Voices: 'It definitely set the tone in a lot of ways for that era, in terms of, like, 'clean and simple,'' Haney said, then added, laughing, 'and sans serif.' At the time, its conviction that exercise didn't have to be punishing — Haney fondly remembers an ad campaign built entirely around dog-walking — won over legions of shoppers. More came into the fold when the brand began offering community events such as group hikes and fun runs. And still others, myself (25 at the time, married only to my gym membership, regularly washing sweaty yoga clothes to the point of disintegration) included, got converted just by the shocking durability of the clothes. Technical apparel for recreation, indeed. In some ways, 2025 America might seem like a perfect climate for the return of OG OV. Gen Z women are carrying their Owala FreeSip water bottles (gentle colors, sans serif font) to the Pilates studio after work instead of meeting up for happy hour. Now, though, the athleisure market is flooded with Exercise Dress copycats and candy-colored two-piece compression sets. (And the latter feel 'a little tired,' Haney quipped.) Not to mention brand-sponsored run clubs and yoga events. After the announcement of Haney's return, Outdoor Voices released the first preview image of her new collection: a black zip-up hoodie with a cursive, bedazzled 'Doing Things,' a notion that would have sounded like parody — or blasphemy — in 2015, given Outdoor Voices' famously understated look at the time. But a decade later, as Gen Z gleefully revives the gaudy, goofy styles of the early 2000s, the concept feels on-trend, if not on-brand. ('What in the Juicy Couture Y2K is going on right now,' replied a chorus of TikTok reaction videos.) Among the other new offerings are looser-fitting variations on the Exercise Dress in black and white, shorts and workout bras in vibrant canary yellow, and grass-green and pastel cardigans made of a cotton-cashmere blend. The collection's single style of leggings is a similarly Y2K-invoking black capri. This new Outdoor Voices has 'more details' and is 'more fashion-driven,' Haney said. 'I think the whole ecosystem of activewear brands has gotten a little bit boring and plain and bland.' In Haney's absence, Outdoor Voices was displaced from dominance by brands such as Alo and Vuori, whose workoutwear is frequently photographed in settings that suggest $300-a-month fitness club memberships and luxe beach getaways ('I am somewhat shocked that the '[fitness as] recreation' path is still so wide open for us to own,' Haney mused) and tend to offer a surfeit of earth tones alongside one or two bolder accent colors. Their muted 2020s color palettes, arguably, are a downstream effect of Outdoor Voices' muted 2010s color palette, though 2010s OV looks Lisa Frank-esque in comparison. Haney wants the brand to once again lead athleisure in a new direction. So rhinestones and capri pants and loud fabrics may be what's required for Outdoor Voices 2.0 to stand out in a post-Outdoor Voices 1.0 world. Still, a certain subset of women might be content to order those 1.0 staples from Haney forever if she were to keep making them, buying back pieces of their youth. 'Outdoor Voices is making a comeback. And it feels like 2019 again,' one New Yorker rejoiced on TikTok. In Los Angeles, another user mimed blowing cobwebs off a blue 'Doing Things' cap. And one woman who had posted in jubilation in response to 'Ty' 'rising from the ashes' posted again a few days later: 'Just dusted off this vintage, archival, authentic Outdoor Voices exercise dress,' read the caption. In a polka-dot version, she posed whimsically for a moment before slurping her iced coffee and pushing a bassinet stroller out of frame.
NBC News
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Outdoor Voices is officially back — these are the best finds from the new collection
ICYMI: Outdoor Voices is officially back. After a five-year absence, founder Ty Haney returned to the company and relaunched the athleisure brand with a new collection that's available to shop right now. Below, I rounded up some of the new collection's standouts, including leggings, sports bras, UPF clothing and more, along with a few old favorites the brand has re-launched. Everything's under $150, with prices starting as low as $18. Want more from NBC Select? Sign up for our newsletter, The Selection, and shop smarter. The best Outdoor Voices products in 2025 Energy Dress $118.00 Outdoor Voices Workout dresses are lightweight, airy and the perfect attire for activities like tennis and pickleball. This dress is an updated take on the older Exercise Dress and has a short, stylish A-line silhouette. It's made from a nylon-spandex blend that's both quick-drying and sweat-wicking, according to the brand. It also has a built-in shorts liner with two side pockets that are deep enough for your phone, keys and other accessories. This pleated skort has built-in shorts with a two and a half-inch inseam, and is made from a textured compression fabric that's designed to be breathable and flattering, according to the brand. The fabric is a polyester-spandex blend that wicks sweat as you wear, and is machine-washable on a cold cycle. The built-in shorts also include sticky-gripper liners that help the hem stay in place, according to the brand. These shorts have a medium-rise cut that hits about an inch below the belly button and a three-inch inseam, making them great for runners (and walkers). They have silicone gripper bands around the thighs to help them stay up while you move, and are made from a soft, stretchy poly-spandex. You can wash them on a cold cycle and tumble dry on a low dryer setting. These shorts are ideal for those who prefer a higher rise — the waistband sits directly below the belly button, with a three-inch inseam on the bottom, according to the brand. They're made from a breathable blend of nylon, lycra, and polyester, making them stretchy and sweat-wicking. The shorts also have a UPF rating of 50+, according to the brand. This skort has a classic, straight-edge tennis skirt design and includes built-in sticky gripper short liners, according to the brand. The poly-spandex fabric is quick-drying and absorbs moisture, and is also machine-washable. The skort also has a hand-embroidered OV logo at the hem. This bra has medium support and adjustable straps. The soft, poly-spandex material is stretchy and dries quickly, making it ideal for low- to medium-intensity workouts, according to Outdoor Voices. You can wash this bra on a cold machine cycle and dry it on a low setting, according to the brand. If you're looking for a sports bra that will hold you in place during higher-intensity workouts, the Orbit Bra may be just what you need. It's designed to withstand medium impact and has a soft elastic band that flatters and sculpts your midsection, according to the brand. The poly-spandex fabric absorbs sweat and dries quickly, too, and has a compressive yet breathable feel, according to Outdoor Voices. These signature leggings are designed with a compressive fit and are made from a mid-weight, poly-spandex blend. The⅞ length hits just above the ankle and also have a two-tone paneled design and a hidden front pocket for storing small trinkets like keys and lip gloss. These leggings are perfect for high-intensity workouts like sprinting, lifting, dancing and more. They have a high rise and a structured, bonded waistband that's designed to stay put, and is made from sweat-wicking, stretchy nylon and lycra, according to the brand. The leggings also have a back pocket for easy storage, and UPF 50+ protection. The Grass Capri Sugar Cardigan Striped Sun Shirt Love Bra Washed Hat Dolly Headband Why trust NBC Select? I'm an associate SEO reporter for NBC Select who's been covering deals, sales and launches for two years and frequently write about wellness, skin care, apparel and lifestyle.
New York Times
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What Should We Call ‘Athleisure' Now?
Remember athleisure? It was the fashion bastard child of the millennium: an aesthetic portmanteau of workout wear and weekend wear. The term became official in 2015, when it entered the dictionary, creating an entirely new market sector that reached its apogee during the Covid-19 pandemic, when elastic-waist pants, fleece hoodies and Pelotons became aspirational items. Now it is once again in the news, along with one of its avatars, Ty Haney. Yet what exactly 'athleisure' means these days — if it means anything at all — is unclear. Ms. Haney, for those who may not remember, founded Outdoor Voices in 2013 as the millennial woman's answer to Lululemon. Known for its color-block leggings, blue tote bags and exercise dresses, as well as for its 'Doing Things' tagline, Outdoor Voices was a runaway success. It pulled in venture capital funding, propelling Ms. Haney to girlboss status and getting her crowned by Outside magazine as the 'Queen of Athleisure.' But by 2020, it all came crashing down. Ms. Haney stepped away from OV amid rumors of misbehavior, mean bossiness and conflict with some of the more seasoned executives that had been brought in. She went on to other etail and athletic-adjacent projects, including an energy drink called Joggy, but without her, OV did not have quite the same momentum. Last year, it was bought by Consortium Brand Partners, which closed all of its stores and, it turns out, turned back to Ms. Haney. This week, with great fanfare, Consortium announced her return as partner and co-owner, charged with bringing OV back to its roots. Only better, of course. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
