Which Fitness Studio Has the Best Luxury Workout Gear?

Does wearing stylish workout clothing enhance your athletic performance? Conversely, does wearing the wrong attire in a cycling class inhibit your performance on the bike? There’s some proof that what we wear every day, especially at work, can affect our psychological processes, which has a direct impact on our capabilities in certain areas. So does looking chic while you work out give you a better mindset – and perhaps more importantly, better results? True fashionistas might find this to be a moot point, believing that a boutique fitness class – whether spinning, barre or yoga — requires appropriately elevated attire (like going to an expensive restaurant generally still demands at least a somewhat refined outfit). Wherever you come out on this particular issue, we here at Dandelion Chandelier want to help those who want to up their style game while they up their heart rate. We’re exploring the world of luxury workout gear, and helping you find your look – get it right, and it will take you seamlessly from the studio to the street.

First up? Studio-branded luxury fitness apparel, for those who belong to a particular fitness tribe and want the world to know it. For example, if you love SoulCycle, then who better to trust than the visionaries behind your workout to dress you appropriately? People are of two minds about this. Some say that wearing studio-branded apparel is a signifier of membership in a community and also a statement about how important fitness/wellness is to you. Others believe that wearing clothes from an expensive gym is just another irritating luxury status symbol (like a Gucci-logo’d handbag) – and a sign that you’ve been conned into providing a great deal of free advertising for your chosen brand.

What’s not up for discussion is that there’s an arms race underway in the cool-kid workout clothing category – fitness and wellness companies are aggressively muscling into the space that was once owned by apparel and shoe companies. Studio-branded workout gear can result in interesting collaborations – and fierce competitions. None of this comes inexpensively, either. But for those who roll that way, here are the latest ways to wear your love for your fitness studio on your sleeve – or your thigh, your head, or your chest. We’ve grouped the brands based on how hard they seem to be fighting for fashion supremacy. What you deem fashionable is, of course, up to you.

SoulCycle. In the fashion sweepstakes, without question, SoulCycle leads the pack. More and more, the brand is behaving like a luxury designer lifestyle company, not a gym. Now owned by Equinox, the studio has long had a passionate following for its classes. So it only makes sense that some of its devotees would wholeheartedly embrace its workout gear. From a modest start, Soul now drops collections of 40-60 new styles on a monthly basis, and says that its apparel sales are growing 20-30 percent year over year. How do they do it? Simple math: there are 74 SoulCycle locations in the US, visited on average by 17,000 riders a day. The same person is generally in the SoulCycle “store” 2-3 times per week – that’s a lot more foot traffic than the average brick-and-mortar retailer sees these days. The apparel offering is all about branding, not about technical enhancements – 65% of the clothes are made by Nike, Lululemon and Terez, and then given a Soul-branded element. On launch day, the company actively hawks the new items in the studios, and gives instructors an incentive to discuss the new collection.

• The brand sells its own leggings ($98-$185), shorts ($78), tank tops ($52-$78), sports bras ($64-$125), and tees ($64-$175). The specific designs sold differ across studios, even within the same city, so there’s urgency to buy an item immediately if you see something you like. Soul’s own instructors model the clothing on the website, and the approximately 300 instructors are encouraged to promote the monthly launches via their social media platforms.
• In addition to its own brand, like many luxury brands, SoulCycle increasingly does collaborations with artists, fitness gurus and non-competing apparel brands. Its 2015 Art Basel Miami collaboration with artist Gregory Siff was the one that put the company on the collaboration map – there was a poolside pop-up installation at 1 Hotel South Beach, featuring exclusive leggings ($86) with the artist’s skull motifs.
• In mid-July of this year, SoulCycle partnered with Solid & Striped swimsuits on a capsule collection of swimwear in SoulCycle yellow — a striped one-piece ($168), a bikini ($88), and a pair of men’s swim shorts ($128). The brand also collaborated this summer with Poolside Collective on a limited edition of straw tote bags.
• Public School and SoulCycle dropped a collection this past weekend for haute street-inspired spin class gear. The line includes hats ($65), tees ($175) leggings ($185), a bra top ($125), a sweatshirt ($355), a hoodie ($465) and a satin bomber jacket ($655). The palette is black and cool blue, and the patterns are graphic riffs on street signs.
• In mid-October, SoulCycle launched its first cycling shoe, the Soul Legend, available in-studio and online for $200. Developed in collaboration with apparel and cycling company Pearl Izumi, the brand says that the development process took over 18 months.
• What’s next? The brand is looking to add categories like sneakers, recovery accessories like foam rollers, and even jewelry. There’s a planned collaboration with Levis’s on a jean jacket, and perhaps other denim offerings down the road. Soul says that its riders have asked for housewares like clocks, and also dog accessories. Watch this space for further updates.

The Class by Taryn Toomey. The founder of the red-hot workout The Class did a collaboration with Lululemon this summer. It was the first-ever capsule collection from Lululemon: a 13-piece, limited-edition line of workout clothing and accessories. The pieces were much more femme and romantic than most studio-branded offerings – Toomey described the line as havening an “ethereal, non-constricted feeling.” That translated to fluid, dancer-inspired silhouettes (including a leotard), and a “meditation cloak” to don after class. Some of the pieces were made of fine-gauge Italian knits. The fashion press swooned over them, describing them as “airy, unabashedly pretty pieces in chic neutrals (white and beige), plus pale greens and grays.” The color palette was inspired by crystals, which are a prominent element of Toomey’s fitness studio in New York. The leggings, tanks, and bodysuit were priced from $48–$108. Definitely a winner in the design world – and not surprisingly, SoulCycle is now doing a collaboration with Toomey.

Physique 57 is a barre-based workout blended with intervals of cardio, strength-training, stretching, and recovery. Founded by Tanya Becker and Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi, the studio launched its line of leggings, tees, and long-sleeve shirts in 2014. The current offerings are simple and sassy – tanks ($30) and tees ($45) with eyebrow-raising statements and a vibrant color palette that shows some thoughtfulness. You can also find sports bras ($45), barre socks ($16) and leggings starting at $82.

Barry’s Bootcamp. This fitness studio – whose signature studio color is red, whose vibe is  more urban and “male” than Soul’s – has been around for nearly 20 years. It’s playing catch-up in fashion apparel race while rapidly expanding its studio network. A quick primer: each Barry’s workout lasts one hour, and involves a combination of heavy weights and cardio, the latter using a treadmill. Barry’s offers five different classes focusing on specific body parts, and to keep the element of surprise and novelty alive, instructors don’t tell students ahead of time exactly what the workout will be that day (other than “it’s an arm day.”) With new private equity firm backing, the brand has aggressive expansion goals, having announced plans to grow to 39 studios worldwide this year, with several more in the planning stages (a new Atlanta location in the Buckhead neighborhood opened just a few weeks ago). Barry’s is also attempting to turn itself into a full-fledged lifestyle brand. Originally sold exclusively at select Bloomingdale’s, the brand’s apparel line has become a significant part of its growth story. Each of its studio locations includes a “lifestyle clothing boutique” selling a broad offering of Barry’s Bootcamp’s original workout and athleisure clothes for men and women; the line is also sold online. The vibe is “downtown workout‐hip,” with gray shades of camouflage and the Barry’s Bootcamp logo, complete with the sergeant’s chevron (in keeping with the “boot camp” theme, early customers were issued military-style dog tags). You’ll find tees ($45), sports bras ($45), leggings ($98), hoodies ($98-$168), tanks ($45) and even accessories including hats ($45) and fit bands ($22). Barry’s hopes to have 40,000 patrons within the next few months – and they’re all going to need something to wear.

Solidcore. This emerging boutique fitness brand launched its apparel offering earlier this year in a collaboration with Lululemon. The [solidcore] x lululemon apparel was sold only in select studios.

PureYoga. This Manhattan hot yoga studio is taking a very small first step into the luxury workout apparel space just in time for the holidays. This week, its two locations (Upper East Side and Upper West Side) will start an exclusive two-month pop up at their studios with LA-based yoga apparel brand Spiritual Gangster.

Flywheel. This close competitor of SoulCycle has its own apparel line, too, although it’s far more modest in scope and fashionability. Flywheel’s current collaboration is with Solfire, a cancer research foundation. Its prices are generally friendlier than Soul’s – tees and tanks ($48-52), sports bras ($46-68), leggings ($88-98), shorts ($60), hats ($32), pullovers ($65-88) and cycling shoes ($128). And the branding is far more discreet.

Pure Barre. This barre studio has a line of branded apparel with simple silhouettes and a plethora of color choices. The fashion quotient is relatively low, as are the starting price points. Sports bras ($30); tanks ($34); pants ($62); sport bras ($30); long sleeve pullovers ($68).

There you have it – if you’re up for wearing your fitness affiliation in or out of the studio, you’ve got plenty of choices. One last note: in theory, these clothes never go on sale – they’re sourced and dropped to maximize full-price sell-through. But quietly, “warehouse events” are turning up as ways to get the products at discounted prices – it’s the sample sale of the athleisure world. SoulCycle and Barry’s Bootcamp both hold them from time to time in New York.

Our next post will delve into the luxury fitness and athleisure brands that have no affiliation or branding with a particular studio or fitness technique. For now, though, just remember: the best workout clothes are the ones that will get you to the gym.

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