15 Activewear Brands Every Guy Should Know

Activewear is all over the place. Here are the brands you should know.

Updated August 18, 2023 10:30 am
a collage of the best activewear brands to know
The cannon of activewear brands has changed: here are the ones to know
Lululemon/Reigning Champ/Rhone/Ten Thousand/Tracksmith/Vuori

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There’s zero denying that activewear brands have come to the dominate modern man’s wardrobe, and for good reason. Athleisure will be a $547 billion industry by the end of 2024 and has given rise to unprecedented standards for comfort, quality and creativity in the world of fitness apparel.

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What Is “Activewear”?

As you might have guessed, activewear portmanteaus active and wear, and the name say it all — simply put, is approachable, pared-back, do-whatever-the-hell-you-want-with-’em apparel, built precisely to become your favorite piece of clothing with a blend of performance and comfort. The best is breathable, moveable and, in an increasingly casual social environment, versatile, too.

a model in Tracksmith clothing on a grey background
Brands like Tracksmith are revolutionizing the activewear game.
Tracksmith

Things To Consider:

While selecting specific activewear is fully worth some dedicated thought, there are admittedly a legion of labels now in existence, all vying for your hard-earned dollar. To separate the wheat from the chaff, refer to the below when considering athleisure.

Material: You’ll need to look for fabrics that are stretchy, durable and wick moisture throughout your workout routine. A blend of synthetic materials like nylon, polyester and spandex are your best friend and are found in countless activewear brands. Spandex adds that glorious stretch, polyester is durable and nylon can both block water or wick sweat efficiently. Many brands also offer four-way stretch, which means the material can stretch effectively in all directions and can recover its shape. 

Size & Fit: You want workout clothes that are form-fitting but not so tight as to be restrictive. There’s no point in having a four-way stretch if your jogger pants fit like skinny jeans. Most brands also offer a wide range of sizes that can fit a variety of body types. 

a model in Ten Thousand clothing on a grey background
Ten Thousand has set the standard for activewear.
Ten Thousand

Of course, even with a primer, finding the best activewear brands is still no easy feat, hence this comprehensive roundup of all the activewear brands a guy should know. From household names like lulu and Rhone to newcomers like Satisfy Running, they’re all here, and primed to take on whatever activity you throw at them. Below, 15 activewear brands that every guy should know.

15 Activewear Brands Every Guy Should Know:

Rhone active wear apparel
rhone

Rhone

Year Launched: 2014
Best For: Performance staples that you can wear to the office.
The Skinny: Founded in Connecticut by an ex-NFL employee and a former NCAA lacrosse player, the company famously spends big on fabric, weaving its duds with SilverTech threading, an antimicrobial fabric initially developed for American military operations in Iraq. Rhone also has one of the best examples of logo subtlety in athleisure — three interlocking X’s stitched into the side hemming, meant to signify the strength found in numbers.

Myles Apparel

Myles Apparel

Year Launched: 2014
Best For: Do-everything activewear for every type of guy.
The Skinny: A joint SF venture by the founders of Huckberry and Taylor Stitch (who are all friends, by the by), Myles Apparel was named for both the first king of Sparta and the miles (duh) you knock out during a run. While running is a clear focus — they began by trying to create the perfect athletic short, and currently host a running club — their clothes are successfully activity-agnostic.

On Running

On Running

Year Launched: 2010
Best For: Tech-heavy futuristic footwear and garb for the serious couch-to-5Ker.
The Skinny: Put a multiple-time Ironman winner (Oliver Bernhard) in a room with some Swiss engineers, and magic is inevitable. OR began with a superfoam running shoe that was scientifically proven to lower blood lactate levels in runners, and hasn’t looked back, since expanding its line to technical hoodies, lightweight shorts and performance vests, all equipped with rear vents and subtle zip pockets.

Ten Thousand athleisure active wear apparel
Ten thousand

Ten Thousand

Year Launched: 2014
Best For: No-frills performance that can move beyond the gym.
The Skinny: The name references Malcolm Gladwell’s prescription for perfection, and Ten Thousand seems hell-bent on supplying perfect shorts and tees to its customers. Proudly DTC, the company eschews the “BS marketing” of the big boys and has a simple line of products: three shorts (one for versatility, one for durability, one that’s super lightweight), two shirts (one for durability, one that’s super lightweight) and a few base layers.

Vuori

Vuori

Year Launched: 2013
Best For: Cozy, lounge-forward athleisure that you’ll want to live in.
The Skinny: Based in Encinitas — a San Diego County beach hamlet with an average year-round temp of 72 °F — the folks behind Vuori know a thing or two about getting outside. Their clothing balances SoCal’s access to nature with its “do as you like” MO, offering a blend of high-performance attributes (moisture-wicking, quick-drying and anti-odor) with a colorful nonchalance. Find bright pocket tees, outerwear with camo shells and even board shorts, a bit uncommon for the industry.

Outdoor Voices

Outdoor Voices

Year Launched: 2014
Best For: On-trend gear that’ll look as good at the smoothie bar
The Skinny: Austin-based Outdoor Voices is a brand for women first. Pay a visit to the brand’s Instagram page and you’ll scroll through 12 or 15 photos of yoga pants before finding photos of their men’s offerings. But don’t worry, there are enough joggers, shorts and tees in male cuts for men to post their own #DoingThings photos in OV gear.

Satisfy Running

Satisfy

Year Launched: 2015
Best For: High-fashion fitness enthusiasts looking to stand out (and spend a bundle).
The Skinny: Satisfy Running is a love letter to running, and it’s innovative (if not pricey) designs speak to that admiration firsthand. Crafted for performance with an eye for aesthetics, the brand marries iconic athleisure looks that span generations (i.e. their infamous moth eaten “running cult” cutoff) and insanely luxurious merinos, cottons and synthetic materials for an elite running package. Of course, their activewear is perfectly good for everyday errands, too, and the pinnacle of sporty-chic.

Reigning Champ

Reigning Champ

Year Launched: 2007
Best For: Function designs that run the performance gamut.
The Skinny: Though located just miles away from Lululemon’s HQ in Vancouver, Reigning Champ gear feels completely original in the athleisure sphere. Its interlocking “RC,” lightweight terry crewcuts and satin varsity jackets all evoke a sort of restored corner boxing gym.

Tracksmith athleisure active wear apparel
tracksmith

Tracksmith

Year Launched: 2014
Best For: Premium running-focused activewear with serious Ivy league charm.
The Skinny: Borrowing their design cues from vintage running gear, Tracksmith’s collection of shorts, tops and sweats looks like it fell out of the back of a truck headed to the 1975 Penn Relays. Modern materials (water-repellent “dryskin”) and features (zippered card and key pockets) seamlessly wed with old-school flourishes like stirrups and four-inch inseams to create impeccably stylish but functional silhouettes.

Proof

Proof

Year Launched: 2017
Best For: Merino warriors looking for everyday apparel.
The Skinny: Huckberry’s in-house brand, Proof’s tees and henleys are constructed with an assist from Global Merino, a leading textile manufacturer that sources its merino wool from three sustainable farms in New Zealand. Mix that merino wool with a little nylon, and you’ve got a tee that literally stayed crisp (and odorless) during three straight days of use in Iceland. You can watch the adventure, which includes a near-5,000-foot glacier, here.

Public Rec

Public Rec

Year Launched: 2015
Best For: Sweats and hoodies that actually present presentable.
The Skinny: Public Rec blasted onto the scene in 2015, raising $180K and selling 2,000 pairs of sweatpants via Kickstarter. That pant (the “All Day Every Day”) is still their crown jewel, and effortlessly embodies the spiritual soul of athleisure today. Good for the gym, couch or Casual Friday at work (if you have them in black or navy). But the Chicago-based brand is far from a one-hit wonder, branching out from sweatpants into weekenders, beanies and beyond.

Alo Yoga

Alo Yoga

Year Launched: 2007
Best For: The hot-yoga-to-farmer’s-market pipeline.
The Skinny: Cult athliesure staple Alo Yoga has long been supported by a cabal of celebrity worships, ranging from Taylor Swift to the Jo’ bros; the athletic apparel brand, which is recent years has expanded into menswear, is far more than a yogi-centric outfitter. As it turns out, Comfortable, breathable and movement-forward clothes make for good athliesure, period, especially given the attention to detail Alo puts into their designs.

two model shots of a man in District Vision gear running outside
District Vision
District Vision

District Vision

Year Launched: 2016
Best For: Japanese-made sunglasses that are worth every penny.
The Skinny: With a focus on streamlined and sleek running gear and accessories District Vision has made a name for itself as the stylish running brand to rock. Their apparel has all of the technical features like stretch, moisture wicking, temperature regulation and durability. The brand is also known for their top of the line collaborations with Salomon, Reigning Champ and much more.

a model in YPB next to a barbell
YPB Abercrombie Collection
Abercrombie

YPB

Year Launched: 2022
Best For: Activewear, mall brand style.
The Skinny: YPB, the brand-new Abercrombie sub-label launched in 2022, is all about affordable activewear. With a catered collection of tees, joggers and shorts, it’s inexpensive and fairly comfortable, it’s a new frontier for activewear, less about DTC aesthetics and more about cost-to-value ratio.

lululemon

Lululemon

Year Launched: 1998
Best For: Literally everything.
The Skinny: The oldest and best-known activewear brand on the list, Lululemon was founded in 1998 as a yoga brand for women. And while the brand’s yoga pants are still beloved by suburban moms everywhere, lululemon has greatly expanded its offerings — making gear for running, cycling, training and other sweaty activities meant to be worn by women and men. That’s right — lululemon has a serious collection of handsome athletic and lifestyle pieces with sweat-wicking, anti-odor properties that remain at the top of the athleisure heap.

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