Column: Why is everyone wearing athleisure?

The two hallmarks of senior year are the worry that you won’t get to do everything you want before you graduate and senioritis. I am currently suffering from both. 

In an effort to fight them, I’m doing something I have never done at this school: going to the gym regularly. Every morning, I carelessly stuff a t-shirt and shorts into my bag, because three weeks in, I’m still dressing up for class (yay!). However, while my gym clothes might consist of five-year-old shorts and my collection of free UNC t-shirts, athletic wear can have much more range. 

Athleisure, defined by Merriam-Webster as “casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use," is a pretty common sight around campus. While it’s designed to be casual, the prices don’t always feel that way — at Lululemon, one pair of leggings can cost $98. 

Sophomore Kate Kozak  is a regular athleisure wearer, and these shorts are a staple of her wardrobe. 

Shoes: On Cloud, Shorts: Aerie, Shirt: Shein

However, she doesn’t think a lot of athleisure brands are affordable. She said she probably wouldn’t buy athleisure if it wasn’t in style, but she loves wearing it as well. 

Kozak thinks people gravitate toward it because it's on trend and comfortable, but doesn’t view it as a passing trend and thinks future college students will wear variations of her outfit.

“I feel like they’re not going to be wearing these exact flowy shorts,” Kozak said. “They might go back to just regular shorts, but I do think that athletic clothing will always be in style.”

Junior Nkosi Buckley said she has been wearing athleisure since before it became trendy. She cited a practical reason for wearing athleisure: it limits sweat stains in the heat. 

Shirt: From an old coach, Shorts: Gymshark, Shoes: New Balance, Sports Bra: Nike

Despite people now matching her look, she’s not mad at the athleisure trend. Though she said certain brands have become status symbols, she’s a huge fan of name brand dupes. She also said athletic wear is a part of most student's fashion now. 

“I think the reason for it [wearing athlesiure] is — it is a PWI and a lot of white people wear athleisure quite often, and so for other people to fit in or to feel more comfortable, but also feel like they don’t have to dress up anymore,” said Buckley.

Junior Mac Humphrey said athletic wear was his normal attire, but he specifically dresses in beach clothes, since he’s from the coast. He said the beachy athletic look is getting more popular, especially among people in fraternities.

Shoes: Nike, Socks: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Shorts: Hurley, Shirt: From a sailing competition, Bag: North Face 

Humphrey said he thinks athletic wear is mostly affordable due to its durability, but it is getting more expensive. He also thinks there’s a distinct difference in affordability between men and women’s athleisure. 

“The thing is, they’re able to break up the women’s fashion into several different parts, meanwhile the men’s — men just have shorts and a t-shirt, meanwhile women’s, you can have a top, or a full-on shirt, or a long sleeve shirt, or just shorts,” said Humphrey. “The list kinda goes on, so you just add all those up and then, the larger the fabric is, the more they can charge.” 

For first-year Dina Sadig this look is only for gym days, and she said she sees a mix of both expensive athleisure and cheaper dupes on campus. 

Shirt: Garage, Shorts: American Eagle, Shoes: Adidas, Hat: UNC Student Stores

“I think it’s more about comfort than status, because at the end of the day, people are just trying to get by their schedule,” said Sadig. She also said she has a positive perception of the people on campus that she sees wearing athleisure.

“I feel like most of the people that I see that wear athleisure tend to be more organized and on top of everything,” said Sadig. 

Sophomore Chris Zou thinks he fits in with the male population at UNC, but said he believes most people dress up much more than him. He believes there’s a range of affordability for athleisure.  

Shirt: From his fraternity, Shorts: Lululemon, Shoes: Online, Bag: Target 

“For me, I just buy stuff cause it’s comfortable,” said Zou. “I don’t really care if it’s cheap or expensive, as long as I can afford it.”

Zou said the main assumption he makes about people in athleisure is that they work out, which is a common sentiment among most of the people I talked to. So, if you ever see me on campus in shorts and a t-shirt, it’s not because senioritis made me give up on looking nice at my 8 a.m. classes — it’s 'cause I’m a gym girl now. 

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com