All the gear: The most stylish activewear brands and luxury gym clothes for men
The gym kit, workout wear and athleisure gear guaranteed to take your training up a notch
All products are chosen independently by our editors. Luxury London may earn commission on items purchased.
Sportswear, activewear, gymwear, call it what you will (just don’t call it ‘athleisure wear’. No one actually calls it ‘athleisure wear’), the clobber we wear to work out in has become big business. Big enough to make a billionaire of Benjamin David Francis MBE, founder of Gymshark, before he even turned 30. Big enough to make Lululemon one of the unicorns of modern fashion (current market value, more than £37 billion).
Into this sweat-drenched, macro-obsessed space has stepped a surfeit of recycled-nylon-loving, moisture-wicking brands promising to carry us from the squat rack to Joe & The Juice looking sharp and smelling, well, not smelly. Drawing on a sure-fire palette of blacks, blues, greys and olive greens (don’t embarrass yourself by wearing anything remotely bright, or, god forbid, neon, on the free-weights floor) in breathable, space-age materials, these lifestyle brands have not just read the Peloton-loving room, but kitted-out everyone in it in stealthy, muscle-fit tops and smartphone-pocketed shorts. These are the hottest, no, coolest, activewear brands to sweat-and-be-seen-in.
Adidas Training
Figuring that too much of life now happens indoors, Adidas’ Outdoor division aims to improve our physical and mental health by getting us, as the name suggests, outside. Among the highlights, the department’s MyShelter collection includes a range of technical jackets designed for navigating urban environments during changeable weather conditions.
The MyShelter insulated shacket is constructed in lightweight recycled materials so that it can be rolled up and stuffed inside a gym bag or backpack. Stick your protein bars in any number of internal and external pockets. Wear over Adidas’ staple-worthy Workout T-shirt to train in style, minus the sweat.
Boss
Acting as the global face – and body – of the brand since 2022, Italian tennis star Matteo Barrettini launched his first capsule collection with Boss that summer. As a result, Boss’ easy-to-wear tennis and padel apparel is some of the best on the market, bolstering on-court performance and off-court style. Case in point is the tennis artwork T-shirt which will serve serious looks during the game and post-match brunch. From the core collection, however, you simply can’t go wrong with the water-repellent shorts, crafted in a super-stretch fabric for quick-dry performance.
Castore
When brothers and former athletes, Tom and Phil Beahon, identified a gap in the market for a high-quality, high-performance sportswear brand in 2015, they quit their jobs and went all in, establishing what is now a leading name in luxury sportswear. Thanks to its innovative use of state-of-the-art materials, Castore quickly grabbed the attention of top athletes. Andy Murray became a shareholder and collaborator, before the likes of McLaren Automotive, England Cricket, Newcastle United Football Club and Saracens Rugby Club all signed partnership deals. Castore has since announced multiple Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer, Adam Peaty, as an ambassador – though the company is yet to dip a toe into the budgie-smuggler arena. If there’s one brand that could make swimming trunks acceptable around the pool of Shoreditch House, however, we’re backing Castore.
From training T-shirts and training jackets to joggers and stretch two-in-one shorts, take your workouts to new heights with Castore’s collection of high-quality, high-performance gear designed with the brand's guiding ethos: ‘Better Never Stops’.
Gymshark
Not so long ago, Bromsgrove-born Ben Francis was delivering Pizza Hut by night and hand-sewing fitted gym clothes by day. He’d print and stick his own labels, hand-pack the trickle of orders he was receiving through his fledgling website and take them to his local post office personally. In August 2020, Francis, then aged 27, sold a 21 per cent stake in his company, Gymshark, to America’s General Atlantic in a deal that valued the company at around £1 billion. Not bad for a lad who asked his nan to teach him how to sew. Gymshark has since segued from flattering exercise kit to relax-at-home loungewear, muscling in on another mushrooming area of menswear. Sweat it out in the fast-absorbing, breathable quarter zip and enjoy your rest day in the uber-stylish shell track pants. Cosy.
Lululemon
While large parts of the fashion industry suffered during the pandemic, Lululemon’s share price rose to an all-time high. As the market leader in flattering comfort clothes and high-end gymwear-cum-daywear, it's no surprise the brand benefited as we all pivoted towards working – and working out – from home. As well as its bread-and-butter collection of seven-inch shorts and ventilated T-shirts, Lululemon’s product offering now stretches to smart down jackets, tailored chinos, and stretch-fabric gilets.
The brand's latest campaign, Train, features global ambassadors, seven-time world campion F1 driver, Lewis Hamilton, strength and performance athlete Kayla Jeter and fitness athlete Amotti and is ultimately designed to fuel breakthroughs and PBs so you can unleash your full potential. Commit to your next training session in style in the lined Pace Breaker shorts and the classic License to Train tee.
Nike Training
Specifically designed for the gym and sports studio, Nike’s Training collection caters to a range of workouts and fitness regimes. Twinned with the Nike Training Club, a subscription-based app that gives you access to a host of virtual workout sessions, the range of clothing, shoes and accessories is ideal for those looking to revitalise their fitness game. Run in all weathers thanks to Nike's waterproof Vomero trainers with cushioned soles and reflective accents before warming up in the oversized Boreas hoodie, featuring fleece panels, a high-neck and hood to keep the post-workout chill at bay.
Under Armour
It all started with a T-shirt. In 1995, Kevin Plank, then the 23-year-old captain of the University of Maryland’s football team, decided to design a T-shirt to rule them all. From his grandmother’s basement in Washington DC, he created a soft, streamlined top with super speedy sweat-wicking properties. Today, Under Armour is one of the world’s leading sportswear brands, made all the more popular thanks to a catalogue of athlete endorsements that includes everyone from Tom Brady and Trent Alexander-Arnold, to Anthony Joshua and Dwayne Wade ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Feel good in the winter thanks to Under Armour's Cold Gear collection, featuring thermal leggings and baselayers (see below) designed to keep the warmth in. On the other end of the spectrum, the brand's Heat Gear line is designed to keep you cool. Look to the compression leggings for your next bout of hot-weather training that are super-light with quick-dry wicking.
Reebok
There’s little question that Reebok’s association with CrossFit – the sportswear manufacturer was licenced to sell branded apparel for the functional fitness company for the best part of a decade – helped re-energise the Adidas-owned, Anglo-American activewear specialist. Reebok has since cut ties with CrossFit but continues to produce a range of cross-training kit, including HIIT trainers, speedwick tights, perforated T-shirts, and two-in-one performance shorts.
Reebok also makes some pretty hip trainers. Take its super-springy FloatZig 2 running shoes designed for comfortable and supportive training. Nodding to its American roots, there's a wide selection of basketball apparel too; we like the look of the Engine trainers crafted with a comfy midsole to absorb every footfall and the foam sockliner to amp up the cushioning and energy return.
