Athleisure: Destroying Fashion & the Environment 🫠 

As an actual female athlete, finding nice, durable athletic wear in a sea of athleisure clothes is becoming increasingly difficult. Athleisure clothing does not handle actual hardcore workouts.

After grandma died my mom found some 40+ years old cotton fabric in her things - a whole bunch of it, purchased long ago "to do some sewing" and never used for anything (grandma was a bit of a hoarder). Mom didn't want it to go to waste so she took it to a seamstress to at least make some bed linens out of it. The seamstress was AMAZED at the quality of the fabric and straight up said "you won't buy cotton like this anymore, all the manufacturers that made it went bankrupt long ago." That's FORTY YEARS after it was manufactured. The fabric is not only still usable and in good condition, it's BETTER than what's available today. It's just so freaking sad :(

As a man in the Trades, I cannot agree enough. Something you didn't touch on was the flammability. I work with open flames and torches and will ONLY wear 100% cotton cloths, REAL leather jacket and shoes, because the thought of my Polyester clotha melting to my skin rather than just catching fire my personal nightmare. I can also confirm jeans seem to wear out a lot faster than they did 10 years ago.

Another problem with adding stretchiness to all clothing items is that they are relying on stretch for fit rather than good design. It also allows for greater error in the manufacturing process, and variation in how well it’s sewn while still getting a product that technically fits.

It bothers me SO much that 100% cotton clothing has become almost impossible to find. I loathe tee shirts that are made of blended fibers and I especially loathe jeans that are anything more than pure denim. I tried linen but find it too rough for my sensitive skin, so, I’ve long since given up on fashion and buying new clothes because, in the end, it’s all about how I feel wearing something. All these discarded man made fabrics should be bagged up and used for insulation as they’re not all that different from what is currently in use.😊

What I can not wrap my head around is how these fabrics fall apart so easily that you end of constantly tossing them....yet they're so persistent that they never decay in the landfill. How are these two thing's true at once! Weird eh.

"Millennials don't like/buy wool" because WE CAN'T AFFORD IT FFS! If I had the money, I would have so much more wool and linen in my closet, but my tiny budget only allows for cotton and polyester unless I get really lucky at the thrift store.

The "10% polyester/spandex/acrylic/elastine" on every label nowadays frustrates me to no end. I once managed to find a pair of 100% cotton sweatpants at a thrift store and it was the highlight of my day.

I told my partner "I just watched a fascinating video on athleisurewear" and got a "who are you and what have you done with my leggings phobic girlfriend" look! Personally i think if we want to have comfy clothes to lounge around the house in we should bring back wrappers and tea gowns!

One of the biggest polyester problems I've noticed is in women's suits. My local semi-luxury clothing store sells suits for about $400 combined (blazer + trousers) and it's all proprietary polyester fabric. And it's not even well made - single-fold hems with serged edges. I blame athleisure for making people forget what good quality feels like.

"the fabric that haunts our nightmares, our sweat glands, and our waterways" - I cannot think of a better description of polyester!

Abby mentioned it briefly in the case of wool, but I was watching another video that explicitly said opened my eyes about how so many synthetic fibre "innovations" like temperature regulation, moisture wicking, odor resistant, cooling properties etc are all basically trying to emulate qualities of natural fibers. Cottons, linens, hemp, etc are innately more cooling, more moisture wicking than plastic.

I can tell you where fashion went. It shifted from the clothes to the body. These leggings and tank tops do nothing for our appearance, so you better have the perfect body or you’re out. Thanks for the rant, Abby. Edit: I have nothing against leggings. I have one of these free leggings patterns up and I am currently wearing one. Cotton sweat as under layer for warmth under a dress. So nice and cozy. 😊

For anyone seriously trying to save their clothing from early failure, please consider not using a tumble dryer. I understand that hanging space may be limited, especially for families with children, and those in smaller spaces. It takes some getting used to and maybe another shower/curtain rod and some hangers, but it makes a big difference in fiber loss and elastic degradation.

I’m so glad someone said it!!! I remember when I first made the connection that polyester was plastic. I was horrified. We see so much of a push to “reduce plastic” and “recycle plastic” regarding plastic bottles and packaging but I never hear a push to reduce or recycle polyester fibers. Unfortunate.

It's been so difficult to go shopping at any name brand store. I'm that person reading every single label to see the fiber content. I won't buy it unless it's 90% natural fiber or more. Which means 90% of the time I walk out of stores with nothing. I feel so defeated. So I've started collecting patterns so I can start making my own clothes with 100% natural fibers. This world we live in is so back-wards where plastic is being hailed as the best "fiber" to work out in. Sigh

I am in my 50s. When I was younger, in my teens and 20s, I lived in sweatpants and t-shirts. I shopped in them, I exercised in them, I lounged in them. I didn't wear them everywhere, but I wore them every day. They were made out of cotton, both jersey t shirts and the sweats, and they had an elastic waistband. They were comfy and I wish i could find more cotton based textiles. What I have noticed in the decades of wearing things and washing them is that I have no option to buy high quality clothing. It does not matter that I spent more money on it, or that I bought a reputable brand, it is going to have holes in a handful of washes. I don't engage in fast fashion trendy consumerism, but I am forced to be a part of the problem because the consumer option of buying longer lasting textiles at any price is a problem. It forces me to think about purchasing clothing much more than I want to. Nothing is more frustrating than buying knickers that I wore 4 times and the crotch is completely gone, even the cotton fibers are substandard.

Adam Ruins Everything? No, we want ‘Abby Ruins Everything’ because there’s usually drag performances with the trademark humour.

I went to a paper mill in Massachusetts several years ago. Historically, they relied on the rag industry to make their paper. Denim, in particular, was a great material. But once they started infusing the denim with stretch, the mills were no longer to use denim waste anymore!

I really used to think I had a bad gene that made me sweaty and smelly in my airconditioned office like a builder after a long hard day in the sun, and I had to wash all my clothes after one day of wear - turns out I was just wearing polyester all over. Natural fibers solved that problem. Cheers!

History and fashion is so weird! In the 1960's my father was pulled into the majors office to explain why his wife was seen grocery shopping in pants without gloves! 60 years later I saw a man in on a a bath robe and boots picking up his kid from school! I still can hear my grandmother saying that we did not go to town in play clothes! I still find it hard to go out in sweat pants!

100% Polyester is going to be the "they ate mummies" of our future. I have a general revulsion for the texture of most textiles that are more than 40% synthetic, and honestly that limits my ability to constantly buy new things in a positive way. I am not going to buy a random blanket or linens with a cute print because they're so frequently microfiber. Buying things online is even worse with "pure satin" or "extra soft snuggle fabric" as the only content listed. I feel like silk, wool, and even cotton have gotten rarer and proportionally more expensive over my lifetime. I spent some of this video googling sewing patterns for leggings that have a separate panel in the inner thigh (maybe split inthe middle of the leg front and back?) in the hopes that I can upcycle some of my thinning 97% cotton pairs together. Maybe I'll have to just mock up a test of one I have and then modify the style lines from there!

abby using a cocktail making long ass spoon as a ‘microphone’ with her actual mic attached it hysterical to me. queen of practicality

The thing I have been noticing over the last few years is how athleisure has 'conveniently' become fashion dominant in the era of online shopping and this has allowed a simplification of fit, and reduced expectations of fit by the consumer. Everything is getting boxier. Once you've reduced expectations of fit and quality ('well, it's close enough, it was cheap, so not worth the effort to exchange..') where does fashion go?

Excellent discussion on athleisure. As a Boomer, I understand why Millenials may blame themselves. Still, Boomers contributed to the trend when Levi 401 jeans and cotton sweat pants were replaced with Calvin Klein and Vanderbilt stretch jeans and Jane Fonda/jazzercise workout clothes. The '70s may phone you again to talk about (gross !!) leisure suits. It is too soon to see the full effect, but if more workers work remotely, it may spawn a new line of leisure clothes (jobleisure?) that look good for video meetings. All of this makes me sad.

I just finished a chemical engineer degree- the way we talked about plastics (~technical fabrics~) felt comparable to how physicists talk about the atom bomb. There were so many presentations on recycling and environmental cleanup research, trying to figure out how to get rid of microplastics- but Dow, Dupont, and Henkel are right there to employ us when we graduate. Also- I don't think the PFCs are going to hurt us, the consumers. It's more the factory workers and the environment around the factories. They don't degrade, and they've gotten into the groundwater as PFAS plumes near the factories, including in crunchy, wealthy areas that are Not Happy. ETA: I looked up Sorona- it's partially made from glucose and partially other petroleum based polymers. The glucose is fermented into one polymer and reacted with the others. So- an improvement on pure nylon, which is all petroleum + nasty chemical baths, but still Not Great. The Chemical Worker's Song keeps running in my head.

As someone with sensitive skin, I have never been able to wear "fake" fabric from my waist up. It's uncomfortable, doesn't breath,makes me sweat profusely and just feels gross.(eeww!) But if I want 100% cotton I either have to thrift it or make it myself because everything out there is F*%&ing expensive, crappily made or at least 60%-40% polyester, Viscose is slightly better but nothing live up to cotton, linen or wool. Thank you Abby for having the rants so I have more good material reasons to like what I like!

I grew up with a mother that would always feel the fabric and check the label for fiber content. She grew up in the 70s when polyester clothes became popular here in Germany and she detested them because they smell so bad. So I inherited a strong adversity against polyester. I also always check the label and won’t buy underwear, shirts and dresses (anything that I wear against my skin ) that is made of polyester. I do wear mixed fabrics as outer layers though. The mother of a childhood friend who worked as a nurse also always warned my friend and me to never buy non breathable polyester underwear so we don’t get fungus infections 🫣that also stayed with me … only cotton or viscose for me

This was one helluva video, and I agree with you 100%! Incidentally I work for a company that invents products to capture microplastics and this is constantly on my mind. 35% of microplastics come from textile manufacturing, and every time we wash our clothes, up to a whopping 700,000 plastic fibres are released from our washing machines into our waterways. I'm so glad you shone a light on this subject.

I wore real linen for the first time last summer, during a heat wave, and was *amazed* by the cooling and sweat-wicking properties of a natural fibre that so many synthetic fibres attempt or claim to do. For almost every property a "revolutionary" synthetic fibre claims to have, there's already a natural fibre that does the same thing. (Exceptions: fibre-optic fabric lighting up, glow-in-the-dark dyes, and those T-shirts that change colour when you go outside.)

Finding comfortable clothing as someone who is disabled (and is also short and not thin) is difficult. Unfortunately that means often I end up with leggings because they're comfortable, not expensive, and easiest to put on. I prefer cotton t-shirts but even those are getting harder to find in styles that I like.

In a time where many can't afford quality or tailoring the soft and stretchy nature of athleisure has provided clothes that can look fitted and be comfortable even as size fluctuates. Its normalisation as standard wear has also been useful for those with sensory issues or other physical limitations with clothes. I can see why it has caught on and doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. I just hope we can get back to sustainability without having to lose the freedoms that have come from these engineered materials and styles.

You could add a section on this about fit and mass production. Part of the popularity of athleisure i think, is also due to moving away from tailoring the fit of our clothes- either purselves or by a tailor. Athleisure fills the void, where mass prooduced clothes that are tailored to a single shape don't fit well on most bodies, the stretch of athletic fabrics means that it fits a broader range of bodies without having to have it tailored.

Part of the push for "tech" fibers is the environmental impact of natural fibers. I worked at a yarn and fiber store in the early 2000's and alternative fibers would brag about how little water they required compared to cotton. Cotton and linen require large amounts of land, water, and fertilizer to grow on a commercial scale. Animal rights advocates campaigned against wool. Sheep only produce commercially usable wool for about half their natural life span. Then they are sent to meat processing. Not to mention the land used, methane produced, etc. The biggest push against wool is growing allergies to it (which sounds like another rabbit hole to go down). Now that we're aware of plastics leeching out of fibers, the calculus has definitely shifted. But it's not as if "natural" fibers have no impact, especially when they have to be produced on a massive scale.

As someone working for a company that produces sports wear, I have very strong opinions at this point about athleisure and many of them completely fall in line with what Abby says. There are some more details I want to put out there, though. About the plastic clothing: For actual athletic wear, some of those actually make sense. I have some running shirts which are entirely made of plastic, engineered to be as thin, lightweight and at the same time sweat wicking as possible. For running, especially during warm and hot weather, these are a dream. They manage to soak up the sweat but dry insanely fast so there is no wet fabric rubbing between your arms and upper body. However, what they don't do is stop your sweat from getting smelly. If you wear them, you will stink after two hours tops. Here's the thing: If I run, I don't care. But they do the same when you wear them while sitting at your desk. They are athletic clothing. Full stop. Does that solve the plastic landfill problem? In a way. You don't wear as many running shirts in your life as casual wear shirts. You also don't wear them as long in a day, so if we could reduce the plastic fabric to be used only in functional wear where it actually serves its purpose, I think that would already be a massive win. Another topic is shoes. My company focuses on running shoes but also carries some everyday sneakers at this point. However, a lot of people keep wearing the running shoes as lifestyle sneakers and my advice is: Just don't. Running, especially endurance and especially on asphalt will get to your feet and knees in a way that walking never will. The high level of cushioning and support for fast take-off is a dream for running. And for walking? It still feels great, but it basically is like using a crutch all day. The muscle in your feet will weaken and you will unlearn how to use your entire foot to walk. Shoes for sprinting are not even comfy to walk in, so let's not even consider that. There is one entirely different point, though, that I missed a little in the video. Athleisure somehow also somehow came in a package bundle with the opposite movement. Or maybe that is just my perspective? Hear me out. When I was a kid, teenager and up until some time in my early twenties, I am pretty sure the majority of people just worked out in whatever ratty t-shirt they happened to have that wasn't good enough as outer wear anymore. And then this started to change. Before the change, of course there were some people who looked like you had plucked them out of a 90s aerobics/softporn video, but the majority of people wanted gym clothes that are lose, comfy and if they tear or are worn out, it's not too sad. Basically it was an opportunity to get the last out of your 10 year old band shirts and then you have that one pair of sweatpants/leggings that go with all of them. And then something happened? I don't know. All I know is that now gyms are full of people with perfectly styled outfits down to the sports bra that shows a strap matching your sweat towel. So Athleisure erased fashion, but it also erased workout settings as a functional place and made them focus a lot more on style.

Athleisure-wear is my go to when my chronic pain makes most clothing painful. On days where I'm functioning better I'll reach for clothing that does too. Over the past decade I've been slowly replacing clothing with more durable pieces but I've yet to find something that will work as well as leggings when I'm mid-flare up

I ditched jeans for skirts and dresses a while ago because I just find them more comfortable (I am short and plus size, finding jeans that fit without alterations is always a hassle, plus the jeans available would always wear out in the thighs from rubbing sooner than the rest of it and I got tired of replacing jeans multiple times a year), and I have a couple pairs of black leggings that I wear as tights under skirts when I need an extra layer that covers more than my knee socks do,. I've never been personally comfortable wearing leggings as pants. A couple years ago, I started prioritizing natural fibres and avoiding polyester and acrylic blends in my wardrobe, and trying to make more of my clothes. I'll allow small percentages of nylon or spandex, but polyester is a hard no. My spouse recently started switching over to wool or cotton dress slacks for work because he had a similar problem with jeans wearing out too quickly. Our kid prefers athleisure wear, but she's ten and wants to be comfortable, which I get. I try to avoid polyester with her clothes as much as possible and hang-dry the polyester items she does have so that they'll last longer.

I worked at a speciality running shoe store in the early teens and the slogan we used for socks was “cotton is rotten” for socks. You need moisture wicking fabrics for working out. It’s awful realizing lies we’ve believed. I’d love to find more affordable natural fiber clothes but it is difficult.

Speaking of stuff falling apart so quickly. I've said that about items that AREN'T clothing as well. I hate the response of, "Well, just go buy another one." (My washing machine likes to destroy wash cloths for some reason.) I shouldn't have to buy another one, at least not that quickly. It also makes me not want to risk spending money on anything deemed nice because of this trend. I've got shirts from the 1990's that I still wear and are in good shape and stuff less than 3 years old that's falling apart. (The day I accidentally ripped the armpit of my vintage 1970's blouse that belonged to my Mom I almost wanted to cry.)

I just want to bring this up before I address any of the major concerns here because they are all valid. As someone with chronic pain im really thankful for athleasure. Before pain, I was well dressed. I had tailored garments, structured under garments, stilettos and riding boots, anything beautiful, the world was my oyster. Since pain moved in, I've had less and less energy for dealing with little discomforts. Even small things like pants buttons or tucking in my shirts feel overwhelming. A friend got me into the chunky sneaker thing and the world of athleasure opened up to me. I could dress trendy. I could wow my friends again. I could save my energy for getting out of the house instead of constantly adjusting my clothing. I understand that I'm lucky to like how I look in these garments. I understand not everyone has that relationship with their bodies. But atleasure has given me back such a big part of my life I just feel like we do it an injustic by not acknowledging the good of it. I know there's a lot of bad, especially with the cheap fast fashion side, but it's not all like that. I have pieces I bought 7 years ago when I worked out daily that are still going strong. I'm as sad as everyone else that natural fibers are so rare these days. I'll take 100% cotton over any athletic blend any day. Except for with leggings and sports bras. I just need more strength in those garments than a flattering cotton knit can provide. But yeah... try not to hate the athleasure trend too much for what it looks like. It's giving some of us the courage and freedom to live again.

Leggings, socks, and underwear are the only plastics/elastics I'm allowing myself to purchase anymore. And the rest of my clothing I'm only buying natural fiber fabrics and sewing the clothing myself. Once I feel like more comfortable in sewing everything I will address then under garments I wear and see what better options I can find for myself.

Bottom line, I cannot afford natural fiber clothing. Even if I can find it. I usually do 90% of my clothes shopping in thrift stores, for affordability but also so I'm at least not adding to the polyester mountain. Even the black leggings I am wearing were thrifted. The tank I'm wearing under my hoodie appeared in my wardrobe from I don't know where, but I've been wearing it for at least 20 years. The hoodie is new, a holiday present to myself. It's warm and comfortable and I bought it on etsy from a store that does machine embroidery, but still a small one woman business. I sort of weigh my options and try to go the less impactful route. But I really do want decent jeans that fit. Affordable natural fiber clothing. And let's toss another topic into the mix. Land value, where cotton is grown (and really fucks up the soil) and where sheep graze, has skyrocketed, and is being sold off to build residential or commercial real estate at a much higher profit than farming ever made.

The biggest problem with denim even before the leisure wear outbreak was that they stopped having a range in sizing. When i was younger i could find jeans for short people like me in most brands with styles that fit my body. Then ten years later i had to have jeans hemmed to get any that fit and it was harder to find jeans that actually fit. Instead of bringing back variety they brought in stretch fabric. I can't find good jeans to replace the old favorites and that is sad.

What I hate is marketing something that is mostly artificial fibers as a “wool” or “linen”, whether it is 5% wool blend to be marketed as just “wool”, or marketing 0% linen as a “linen style”. At least I buy these fabrics, not primary for the look, but because of the qualities of the fibers. I live in a climate, where fake-wool or clothing, with less than 50% wool, just don’t make it. In EU you cannot market many food items with minor components. We have traditional butter-oil bled, with usually at least 70% of butter (sometimes over 80%) and always (even so-called light version) at least 50 % of butter and everybody knew what it was about (the name contained butter and margarine), yet EU made them remove butter from the name. Then why can they market something as a wool, when it only has 5% as wool? And finding coat made of 100% wool (which I would prefer) is practically impossible. I rather buy genuine wool and leather, and then use my winter jacket for at least 5 years and my leather bag over a decade. Before buying my singular leather bag, I replaced my fake leather bags every few months, because they could not take our winter weather longer. After using few bags in the last year, I bought one of leather, and used it over decade before first need to repair (zipper). I searched for a while to find a genuine leather bag, that I really liked a lot and that was my style. It was classical and type that is always on style, kind of vintage looking in fact and is still my favorite. Not everyone has to act in the same way, but I would love to able to still buy long lasting stuff.

I often wonder, if we took advantage of peoples obsessions with trends and made environmental health the new *aesthetic*, would it become huge like stanley cups or skims? Would people fall over eachother buying their new organic cotton clothes? It could be useful if it works.

Watching this while wearing black fleece leggings 😳 BUT ... I'm one month postpartum, so I appreciated the conclusion about how there is a time and place for athleisure. But I'm also frustrated by how hard it is to now find 100% natural fibers. It seems so ironic that clothing that's allegedly for athletic activities is made from plastic.

It's so hard to find women's jeans that aren't fiber blends. Heck, it's even hard to find ones that are mostly cotton with a little bit of elastane for stretch. Most jeans now are predominantly polyester and they pill after a while.

As someone with a contact allergy to formaldehyde, you'd be surprised at it's ubiquity in textiles and personal care products. Formaldehyde-urea resins are used in the manufacture of rayon, natural/synthetic blends (like cotton/poly), "anti-wrinkle" treatments, pigment printing (like for kids sheets), certain distressed "washes", waterproofing, and non-flammable textiles. In personal care products you can find formaldehyde releasers used as preservatives (dmdm hydantoin, imazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, Germall, etc.) in shampoo, conditioner, skincare, and makeup. For the textiles, the formaldehyde doesn't wash out. It can reduce it's release rate over time, but it's usually a structural element of the fabric. Think of it like the glue in MDF. It's also in paper and used to enhance the "wet strength" of paper products like toilet paper, facial tissue, and paper towels. It is even in disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, and tampons. As a plus size person whose size fluctuates in addition to the allergy, it is incredibly hard to get away from polyester. The few size-inclusive bands or designers that make clothing from natural fibers that work for my allergies are extremely expensive - like $200 for one pair of pants expensive. So my clothing is mostly cotton tops, polyester pants or dresses, or Tencel lyocell as I can find it (mostly sleep wear).

Some time back I got a lot of ads on insta from start ups making sports clothes that would not smell, were better for hygiene and said to be made from pineapples or so. The whole thing was made to look like this huge innovation and comments where like “oh my god finally” All I could think was “so you are making viscose T-shirts?” How can it be that people forgot what cotton t shirts and good quality fabrics feel and look like? Not even normal sewing shops have actual good quality (100% natural fibers with 5% elastane tolerance) fabrics anymore, printed fabrics for children excluded. Luckily there is a professional fabric business close to where I am…

I want to go forward with Victorian bathing costumes in wool or linen jersey and 70s shorts and tees in the same. The fact I gotta make them myself will not stop me

even with the argument of confining athletic wear to actual sports we still have an issue with consumerism. Sometimes synthetic fabrics might actually be "best" for some sports - serious road cyclists want the super thin stretchy properties of "technical fabrics" that I just don't think are available from cottons and wools for example - but there is still a huge push that people should have a huge wardrobe of this technical clothing and that everybody even vaguely into the sport should have the latest thing. It's just another avenue for fast fashion. And sure with something like proper cycling shorts you do need a few pairs because ideally you do need to wash them frequently for hygiene reasons so if you're out on your bike several times a week you'll need more than one pair, but once you have a couple of pairs, you don't necessarily need another new pair each season. You don't need 10 different jerseys in a variety of colours. A good set even with frequent use can last you for years. But brands want us to buy more. And I specified serious cyclists in my example because the marketing in sports also pushes us to think that we have to dress like top athletes at all times, or that this super technical clothing that gives marginal gains to pros is going to radically improve the performance of Average Person on a Bike. And really what we need, even for those who are keen on the sport, is a few decently fitted pieces that are well made and that we look after and we only replace them when we have to. (and though I use cycling as an example, I see this across a number of sports from horse riding to swimming, to weight lifting, and don't get me started on Westernised Yoga)

I can’t even tell you how much I love this. It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for the past few years, and you put together such a great video on the topic. Side note: one of my favorite modern ironies is when people wearing all polyester talk about how people in past centuries must have all smelled so bad, when (personally speaking) absolutely nothing makes me smell worse than wearing a plastic bag pretending to be clothes. 😅

They had to cut my cotton sports bra off of me when I was injured. It was very old but the best. I can not for the life of me find a sports bra with that same cotton knit at all. I need a zipper too now. I want my old bra back 😢

Growing up in Vancouver BC in the 80s, the standard 'little black dress' item that everyone owned was a pair of capri-length black leggings, worn to workout classes, but also under dresses, tunic tops, as a base layer under ski clothes, and clubbing. Eventually bike shorts moved in to replace these. The west has always been more casual, comfortable and 'outdoorsy', but I think people were wandering around in high-fashion workout gear everywhere. If you expand the definition to ski clothes and apres ski, you can push this back into the 1950s.

Look around, Abby. You, Nicole, Bernadette, Morgan - all of you have thousands of followers (including me). All of you inspire us. I have this beautiful bottle green twilled cotton fabric just begging to be turned into a walking skirt. Full length. I have some lovely pale blue cotton which will be a shirtwaist. Or a chemise. I have house shoes partly crocheted. The future of fashion is us, Abby. Keep being yourself. Keep helping us express our own selves. And yes, keep expressing your frustration at the end of your videos! But trust in us.

In the early 80's I moved to Europe. Prior to departure , I bought 6 pair of 401's. This was my fall-back plan. A casual mention that cash was tight and I might be willing to let go of a pair of jeans was all it took to start a quiet, stealthy, profitable bidding war. :)

Here in Norway you can find 100% wool jersey athleasure wear pretty easily, which I’m extra grateful for after this video! Still I’m guessing the cheaper synthetic stuff sells more…

So, as a metalworker/welder, i always have leaned towards natural fibers, and because of that i am also super particular about how i wash everything and i think that is part of how i make even my synthetics last forever too. They are washed cold and more often hung too dry or tumble dried on LOW. But also, it is SO HARD to find fire safe natural clothes for work. I just want good cotton and hemp jeans that will last and look good and have pockets.

I started to make my own clothes partly because it became harder and harder to find 100% natural fibers. I really hope it comes back!

Here's an icky reality: the altheisure styling really appeals to moms. Unless you like wearing loose linen/cotten dresses (which some people do), it's really hard to find clothes that can hold up to the changing body shapes of moms. I can't afford to buy a whole new bespoke wardrobe every time I have a kid and my body changes shape (or even alter those clothes). But with spandex fabrics, those jeans and leggings and shirts last just a little longer, and readjust to the new shapes. In the past, women dealt with this through structured garments, first corsets, then girdles, paired with dresses. The idea of trying to nurse in these seems overwhelming. Also, some of us don't like dresses. I really like pants. I like pants I don't have to iron that will move with my body when I have I squat and pick a kid up off the floor (which rules out traditional linen and denim). ---currently seven months pregnant with my third kid and thanking God for spandex panels in my stretchy maternity jeans, maternity t-shirts, and maternity jacket. I have seen maternity "fashions" pre-spandex and they are overwhelming in their burlap sack-ness.

There's nothing wrong with athleisure, the issue is with making clothes from plastic. Leggings made from cotton or wool are better for you and the environment than a blazer made from plastic. Just because most of the athleisure is made from plastic doesn't mean it has to be, athleisure is a style not a material. The issue comes from people choosing bad quality, synthetic fabrics because they are cheap + people getting fooled by clever marketing of "innovative fabrics". People choosing to wear comfy clothes has nothing to do with it, rise in athleisure correlates with rise of synthetic fabrics but it doesn't cause it.

Ok I have a few things to say here. Firstly I am unsure what is happening with people saying their athletic wear is only lasting a couple of wears. When taken care of properly it should last a long time, I have leggings that are 10 years old in great condition. Secondly I entirely disagree that activewear requires no design skills, in my profession I have sewed everything from bridal, to costuming to shade structures to swim wear, lingerie and active. Creating these performance items is a very specific skill set as they require the correct amount of stretch and support without chaffing or excessive tension on any specific stress point. creating these garments requires just as much technical skill as couture. Also I’d like to point out that of all the things to be angry about, attempts to engineer a more environmentally friendly elastane should not be one of them. This is a necessary step for the future of sustainable clothing because we need to be realistic. Who amongst us is not wearing underwear or socks without 5% elastane in them. Are we really going to start wearing 100% natural fibres to swim? People are going to want to wear stretch fabrics with appropriate recovery as long as its an option at all, nobody wants their underwear to sag and fall down. Creating more environmentally friendly stretch fibres is honestly our best option at this point. No it’s not ideal. But is everyone going to want to start wearing undyed linen around everyday? Nope they are not. Creating better fibres that last a lot longer, better grey water management systems and an industry that is held accountable for their industrial waste is what we should be aiming for here. Calling tech wear designers unskilled and attacking the work of engineers who are actually trying to create a lower impact market equivalent to what we’ve become accustomed to is a misguided attack IMO.

As a Gen X, I have lived through most of these changes. I still have garments from the 1990s that are in excellent condition. Cotton rugby jerseys, very worn but still good. Started to notice the significant deterioration in denim in the last 5 years too. Jeans would be nearly indestructible, now the thighs wear out after 2 years. My jeans should still be new at only 2 years! Now getting back into sewing, I’ve noticed how hard and expensive it is to buy good quality natural fibre fabric. I hate the proliferation of synthetic fabric for sports wear, it is hot, does not breath, gets smelly, stains very easily and you can’t ever seem to get it properly clean. Thanks for the great overview. I fantasise about the being regulations about limiting how much synthetic fibre is allowed to be used, especially in garments like T-shirts and jeans.

A video on how fleece and velcro killed the knitted wool , and yarn stores, of the 80ies in the 90ies? And the revenge of the merino wool, and return of the handknitted sweaters/cardigans?

I went to two fabric stores in the past week looking for options for sewing projects, and other than the fancy one having some bolts of 100% cashmere, there were no wool or even wool mix fabrics at all. Its so sad.

This is one of the reasons I’ve started making my own clothing. I can find decent natural fabrics and choose from thousands of patterns. Those from the 1980s to today are still pretty cheap and plentiful. My first projects are my “athleisure” because they’re not all that good, but I’m learning how to alter patterns before I even cut any fabric and it’s amazing how much nicer I look when the clothing fits instead of having to fit standard sizes! It’s not cheaper like back when people made clothing to save money, but my clothing doesn’t wear out in 6 months either, so it’s not as expensive as it seemed when I started.

THANK YOU!! This has been the bane of my existence lately. I need to find both a pair of actual, factual, compression leggings AND a new pair of hiking boots. Every time I try to search for "cotton compression leggings" I end up with recommendations for everything but that. The amount of times a blog post has tried to pass off lululemon as compression is insane. And hiking boots? It's the same damn thing as with fabric innovations! Omni-shield, techlite, omnigrip...WHAT THE HELL DO THESE WORDS EVEN MEAN??? I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS! But your video brought back my sanity and hope that maybe, just maybe, we can move past this moment in time

I have sensitivities and find that synthetic fabrics generally make me feel like I’m wrapping myself in plastic, I still have more synthetics than I appreciate, but it’s difficult to find natural fibres, particularly at my size. Another thing I’ve found with big companies is how they trick people into thinking they care about the environment by touting processed natural fibres such as viscose and bamboo. It might be made from plant fibres and cellulose, but it’s still heavily processed. It still damages the environment. If I could afford it, I’d be making all my clothing in wool, silk and linen.

As a plus sized woman, the last time I went shopping for jeans, there were none available that fit me well (at the plus sized woman store). The only pants that I could find that met my needs were the yoga/athleisure pants (thi was just before Christmas). This is why I'm trying to learn to sew. I'm sick of this bs. I just need to buy them until I can learn to make my own clothes. Thanks for this video, Abby. I want and need durable jeans and the whole loss/reformulation of denim is ridiculous.

As someone who is allergic to synthetic fibers (like, actually physically allergic, wrap a polyester scarf around my neck and I can go into shock) this has been a huge problem for me. Synthetic fibers are in everything.

I would say one thing about strech/polyester in general. Im a trans guy and i bind about every day. While ive played around with non or low stretch binders, nothing is more comfortable than a super strechy polyester knit. So thats one use that i dont think can be replaced. Also, socks! They just last way longer with elastic.

Not just ruining the environment but also the economies and textile industries in places like Ghana where the world dumps it's old clothes. There are some innovations in non-synthetic sports wear coming out at the moment though which is exciting!

I'd like to zoom in a little more on the post-industrial revolution effect of capitalism on fashion "trends" like athleisure. Sure some of it is that people want to be comfy, and some celebrities have sold out to shill these clothes to us, but it's also just what companies are giving us and more and more there's nowhere else to turn. Unlike in previous centuries where fashionable rich people decided what was trendy based on what they could afford and liked to wear; now corporations who are not people and don't care about fashion decide that polyester is cheaper to produce and therefore everything will be polyester (or whatever new synthetic is cheapest), consequences be damned.

I hate stretchy/skinny jeans. What fits in the fitting room or first thing in the morning is falling off by lunch time. It can be exhausting trying to find anything without the stretch fabric in it, and normally when I do find something, there's only one cut/style available - and that is only at the store that also sells livestock feed and baby chicks. I've given up ever having cute jeans and just grab something non-stretchy from the men's department that at least will stay on.

My dad was a retail exec and I remember him and his colleagues (with wives) came over for a dinner party in the late 70s. They were talking about how sportswear was changing and some article from wwd. The article you referenced was probably it! I was pretty young but I also remember the women saying that it would never be that big, only worn for exercise. 😂 To their generation who came of age in the 50s it was unfathomable.

I picked up sewing within a week of learning the real reason why my newer clothes seemed to fall apart & besides being eco-friendly, cost-saving, and handy- it has elevated my wardrobe to a level that I never thought possible as a plus sized woman. I cannot recommend picking the hobby up enough!

Im holding on to my old Levi's from 2006 for my daughter to hopefully wear when shes big enough for them. 100% cotton, and they don't make that cut anymore (518, I think). I'm seeing fewer people in my area wearing athleisure, and i think its because it's a mostly low-income area. Our athleisure comes from Wal Lart, and it just doesn't last.

You had shown footage of people in other countries showing clothing that was useless and i actually worked for a month in 2020 at one of the places that sold shit clothing to african countries, india, andnother countries that are the wests dumping grounds. I was put at a massive conveyer belt where i was to pick out everything good- designer, good condition vintage and higher end good conditioned or collector athleisure wear went to the owners co-owned thriftstore in britain. Brand new, still with tags and packaging clothing, Linens, and cottons went to italy. Some good wool coats and skiwear went to an african country who was lucky enough to buy higher priced lots. (90% of the wool was sent to a recyling place. Atleast i was told. )There was a interview in 2022 from a designer from that country who complained about the west dumping full ski suits and wool coats into their hot hot country where unless you were lucky enough to travel to europe you would barely find people who could use the clothing. I knew he was talking about the company i worked at. and The rest? It all went to other countries and the owner kept cotton shirts for ripping into rags. The owner got her clothes from everywhere in canada and the usa- all in generic donation bins wheere whoever owned them would get paid by the weight. Massive multistory shelves filled with massive white plastic wrapped bags of clothing. The knowledge of all this haunts me especially when youve seen the scale of it all and how the owners consciously gave the lowest of the low to poorer countries in asia and africa. Like they consciously flooded india with h&m and forever21 and other fast fashion polyester garments because apparently someone “bought it to resell”(or is that just the excuse she gives for just using other countries as a dumping ground) I wonder if they really did buy the clothing if they knew the best went to the uk and directly filled the pockets of the owner and whether or not they would have stopped buying the junk because they were literally being ripped off. Glad im no longer a part of that but its still horrific especially when its lauded for getting rid of waste in canada and the usa. Anyway, this was a really great video. Thank you Abby for your great research ❤

How you launder makes a huge difference, too. I use cold water for everything, and except for towels and sheets, I avoid the dryer like the plague. Clothes last so much longer and don't shrink nearly as fast. I have items that have lasted for years, even decades. I have poly-cotton undershirts I've had for about thirty years; they're thinner than they used to be, but they seem almost indestructible.

I have so many thoughts on this! As someone with an allergy to synthetic fibers clothing shopping has become a nightmare! Yes I were mostly basic t-shirts, at least they come in all cotton. I've all but given up on pants. Stretch denim does not hold up to my work environment and everything else is plastic. I hunt cotton leggings like they are a cryptid just so I have something to wear against my skin that won't make me want to peel said skin off. I'm trying to make more of my own clothes, but it takes time, energy, and money. I'm not a standard size, so thrift shopping is a challenge. Right now my projects are coming from bed sheets and curtains. At least I can get wildly full circle skirts.

I'm old... an original 70s girl. I hated track suits in the 70s. I hate them now. They make you sweaty just wearing them. Your hair, btw, is gorgeous.

Great and very accurate breakdown. One thing I want to add that you didn't touch on (cuz honestly, you could make a whole channel based on how fast fashion hurts the environment), but that is WASHING INSTRUCTIONS. I grew up in the 80s. Spandex was new and expensive, anything with spandex said 'gentle wash & hang to dry'. Most of the specialty synthetics of the time had special care instructions. Now everything says 'yolo, throw it in the dryer'. Pro Tip: do not 'yolo, throw it in the dryer'. We can't stop fast fashion, but with proper care we can make our clothes last as long as possible. If you put synthetics through the dryer, especially the super stretchy stuff like spandex, it actually cooks the stretch out of the fibers and they break. Yeah, it's a pain to wait for stuff to dry but i've got most of my wardrobe since I was a kid still in mostly wearable condition (i stopped growing early; i just wear it around the house, it's comfy and it fits). My kid wears clothes from the mid 90s that I used to wear because that's her style and they still look great. Also, we as a society need to spend more time altering or repairing our clothes and upcycling our clothes. I wouldn't make a quilt with used yoga pants but I bet they'd make a great braided rug for a patio or as a pet bed. It won't solve the problem, but it can't hurt. Because athleisure is just the tip of the fast fashion iceberg problem.

I agree with you completely. Many years ago Dad spoke before congress against single use packaging (cans) for sodas back in the...60's-70's. He was certain it would lead to more pollution. Which it did, those soda cans turn up all over. The hatred for the bottle washing machines included a complaint about polluted wanter, except my Dad had put in a series of ponds, a sort of artificial wetland, and what the bottling plant he ran put into the stream was nearly potable. He always said there was no excuse for damaging nature and had watched his beloved woods and rivers become nearly dead during his youth and was always looking to help the river instead. Still, ignorance being what it is, he was forced to eliminate the wetland. Where-as my lovely formal clothing during the 70's was WOOL, by my adulthood that wasn't even much of an option in the 80's onward. Only during this millennium have places like REDLAND COTTON become an access point for quality cotton, grown, processed, woven, and made up into linens, all within a small geographic area so even the pollution from transportation is decreased. Love the pillowcases. For a time I was in a coop that would group order directly from the factories here in the USA, a bulk order which was then divided up so each got the yardage they paid for--natural fibers and regional production. I still have some summer weight wool in my stash from those orders.

This is so frustrating because, as someone with a muscular lower half, denim is absolute hell and I've given it up forever. Finding the right fit takes too much out of me. The bit of stretchiness really helps a lot. The current fashions-- high-waisted denim, flared legs-- are so unflattering on me. But, I don't know, you're right and we should find an alternative.

I live in yoga pants. I've always wanted to get into more natural fibers, but I haven't found the energy to change my wardrobe. And, tbh the comfort and ease of a good pair of black yoga pants is just so alluring.

Holy xrap I thought I was the only one who finds modern fashion boring! I won’t shame anyone for dressing the way they want. However I also miss the lost art of dressing fancy for every day activities. Like people used to go to friggin salon appointments in what today would be considered formal dress. I personally compulsively overdress and I love it

i will admit as someone who almost never wears athleisure (except for leggings as a warmth layer, god im always cold) but loves to take a turn through athleta and be tempted even though i KNOW i will never reach for it if its in my closet, to say that athleisure isn't fashion does seem a bit incorrect (I LOVE tennis skirts and that kind of preppy style even though the athletic nature of them means they do clash with.....most of my closet), i think the point about fashion is that it can be any shape and just like art, there is no true definition of fashion. that said, fascinating video, loved it

It’s funny that, amongst my family, I’m known as the „not picky one” when it comes to clothes, my one rule is that they have to be actually comfortable - and yet I’m the one that wears the most body-hugging dresses, corsets, tailored clothing like vests and suit trousers… comfort really does depend on proper shaping and fiber content in your clothes, not on how stretchy and loose the garments are 🤦‍♀️

Im not saying no one wears athleisure in Europe, but it's interesting to me how much more popular it is in America. Side note, I haaaaaaattedddd the jeggings of the 2010s HAAAAATTTEDD IT. Never bring those back svp.

I've lived in a lot of climates from Springfield, Illinois, to Baghdad, Iraq and I've worn hundreds of different fabrics. In the oppressive heat of Mogadishu, or Baghdad, nothing is as cool as pure cotton or linen. Cotton also won't melt and fuse to your skin in catastrophic situations. In the winder, when it's cold AF outside, nothing keeps you warm, but not too warm, than wool. As far as longevity, I've had a pair of 100% cotton 5.11 pants that are still not worn out after 15 years. Sadly, in my transition, I'm finding that 100% cotton women's clothes are next to impossible to find.

omg THANK you for blurring out the ads you get while scrolling websites!!! It's a pet peeve of mine when I'm shown a website in a video and I'm blasted with some weird ad😅

My formative years were spent in Levi's 501s. Then I had a child and my body shape changed. And now, in my early 60's I have to say I HATE JEANS! I have spent way too much money trying to find jeans that fit and don't make me look like a sausage in a denim casing. So I have bee making and wearing skirts. I made 5 for fall/winter. 3 were cotton flannel, 2 were heavy cotton floral. I have more flannel fabric and have started buying lighter cottons for summer. I don't care that they aren't the latest fashion. They are comfy and warm. I have indulged in some recycled poly cardigans and sweaters, mostly because you can't buy new cotton ones (and thrifting is hit and miss). And I don't knit. But I am trying to get on the natural fiber bandwagon.

A fascinating and informative video as always. I love how you teach me so many new things. I am probably an outlier, but I hate leggings. I find them so uncomfortable, even the cotton ones. I wear my smocks when I want to be comfy at home. As to ath-leisure wear, I am not the target market because I have a serious sensory dislike of polyester and most synthetic fabrics. I have always hated any workout clothes I bought and would revert to cotton t shirts and shorts instead. My half polyester work clothes get stripped off the moment I get home. I can not fathom wearing ath-leisure clothing for comfort. I know people do wear it for comfort, but this remains unfathomable to me. Hopefully, there will be a growing trend of natural fibers in fashion and ath-leisure clothing.

When you mentioned Levi and making jeans stretch - I felt pure rage. I remember all cotton jeans that got tight when you gained weight and didn't have "diaper butt" by the end of the day.... good luck finding them now. I used to gauge my weight on how my pants fit, I can't do that now because before 5 pounds made them snug...now it takes 15 with all the stretch in them. And this doesn't even take into the account that wearing synthetic fibers is akin to wearing a hefty bag, you sweat more and stay sweaty longer. I refuse to wear athleisure, I have work-out wear sure, but I have "real" clothes for when I'm not actively exercising. I'm only 52, but I remember people dressing nicer to leave the house - if I never see another pair of pajama pants and house shoes at the store again I'd be thrilled.

Plus sized cis woman here: I can't find *any* pants in natural fibers under $250. Shirts and skirts aren't much better. And as someone whose body is almost entirely circles and ovals it's WILDLY hard to find wovens that fit. I am learning to sew, but WOW is that not a cheap hobby. Especially when you need several yards of fabic per article of clothing.

With a very few exceptions (bras, undies, sox), all of my clothes are cotton, linen, silk or wool. I thrift or make most of my clothing though I haven’t taken up Nicole’s hobby and made my own shoes. Abby, thanks for a great video and you are looking great!

I'm so glad you mentioned denim - I was starting to think it was just me! I only really got into wearing jeans 20 years ago as an art student (and now I live in them!) and I vividly remember the first pair I bought being a really good quality denim from Marks and Spencer (about £25 at the time), but as I added more to my collection, the price dropped - and so did the quality, to the point where I once ended up with a £15 pair (also Marks and Spencer; oddly enough, that pair developed holes in the knees). Around 10 years ago, I developed a liking for Seasalt (another British brand) and managed to get two pairs of bootcut jeans which are still in my wardrobe - a bit threadbare in places, but still going . . . but ever since then, I have been on a quest for a new pair of "proper" jeans. My bugbear is that when skinny jeans were "in" (which don't suit my figure) it was pretty much impossible to find any other decent quality non-stretchy, heavy denim, non-skinny options - the most uncomfortable pair in my wardrobe are a pair of £80 Levis that claim to be bootcut but are a skinny interpretation of bootcut (bought about 9 years ago). I do think you're onto something with the sustainability thing; just in the past three or four months, I have finally been able to get two new pairs of wide leg jeans (the kind I'd have happily bought during the past decade, if I'd been able to find them) that are mainly cotton, and feel like a proper textured, relatively heavy denim - it's paradise! (I didn't even care that they were £70 a pair; these days, that is the price I'd expect to pay for denim.) The thing that boggles me the most is that I've read that the original denim was designed for miners, so it had to be tough - "fashion" denim wouldn't stand a chance,

I just bought a few Annuals, from the 30s, based on popular film personalities, and there are quite a lot of 'candid' photos of the actors wearing sportswear. In the 19th century the publicity photos for actors seem to either be in character, or wearing the first stare of formal fashion.

"grab your most comfortable hoodie" *me sitting in my 1890s frock coat* NO

Ever since I had my twins, I've been *severely* apple shaped. My waist is a size 16-18 (depends on brand) and my butt and legs fit the measurements for a size 10-12. Wearing denim that doesn't have that stretch is pretty impossible unless I want to look like I 💩 my pants. I was never able to find pants that fit properly until they started putting more and more stretch stuff in them. When heritage brands start making a wider variety of cuts and actually start thinking about body types that aren't "standard" or "ideal" then I'll start wearing their clothes.