Yoga originated in India and is an ancient art of meditation that has been a part of the lives of Indians for ages. But in the mid-nineteenth century, Swami Vivekananda’s Europe and United states tours took yoga to new heights when it grabbed the Western world’s attention.
It took forty years to normalize yoga in the western world. In the 1990s, it became a regular practice for western men and women.
Introduction of Yoga Pants
In the 1970s, when yoga had become a popular thing in the western world, the use of formal pants was not helping them relax in yoga. Donna Karen, in the year 1970, had smelled the requirement of clothing that would provide more flexibility to the body and allow space for yoga.
But the yoga pants were made possible only because of the invention of the material, namely “Lycra” by an American chemist “Joseph Shivers” in 1958. With the creation of Lycra, the western world started investing more in the production of comforting clothing manufactured by the use of Lycra.
But at that time, no one had any idea that shortly, something called Yoga Pants would be available in the market, which would help us breathe comfortably while doing yoga. As we know, all new things take time to become regular things. The same happened with the Yoga Pants, which were used but didn’t reach the top then and there.
When Did Yoga Pants Get Popular?
With time Yoga Pants started climbing ladders of popularity. It was all thanks to the type of material used. Lycra was suiting the local masses day and night. It was a lot of help to people. Slowly and steadily, people started switching to lycra-used clothing, which brought Active-wear, such as jeans, on the back foot. It gave rise to the new era of athleisure, and the smoke from the fire ignited in the west and reached the east.
Yoga Pants started to become popular in the 1990s when many Hollywood stars were seen wearing Yoga Pants. The Hollywood effect boomed the Yoga Pants Industry, and by that time, yoga had become very popular, which again contributed to the growing popularity of Yoga Pants. Yoga Pants mostly helped women of society who wished to do yoga but were shy enough because of the uncomfortable clothing. It enabled them to go out and fulfill their wish.
Era of Athleisure
Athleisure, as the name suggests, is the kind of clothing suitable for athletics and home use. It is a kind of material that can be styled and can be comfortable at the same time.
Athleisure was entirely inspired by Yoga Pants, which earned the investors their retirement funds. It was also designed using the same material, i.e. Lycra, that can be styled and comfortable simultaneously. It does not disappoint at any point, and to this day, young and old are seen wearing athleisure.
The kickstart of the twenty-first century, which can be termed the era of social media, is when people started to present themselves over the internet and bag themselves bouquets of appreciation. Yoga pants were the savior of the masses, which widened the range of choice along with comfort. On the other hand, activewear couldn’t provide the level of relaxation athleisure gave.
Why Yoga Pants Became Popular?
Understanding why Yoga Pants grabbed the general public’s attention is essential. It was not because of the timing of the Yoga Pants that they became so popular. It was all because of its features that it rose to such heights.
When it was first produced, it was targeted only for activities like yoga or exercises because of its stretching and comforting features. But in time, people started using them for various other activities. It became the home wear for most of the population.
- Breathability– The first thing that echoes in our mind when hearing Yoga Pants is breathability that prevents us from overheating during exercise. After long and tiring use of jeans, people had requirements for something to wear during their relaxing time – which could be easy to wear. They found the answer to the question with Athleisure, inspired by Yoga Pants.
- Stretchability– Athletics and Yoga require stretching all the time. Wearing jeans and stretching brings stress to our minds and our body. It barely gives any freedom of movement. Once again, Yoga Pants were a step ahead of Active-wear.
- Moisture Wicking – Synthetic yoga pants quickly transfer (or wick) sweat to the outer surface of the fabric and dry quickly, so you don’t get soaked in sweat.
- Wide Range of Stylings– Athleisure widened the range of styling. As we can see, nowadays, there are various yoga pants with varied colors, patterns, etc.
- Supports Sustainability– With the popularity of plastics, we have seen how badly they harm our ecosystem’s biodiversity. So to reduce the effects, various studies were conducted, and lately, it has been observed that athleisure can be manufactured using recycled materials. Once again, athleisure came to our rescue.
Yoga Pants are Becoming a Fashion
Yoga Pants which weren’t designed for fashion, ultimately became a trend. But where did it change its course?
Yoga Pants have a vast range of advantages that people started to notice slowly. At first, it was only seen as the replacement for uncomfortable activewear. But then people began noticing other benefits, such as it has a varied range of designs and colors. It can go easily with any upper-body clothing, such as shirts, tanks, and T-shirts.
Even girls and women can style it with kurtas and blouses. In winter, it can go hand in hand with sweatshirts. It became fashionable because it made fashion look easy for the general masses. At the same time, it was widely promoted by the film industry when in all the movies and television serials, these good boys were seen.
Conclusion
On putting up the pros and cons, Yoga Pants are doing great on the scale. Once people tasted the product’s sweetness, it started getting popular. From one mouth to another, people started suggesting Yoga Pants lately as athleisure. From one region to another, it grabbed the global market over time.
