Athleisure Soars As Wellness Not Wealth Takes Center Stage Even in Luxury

Life was far from normal when WSJ Magazine dropped its June/July 2021 issue and this fashion story ‘How to Dress Like an Olympic Legend.

Tennis champ Naomi Osaka had already left the French Open, saying she needed time to work on her mental health. Osaka assured the world that she would be ready for the Tokyo Olympics and her not-yet-announced great honor of lighting the Olympic Flame.

Back at WSJ Magazine Alexander Fisher styled models Aya Jones and Somali Findlay in retro-style jackets from Celine by Hedi Slimane, Canali and Bode, coupled with boldly-hued hooded pieces from Louis Vuitton and Lacoste, which can be thrown over classic Ralph Lauren polos or easy shirts from Hermès or Emporio Armani.

Yoshiyuki Matsumura [IG] shot Jones and Findlay in Brooklyn — how normal is that — and all systems were go for Tokyo. The fashion script sounded — well normal — and lucky for these brands, they are well-positioned for the revised, anything-but-normal late July we’ve experienced in Tokyo.

Nothing is Normal

Naomi Osaka — destined for Olympic Gold in Tokyo — lost in the third round. Osaka has been frank that she has no great love for America, so giving up her US citizenship wasn’t any big loss to her. After her glorious moment convincing the world that Japan has changed its own insulated, racist views, Osaka is seen by many to have humiliated her country.

If Osaka was a candidate for wellness therapy coming out of the French Open, can you imagine how she’s feeling now? We’ll expand this reality in another article. The NYTimes covered the backlash against Naomi. If you’ve been to Tokyo as many times as I have, you’re not surprised, and I educated my FB friends about dishonor in Japan yesterday.

Hours later, Simone Biles bowed out initially of team competition. Biles could break her neck in her sport, and I’ve worried about this spectacular star women more than once, as she performs her superhuman feats.

Biles has now totally withdrawn from the Olympics, also citing her mental health. All who watched her unheard-of ‘mistakes’ — Simone’s teammates most of all — knew the Olympic star was in trouble in Tokyo. And it wasn’t physical.

Whatever the trend forecasters told you about the ‘Roaring 20s’ coming back in 2021, take a raincheck on that advice. In this case, we will just switch gears on this excellent WSJ Magazine luxury athleisure fashion story, move it out of Tokyo and into our everyday sporty-clothes-loving lives. Besides, Black culture rules right now, giving additional power to athleisure.

Wellness Is the New Luxury

When Vogue Business runs a headline that reads: Comfort and wellness set to define luxury in 2021, you know that athleisure is here to stay. Luxury is about relevance, not merely showing one’s status. Increasingly, both luxury market leaders and consumers understand that we aren’t going back to ‘normal’, as in the good old days.

This is not to suggest that human sexuality is not seeking a breakout moment again. But champagne flowing in the streets? Not really.

Covid variants are multiplying like rabbits, and Apple is taking a financial hit, unable to get its global hands on enough computer chips. Yes, last year toilet paper; this year computer chips.

We’re not talking a slowdown in the newest, maximum power chips known to humankind. We’re talking regular ‘ol computer chips. Headlines like CNBC’s Global chip shortage could last until 2023 or even The Guardian’s May 2021 warning Global shortage in computer chips ‘reaches crisis point’ remind us that unless you are super rich, there are choppy waters ahead.

And if you take your regular supply of French Roast coffee for granted like I do, let me break it to you gently. You might want to get a supply of caffeine pills just in case you either drink drivel or go without your precious high-octane coffee. In that case, I’ll take the pill or green tea cold. Chalk that one up to climate change.

All these new realities have actually been progressing for well over a year. But hey — we like to think that the good times are about to roll. And they are, if in the words of Apple, we Think Different.

Feeling Healthy More Important Then Wealthy

In a report issued by Klarna, representing 200,000 global retailers including Farfetch, The North Face and — yes Net-a-Porter — 79% of its customers would rather feel healthy than wealthy. Forbes wrote yesterday July 27 that Gen-Z is totally rethinking investment banking as a career.

Now THAT is an epic statement — and it’s not the first time in recent months that I’ve read highly-credible business press articles that investment banking is reeling with countless challenges to its very value to the wellbeing of the planet.

I’ve always come from the “never let them see you sweat school”. This is one more reason for investing in athleisure, while we all figure out what the good life and wellness mean to each of us individually and collectively as Americans, Canadians, French, Brits — or the globalists that so many of us are.

In America, this challenge could be an monstrous post-January 6, 2021 insurrection confrontation of sorts — in which sneakers are good for running. Or the future may birth an international ‘chill’ moment, a global awakening — in which case, we’re dressed perfectly for the occasion.

Betting odds are on first one and then the other. Then again, Both Osaka and Biles were primed to win gold in Tokyo . . . until they weren’t.

Either way, we’ll see you on the other side. ~ Anne