Competitive mums get sporty for the school gates

Figures from high street retailer Debenhams show women are donning their gym kits for the school run just to appear sporty.

Since January the department store has seen a 25% growth in sportswear which is being put down to competitive mums wanting to appear sporty at the school gates without actually hitting the gym afterwards.

Running attire seems to be the most popular with a surge in sales of 47%, sports bras have also seen a 75% lift, although it seems the product is worn by ‘mums on the run’ rather than actual runners.

Ian Wibberly, Debenhams senior sportswear buyer says; “Women are trying to get the sporty look without breaking a sweat, we are putting this down to sportswear becoming more fashion focused and about comfort and style over purpose.”

“Mums now want a gym kit that will see them through spin class, to the school run and coffee with friends. Gone are the days of the dingy trackies that were once deemed acceptable gym attire”.

The trend is also being put down to the Olympics, as women have become fitness conscious after a summer of sport. Although it seems they were mainly watching sport in their sportswear rather than getting active in it.

Sportswear is now much more fashion focused making it acceptable to wear outside of the gym, the sports luxe trend for this season illustrates this and as does Stella McCartney designing the Team GB Olympic kit; it is now very much a season of sport in style.

Women are following in the footsteps of celebrity sporty mums including Jenni Falconer, Elle MacPherson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mylene Klass and Geri Halliwell who all sport their gym kits for the school and nursery run.

Ian Wibberly continues; “we are now tailoring our sportswear to fit the lives of busy women on the go and have increased our leisurewear offering by 33% to meet the demand of sporty mums for next season”.

Debenhams has also moved its own brand female sports offer, XPG by Jenni Falconer out of the sports department and onto the womenswear floor to make shopping for busy mums easier. From September Debenhams will also be stocking Elle Sports to further meet customer demand.

Debenhams sportswear is available in stores and online, prices from £18.