Last Updated on 6th January 2024
Reiss have launched their AW20 collection with a focus on the athleisure market. The Reiss Leisurewear range sees pride of place on the website menu with an increased number of styles of joggers and sweats. By their admission, the designer brand is putting a fresh take on this season’s athleisure trend.
And the luxe loungewear collection is a cut above your Gym King or 11 Degrees leisurewear you’d also wear doing sports. The style is more like Manière De Voir’s premium tracksuits, but the price points are a lot higher, which is a reflection of the significant increase in material and design quality.
Your standard fast fashion brands will often use a cotton/Polyester mix. The superior quality of the Reiss loungewear comes from Cotton-blend fabrication using Viscose or Elastane. And even the like for like 100% cotton T-shirts are far better quality with the soft-touch the brand provide. The Reiss fashion Leisurewear collection also includes cashmere and wool, so it’s no surprise to see prices are higher with quality to last (as long as you pay close attention to the washing instructions).
Both brands aim for the high end of the athleisure market, crossing over from sports luxe to smart casual. MDV tracksuits retail at approx £85, but that is roughly the cost of the Reiss Joggers alone. Their charcoal pinstripe tracksuit would set you back £260 to buy. But Reiss and high quality go together like Calvin Klein and underwear. If you treat it right and wash with care, you will have a capsule piece to last a lifetime.
Who is Reiss?
Reiss are a niche luxury designer brand created in 1971 by David Reiss now owned by Warburg Pincus, an American global private equity firm. Initially a London suit store for men in Bishopsgate, it was the 1980 shop opening in Kings Road that exploded the shop into the public attention. In the late 90’s they knew they need their own clothing brand and took the design inhouse.
It was in 2000 when they took huge strides in the luxe market by expanding into womenswear which was a brave move with their menswear reputation. After a slow start, Reiss took over their flagship Kent House store in Knightsbridge, and rolled out stroes across the country and in Dublin. They worked hard to grow into a respected high-street fashion chain with 160 stores in 15 countries, including Dubai and New York.
The fashion label is known for its strong focus on fabric quality and design, delivering impeccable service in every area of the business. This has garnered a celebrity following including being a firm favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Stylish Hollywood stars like Tom Hiddlestone and Eddie Redmayne have worn the brand to major events, with Emily Ratajkowski and Kylie Jenner also big fans.
With modern designs in keeping with current trends, perfection comes in the fabric quality of their clothing manufacturing. The Reiss clothing brand sells high-end, contemporary designer clothing, accessories and footwear. The clothing is designed by James Long as a more affordable entry to the designer market, and not considered Fast Fashion.
What is Athleisure?
Athleisure is a fabricated style of hybrid clothing crossing the boundaries being leisurewear and smart casual. While tracksuits outside the Gym often would be looked down on, high-end performance wear is intended to stand out for the right reason in the workplace, school or social occasions.
The term was coined in the 1990s and is a combination of the words’ athletic’ and ‘leisure’. The Athleisure trend goes beyond clothing; it’s a movement made up of garments worn for comfort and functionality in day-to-day life. These functional pieces may be worn out and about to run errands or on a casual everyday basis, but still look great.
Athleisure outfits can include tracksuits, t-shirts, vests, yoga pants, jeggings, sneakers, and shorts. It’s fashionable exercise clothing that looks like athletic wear but breaking out of the Gym and into the fashion conscience wardrobe. Athleisure is possible by improved textile materials, which allow sportswear to be more versatile, comfortable, and fashionable.
Does this mean you can use the Reiss athleisure range as gymwear? Yes of course.
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