The new year often catalyses a health kick for many of us! The message is reinforced by marketing from influencers plugging supplements, gym gear sales, diet fads and ‘#bodygoals’. But the topic of Fashion + Health reaches deeper than meets the eye.

In 2020, the global athleisure market size was valued at $284.73 billion and is predicted to keep growing. Whether for comfort or confidence, investing in quality sportswear can give us the kick we need to jump into physical activity. Technological advancements also see fashion now capable of monitoring our health, with wearable tech accessories (FitBit’s, Apple watches), to the likes of Hexoskin, textile activity sensors embedded into garments. And it doesn’t stop there. ​

Younger consumers are more health conscious than previous generations, and with garment technology constantly improving, there’s also innovations like GORE-TEX clothing, Sharkskin Swimsuits, Stone Island jackets that change colour with heat and even Leg Boost Moisturizing Hosiery!

But with justified demand for transparency in the fashion industry, there’s growing concern for the health of those making our clothing. From the toxic pesticides used to grow cotton, to the poisonous dyes, polluting vital drinking water systems, to the inhalation of microfibres by the garment workers in factories. Raising the harrowing question: who is really paying for fashion with their health?