Industry Veteran predicts explosive growth in fashion fitness sportswear: Yoga pants and Leggings
Michelle Rashida may be a fictitious name but she represents hundreds of women who I’ve had the privilege to work with over the years. I’ve been serving women and men the best Brazilian fitness apparel for close to two decades. You can call me an industry veteran or a dinosaur with a lot of experience. Back to Michelle. She’s from Miami and loves healthy living. She trains in the gym but also enjoys jogging along the beach. Her friends encouraged her to become a fitness instructor after she got laid off from her job. But as the saying goes, “when one door closes, another one opens,” and today Michelle’s one of the top personal trainers in Miami. To supplement her income, she thought about offering her clients a trusted brand of gym clothes that were fashionable and perfect for wearing while training in the gym, cycling and going out for runs. She also enjoys yoga. She came up with the idea of wholesaling a premium sportswear brand after most of her friends complained there weren’t a lot of options for women to buy comfortable leggings that were fashionable and that could be worn at home, in the gym, and out shopping. Athleisure was the type of fitness clothes that best described what she and her clients were looking for and that’s how she ended up becoming a global brand ambassador for one of the top fitness brands in Brazil — CajuBrasil®. Her hobby ended up providing her with a steady source of income and bragging rights for her friends.
First, a little bit about myself
I’ve been involved in the fitness apparel and swimwear industry for almost 20 years. I’ve been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneurship magazine and a few other media outlets. You can say I’ve been around the block. Over the years I’ve witnessed a dramatic shift in the way bikinis are designed, sourced and marketed worldwide. Both from a suppliers’ perspective and from a buyer’s perspective. You’ll recognize many of the changes but I’ll share a few. If you were selling something online in the early 2000s, communication played a fundamental role in building trust, especially since buying online was a novelty for most people. In fact, millions of households didn’t even have an internet connection at home and could only login from their workplace. Remember, in the late 90s and early 2000s, there were no mobile phones or social media platforms. Of course, it’s a different story today. Billions of people own mobile phones and many of them spend most of their waking hours online, either for work or for pleasure. The primary means of communicating back then was through email which later evolved into instant messaging. There was still a mistrust in online shopping since you didn’t have personal contact with the seller and had doubts if they’d ever ship after you purchased a product. Online reviews changed all that, especially with the mainstream adaptation of shopping websites such as Amazon.com and ebay.com. As consumers began to feel more comfortable with purchasing online, they also became more demanding. They expected communication to be instant because your competitor was just a click away. As Internet usage began to mature, websites began introducing audio and video applications like Skype and Whatsapp. Now you can see who you’re buying from and not just speak with them as you would over the phone. Fast forward a few more years and e-commerce websites began using CRM (customer relationship management) software to be as close and attentive to the customer as possible. Metrics such as impressions, click through rates (CTR) and page views were important metrics that defined your success. But communication and transparency continued to play a central role throughout the years. Thanks to programs like Zoom, entire communities can now connect and interact irrespective of time zones and geographic boundaries. We see changes in the way businesses and people interact everywhere. For instance, trade shows, product launches, virtual meetings and fashion shows are live streamed on a global basis. This wasn’t the case just a few years ago. The digital world was once considered the domain of science fiction movies; today it’s as common as a cup of coffee.
Growth of e-commerce. Take the leap and sell online
There has never been a better time than “NOW” to start an online business. Online sales are booming at a growth rate never seen before, especially those who offer products and services who cater to the millions of people interested in health, fitness and wellbeing. The trend is likely irreversible and will only increase as more and more people make purchases online as opposed to visiting a physical store or shopping mall which are closing down by the thousands, many permanently. Take these interesting facts into consideration.
- Millions of people workout from home and use digital apps such as Zoom to exercise with a virtual trainer or even alone with personal training apps like Nike activity.
- Many brands livestream their own workouts on social media through facebook live, Zoom and Instagram.
- According to Youtube, there has been a 150% increase in consumption of online fitness videos particularly “home workouts.”
- Subscription fitness platforms report record sign-ups such as Zwift and Peloton.
- On-demand fitness studios who offer live-streaming have seen demand for their services spike.
Our lives are being transformed in ways unthinkable just a few years ago. Students are getting their education attending classes online and in some cases have had their graduation ceremonies transmitted on Zoom. Remote learning is growing exponentially. Patients are receiving counsel from therapists who offer their professional services online. Furthermore, millions file taxes, order food, vote, get a ride and search for love from the comfort of their home.
So what does this have to do with you?
Interviews with fitness buffs on whether they’ll return to the gym or not are mixed. Some miss the camaraderie of the gym, but a good number don’t. Gyms aren’t going away but won’t be the central attraction they used to be. The shift away from gyms may be temporary, but there’s no doubt a large number of people don’t feel compelled to commute to a gym and have to pay high membership fees when they can train outdoors or for much less from the comfort and privacy of their home.
Training predictions: Back to basics and back to nature to find peace and calm.
And here’s the great news. The shift of where and how to work out, hasn’t affected the demand for fashion apparel such as yoga pants and women’s leggings which are actually skyrocketing. Some activewear sellers claim they can’t keep up with demand and are “selling like crazy.” Most sportswear brands, particularly the ones who sell online, report a large increase in e-commerce sales. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time. Fitness as a way of life and wellbeing is here to stay and shopping at traditional outlets may be a thing of the past. We’re already witnessing big name outlets filing for bankruptcy and thousands of smaller shops struggling to survive. Who hasn’t driven by a shop with a sign that says, “VACANT,” “FOR SALE,” “FOR RENT” or “CLOSING DOWN. ALL MUST GO?” The retail landscape may sound depressing but it’s not the end of commerce. There’s a flip side. As physical stores close, virtual ones open. Website traffic is up by a staggering 35% this year. This means you have to be online. If you don’t offer a product or service online, the market can’t see or find you. It considers you invisible. If you’re not visible on google, you don’t exist and that’s a pity because you’re losing a huge share of the market that’s eager to purchase what you have to offer. And the good news is that it’s never too late. We’re just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of people offering a service or product online. In fact, some business experts predict that within the next 50 to 80 years, most people will be self-employed and offering some type of service or product online. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. It could be you and today!
Why partner with CajuBrasil?
First the entire team is incredible. I’m often asked what I’ve learned from selling top brands for almost two decades and I always come back with the same answer; that:
People don’t just buy the product, but the person behind the product.
You can’t have one or the other and be successful. In fact, clients are more demanding than ever before. It’s not enough to just offer an outstanding product. You have to offer way more than that. Customers expect you to provide fanatical support, be socially and ecologically responsible, adhere to ethical business practices, be transparent, and back your product with an awesome team that an employer compensates and treats fairly. I’m proud to say CajuBrasil fulfills the above criteria in every way.
Comfortable fashion fitness Sportswear for all women
Noteworthy about CajuBrasil
- Founded in 2005.
- Present in 50 countries.
- 160 employees.
- Half a million pieces produced annually.
- Introduces 4 collections a year.
- Rigid quality control.
- Exclusive prints.
- Textured fabrics that are soft and extremely comfortable.
- Hundreds of versatile styles and colors for every occasion.
- Tons of digital marketing material to help our resellers.
- Instant online fanatical support.
If you don’t sell, we don’t sell.
More about CajuBrasil fitness wear
CajuBrasil is a marriage between fashion and activewear. It’s in our DNA. We consider it a large part of our brand identity and one of our unique value propositions. When people think of comfort, fashion and fitness, we want them to think of CajuBrasil. To achieve this we use the latest technology available in fabrics and production. The results are fitness clothing made with top quality fabrics that look and feel amazingly comfortable on the body. This translates into producing Brazilian sportswear for women and men that are in high demand. We have it all, gym clothes, yoga tops, shorts and pants. We design high compression leggings with pockets that include butt lifting properties. We offer active women everything they’ve ever dreamed of having in terms of comfortable sportswear no matter what the activity is — running, yoga, working out in the gym, cross-fitting, cycling or just everyday fashion fitness wear. We offer classy, sexy and curvy fits also.
Stand out Attributes
Some of the best attributes we incorporate into our designs and high performance fabrics include seamless yoga pants and butt lifting leggings with tight “compression” fit. Some cuts are cropped and others include mesh, scrunch bottoms and styles with high-waisted leggings and pockets. In terms of colors, there are hundreds of options but black and white continue to be highly sought classic colors, they’re timeless and always in demand. Best of all the premium fabrics include characteristics such as UV 50+ sun protection, water resistant, anti-bacterial, dry quickly and above all, are super comfortable. So if your customers ask if you offer the best high-waisted fitness leggings with pockets or seamless black yoga pants, you can say yes. Our high tech fibers provide comfort, protection, athletic performance and body shaping characteristics.
High Tech Fabric Characteristics
2021 Sportswear Catalog Categories. Fashion and Comfort for every occasion.
- Yoga
- Athleisure
- Comfort fit
- Fashion fit
- FT Cross
- Running
- Winter
- Curvy
- Protect
- Classic
In short CajuBrasil sportswear is a sleeping giant. I foresee that within the next 5 years it will be one of the dominating global fitness brands. CajuBrasil is perhaps the most recognized and established fitness apparel brands in Brazil. We’re competitively priced with thousands of loyal customers scattered across 40 countries around the world. Join our team and become a brand ambassador by wholesaling CajuBrasil branded fitness wear.
