What trends can you expect to see in 2026? How can you design your styles to evolve with the trends, and not be left behind?
In this report we will explore the coming trends we expect to see in 2026, such as: animal textures, biodegradable and regenerative materials, body-adaptive support, and next-generation reflective elements.
Today's consumers demand that their workout gear not only perform but also align with their values: sustainability, body positivity, and visual impact. At Blue Associates Sportswear, we see this as an era of technical meets emotional design.
1. Why animal prints are surging
Animal prints have long been a staple in fashion, but in the activewear world they have often played second fiddle to performance textures and solid colour ways. That is changing. Forecasting platforms and fashion insiders are flagging zebra prints as standout motifs for the coming seasons. According to data referenced by Vogue Business, designers are expected to diversify animal prints, and zebra is explicitly cited as “a trend to watch.”
The momentum is real — zebra has been gaining traction among street styles and fashion collections alike.
Zebra prints are being repositioned from novelty to statement. Their high contrast striping naturally lends itself to body contouring, optical shaping, and dynamic movement effects in sport silhouettes.
How could you incorporate the Zebra print into your new designs?
- Sublimated zebra prints on compression tights, sports bras, and cycling tops. Because sublimation lives within the yarns rather than surface-print, the fabric maintains moisture-wicking, stretch, and breathability. When using this technique ensure you careful match the seams and the patterns, as misaligning this element can break the illusion.
- Contrast mesh or perforated zones in zebra stripe patterns so that ventilation zones double as design elements.
- Negative space or tone-on-tone jacquard, using texture rather than bold graphic contrast to hint at the pattern. Can help create a unique design that caters for a minimalistic design.
- Gradient or stepped prints, where the zebra stripes fade or distort across panels to emphasise muscle lines or curves. Alongside placing these on specific zones of the body, you can create an illusion of a certain silhouette through darker prints.
2. Why ruffles return
In everyday fashion, the ruffle is a common trend for womenswear due to the romantic and whimsical notions it presents. Therefore, a puff sleeve, ruffled hem or seam and overlay is very common detail. In 2026 we can expect to see the ruffle integrated into more activewear, applied in specified ways to not hinder motion. Therefore, it is very important the ruffles do not create drag, bulk or chafe, and are used in a streamlined way.
How can you incorporate ruffles into your designs?
- Ruffled over-layers: a lightweight fine mesh ruffle over a compression base creates a unique twist to the standard compression wear.
- Ruffled straps: thin straps that morph into tiny ruffles at the shoulder to soften the look.
- Micro-tiered ruffles: subtle multi-tier edging around the neckline, hem, or split seams—done in lightweight knit or stretch mesh, create a playful element of detailing without adding bulk to the garment.
- Asymmetric ruffle panels: a ruffle that follows the natural shaping of the body, or in digital seams creates the illusion of movement and shaping.
An added element you can add to the ruffle to ensure it works perfectly with your performance gear, is by bonding the edge or laser cutting the fabric, to reduce any seam bulk.
3. How to add depth to your designs
Minimalist smooth fabric are giving way to surface-rich textiles to enhance the breathability, stretch control and shaping of the garment. In activewear, this can be explored through textured, waffle patterns, jacquards, eyelets, and honeycomb knits.
According to fabric forecasts, Fashion United for SS26, we’re already seeing craft-inspired textures, visible stitching, woven designs, and 3D knits are rising in importance.
In an SS26 context, designers are expected to experiment with these textures not just as trim, but as core fabric surfaces.
How could you add different textures to your designs?
Rib knits are vertical, stretchy striped fabric, created through alternating knit and purl stitches during production. Due to this construction, you can create various thickness of rib knits, such as 1 by 1, 2 by 2, and 3 by 3. By using this controlled knit, you can help enhance the fit of the garment though different knit tensions. For example, adding a side panel of rib knit to create a form fitting garment, that acts as second skin.
Jacquard knits are subtle patterns created within the knit itself that you create artwork for or select from an existing stock article. This can create a tone on tone, minimalistic design element that stands out from the standard smooth fabric.
Eyelet mesh enhances the breathability of the fabric, through micro perforations that allow easy ventilation, expelling sweat from the skin. By incorporating this structure, you can ensure the fabric doesn’t double in weight from carrying all your sweat during motion.
For further ideas how you can incorporate various textures into your designs, please get in touch with Blue Associates Sportswear.
Design suggestions for activewear lines
- Use jacquard panels on the sides or waistbands to offer subtle shaping without external compression lines.
- Incorporate waffle-structured knits in mid-layers or thermal training wear for insulation and breathability.
- Use mesh or eyelet texture selectively in high-heat zones (underarms, back panel).
- Combine rib textures with smooth spans to create contouring illusions — for example, rib side panels to sculpt the waist.
For overlay details (like ruffles), use textured mesh to harmonize with the underlying surface.
4. How to enhance your sustainable designs?
Over the past years we have seen the growing demand for brands to adopt sustainable fabrics, to reduce the fashion industry’s negative environmental and social impacts. From this growing demand we have seen the technologies for sustainable fabrics evolving, which has increased the availability of biodegradable, regenerative and bio-based performance fabrics. Through using these different fabric technologies, we are asking brands to start using the circular design approach to discourage more garments from heading to landfill.
While recycled synthetics have been trending for years and allow brands to be more sustainable, the next frontier is materials designed to break down responsibly at end-of-life—or to cycle through regenerative agricultural systems.
In Spring/Summer 2026 fabric forecasts, innovations like Roica V550 (a more biodegradable stretch yarn), cellulosic alternatives (Tencel, Ecovero), and closed-loop processing are already being spotlighted. Première Vision’s SS26 decoding’s also frame eco-innovation as a core driver for the season.
Examples of how sustainable fabrics are evolving.
- Roica V550®: A special, engineered, stretch yarn designed to enable fabrics to stretch and recover, instead of the standard Lycra and spandex. This can be used within activewear for sports bras and leggings that demand a fully sustainable fabric composition.
- Bio-based nylon / polymers: Through combining plastics and fibres from a renewable biological resource, such as plants, biomass, or waste, you can create bio-based yarns. This diverts the demand of petroleum to create yarns for fabrics.
- Enzyme-based finishing: Enzymes are a biological catalyst that can be used to replace the current harsh chemicals used to finish textiles. These enzymes work at a low temperature, mild PH levels are with few toxic by-products. The benefits of this are they it uses less water and energy and reduces the wastewater pollution.
- Low impact dyes: Designed to use less water/ energy and avoid harmful chemicals which minimizes the environmental harm compared to synthetic dyes.
Brands like Pangaia are already pushing this envelope, Vogue have reported the "Pangaia Gym" collection uses 90% bio-based activewear materials and a compostable stretch yarn in Roica V550 to realize a new standard of sustainable performance wear.
Implementation challenges & trade-offs
- Maintaining durability while ensuring biodegradability
- Testing for wash stability, abrasion, colourfastness
- Infrastructure in end markets for composting or textile recycling
- Supply chain complexity and cost premium
As Blue Associates Sportswear, we have an extensive database of sustainable fabrics due to our wide selections of mills we work with from around the world. Therefore, for brands that opt to adopt a full sustainable approach, we ensure we prioritise bio-based stretch blends and regenerative fibres, whilst ensure the functionality of the garment does not suffer. For further information on this, please check out the following link.
5.How to design with a body adaptive approach?
The growing list of requirements activewear most address has grown throughout the years, and consumers now expect their gear to not only fit well but adapt to their changing body. Throughout the year our bodies fluctuate through bloating, muscle gain or loss, and hormonal shifts. Therefore, why should our activewear be set to work best at one standard fit, and not change to suit the fit of our body throughout the year. This encourages consumers to keep their clothes for longer, as they are defined to suit you at one period of your life.
The concept is akin to structural stretch or shape-shifting fabrics, where garments can adjust tension or compressive zones according to the body's state.
One example of how a brand has followed this approach is Berghaus. Berghaus have designed a legging that adapts to your changing body. The leggings use ZonalAdapt technology for a bloat-friendly waistband that changes to how your gut responds throughout the day.
Alongside this, the back of the waistband includes back support and targeted compression zones for lymphatic drainage along with easting muscle fatigue and reducing swelling in your legs.
How could you adapt a body adaptive approach in your new start up?
- Designing leggings with an alterations system that allows the consumer to change the fit of the garment, to suit the needs of their body.
- Use fabrics that have a shape memory structure, which allows the form to return to its original structure after stretching or respond to the bodies heat and movement.
- Featuring trims that are designed to help people with less mobility. For example, YKK have developed a zip with a magnetic closure that help individuals close the zip, removing the problem of focusing on inserting the zip teeth into the zip head.
- In 2026, we can expect more of these innovations shift from lab concept to practical, mainstream concept for activewear. This will target a more serious performance and body inclusivity approach. If you are interested in adapting a body adaptive approach in your designs, and not sure how adapt this approach, please contact Blue Associates Sportswear.
6.Reflective Elements in Colour: Beyond Silver to High-Vis Neon’s
Reflective elements have long been dominated by silver or metallic finishes. But that’s changing. In 2026, activewear will adopt coloured reflective elements, such as neon greens, hot pinks, electric cyan, even tonal holographic finishes. This ensure your garments caters to the safety requirement of your nominated sport, whilst looking bold, playful, innovative than the rest of the market.
Trends in heat-transfer and finishing already point to this: designers are exploring diverse finishes, matte/gloss mixes, low-impact transfers, and using reflective zones as design statements rather than afterthoughts.
Ways to adapt non-silver reflective in your designs.
- Use neon reflective trims along seams, zippers, or piping.
- Create reflective pattern overlays, which could be in an animal print.
- Apply gradient reflective prints that shift hue under light.
- Use micro-reflective yarns woven into main fabric so that reflection is built in.
- Employ reflective mesh overlays or bonded micro-strips.
For 2026, a fluorescent reflective zebra stripe or neon honeycomb reflective panel becomes as design-forward as it is practical.
The 2026 activewear trends we’ve laid out—animal prints, ruffles, texture, biodegradable fabrics, body-adaptive design, and vibrant reflectivity—represent more than fleeting aesthetics. They reflect deeper shifts in consumer expectations: style that performs, gear that cares for the planet, and design that supports real bodies over time.
At Blue Associates Sportswear, we aim to lead—not follow—by launching lines that embody these principles. We invite designers, brands, and activewear enthusiasts to join us on this journey. Please contact us for more information.