Must Have Athleisure Brands for Men

While I was a Senior Buyer at Equinox, I worked with the world’s best athleisure brands for men.

My experience has helped me support my male clients that purchase my personal styling services. Because their main goal is to be comfortable AND stylish (yes you can have both!)

Here are a few of my favorite men’s athleisure brands as well as my personal selections to create put together athleisure outfits for work or workout.

Men’s Athleisure Brand 1. Mack Weldon

Mack Weldon is an NYC based brand that is focused on reinventing men’s basics with premium quality and design.

The founders realized that it was such a pain to buy high quality basics so he decided to start his own men’s athleisure line.

They specialize in premium, comfortable fabrics that are innovative- you can’t find them anywhere else since they create them!

This athleisure brand is great for guys who are looking for their go-to brand for basics – so think t-shirts, sweatpants, underwear, socks and more.

Not only can you wear all their pieces together but they look great dressed up with other sophisticated items in your closet.

INSIDER STYLIST TIP: This brand is great for all body types! I highly recommend their Pima Crew Neck t-shirts- in core colors of course.

Cassandra’s selections for your athleisure outfit:

Pima Crew Neck Shirt 400 4.5 star reviews (out of 5). This shirt is a high quality shirt for great value. Fits guys of all body types and gives you versatility to wear during a workout or work.
	Intrepid Long Sleeve Polo Not only is this polo comfortable to wear (it has stretch and breathable fabric) but you can easily dress up with some trousers for a put together work look.
Maverick Tech Chino Made of technical fabric, it’s not only stretchable but has four way stretch so you won’t feel restricted. Dress up with the polo above for a laid back work outfit.

Men’s Athleisure Brand 2. Lululemon

Lululemon was the top-selling athleisure vendor while I managed Soulcycle’s retail business and guys couldn’t get enough of their product – especially their timeless short, Pace Breaker.

It’s one of the OG’s of the athleisure world and has been a mainstay for 10+ years.

And over the past few years, they’ve been giving more love to the men’s side of their business – investing in better designs, fabrics and outfitting.

Lulu is a great athleisure brand for guys of all body types – from athletic to more husky and go up to 2XL in certain styles.

INSIDER STYLIST TIP: One insider tip you should know about is that Lululemon excels in their bottom’s category- so that means that it’s worth the investment into their pants and shorts (for workout, especially).

Always go for a 7 inch short.

Cassandra’s selections for your athleisure outfit:

5 Year Long Sleeve Basic Tee A great go-to basic for your athleisure outfits. Lightweight enough to wear on it’s own for a chilly morning or layer in the Fall.
	Evolution Pullover Made from Silverescent fabric aka it’s anti-stink, sweat wicking and quick drying. Perfect for guys who get hot easily.
Always in Motion Boxer Brief 5 inch boxer brief that won’t roll up and keep you cool. Made of very soft modal fabric- these were always a best seller at Equinox.

Men’s Athleisure Brand 3. Wheelers V.

Wheelers V is an NYC based brand that not many people know about.

I was first introduced to them when I was a Senior Buyer at Equinox and brought them into the shops- they’re also sold overseas.

I’m a big fan of Wheelers because not only do they produce high-quality athleisure wear for men, but they also have a minimalist design aesthetic.

They have many of the same silhouettes that you’d find at other brands but the way that they incorporate textures, sophisticated colors and fit is top notch.

INSIDER STYLIST TIP: This brand runs more European (aka slim fit) so I’d recommend it to guys that are slim or have an athletic body type.

Cassandra’s selections for your athleisure outfit:

Wooster Tee This tailored fit luxe tee is perfect to wear from workout to work. The contrasting sleeve makes this a bit more stylish than your average tee.
	Waffle Full Zip Cashmere is a great fabrication to have in your wardrobe for layering pieces. It’s a natural fabric so it breathes and is perfect to wear year around.
Bleecker Grey Short This elevated casual short is made of Japanese brush back fleece. It has a soft drawstring waistband (good for body transitions) and is available in various colors.

Men’s Athleisure Brand 4. Reigning Champ

One of my favorite athleisure brands for men is Reigning Champ and are more undercover since not many guys know about them.

Reigning Champ is a Vancouver based clothing brand that creates high quality fabrics, functional (but stylish) styles and they are completely timeless.

I recommend this brand to create your comfortable athleisure outfits because their styles are so versatile. You can easily throw them on for workout and then effortlessly wear them into work.

The quality is very high and the fit is spot on- every piece is worth the investment. I’ve put clients of all body types in this brand and the fit is perfect on them.

INSIDER STYLIST TIP: If you’re trying this brand for the first time, I recommend going for a pair of their joggers.

The fit is just so perfect, the weight of the fabric is comfortable and after wearing these you may want to get rid of every other sweat pant in your closet!

Cassandra’s selections for your athleisure outfit:

Full Zip Hoodie This is a signature hoodie for Reigning Champ- which is medium weight, so best for Fall/Winter.
	Raglan T Shirt You’ll have this shirt forever as it’s made of Pima Cotton- a type of fabric that’s very durable and resists pilling.
Slim Sweatpant Another signature piece from Reigning Champ made of heavy weight fleece- so best for colder months. It’s a slim fit pant, so order a size up if you’re unsure.

Men’s Athleisure Brand 5. Ten Thousand

Ten Thousand is another brand I worked closely with while at Equinox. This brand is more focused on performance wear for guys that like to break a sweat.

Ten Thousand was started by two guys, in their 30’s, who couldn’t find great workout gear. They had enough and decided to start their own line.

The brand is minimalist at its core and only focuses on the essentials that you need for your workout- so you won’t have pages and pages of product to sift through.

I recommend this brand because instead of going big and offering hundreds of products, they’ve decided to only focus on the essentials- perfecting the fit, fabric and making sure it’s highly functional.

INSIDER STYLIST TIP: Because Ten Thousand focuses on creating the best product that their guys will love, they hardly stop producing their core styles that they currently offer.

So you’ll have peace of mind that you’ll be able to order a replacement when you’re ready.

Cassandra’s selections for your athleisure outfit:

Foundation Short Made of abrasion resistant fabric for durability, with a 7 inch inseam. Also comes in a variety of color (the Navy is great too!)
	Interval Pant This pant has 163 5 star reviews. The interval pant is versatile and adaptable to get you to your workout. Plus it has zippers on the bottom to easily take them off (without taking off your shoes).
Session Short This lightweight short is available in 5 or 7 inch with a boxer brief liner. It also has plenty of pockets to keep your valuables secure.

Men’s Athleisure Brand 7. Hill City

Hill City is one of the newer brands on the list and comes from their parent company, Gap.

I recommend Hill City because their styles are highly functional but they have a more modern silhouette. They are stylish, but won’t put you as the center of attention.

INSIDER STYLIST TIP: They also offer a lifetime performance guarantee— where you can try anything for as long as you like and if you don’t love it, you can send it back.

Cassandra’s selections for your athleisure outfit:

Performance Waffle Crew This lightweight layering piece is has a thermal texture so good enough to wear on it’s own or layered for extra warmth.
	Seamless Train Tee One of the lightest workout tees that you’ll wear. Features breathable mesh panels to release body heat and has anti-odor, sweat wicking fabric.
Lightweight Everyday Pant These lightweight pants are designed for warmer weather- they’re made of special yarns that make them breathable and have a touch of stretch. They also have ultimate versatility- you can even dress these up for an interview if you’re going straight from the gym.

Men’s Athleisure Brand 8. Nike

You can’t do the best of athleisure wear list without including Nike.

They not only have highly functional gear for every type of workout, but their athleisure line for men has really improved through the years.

They have something for everyone- whether you’re more classic and want something timeless or you are more fashion forward and want to try the latest style influenced by Japanese design.

INSIDER STYLIST TIP: Nike is great for guys of all body types. It usually runs big, so more husky guys can usually fit off of the rack.

Guys that have a more athletic or slim body – look for styles that are offered in the slim fit and it will flatter your mid section more vs a regular fit.

Cassandra’s selections for your athleisure outfit:

Nike Flex Short This was one of the best selling styles at Equinox. The Flex Short has a standard fit (good for all body types) and an 8 inch inseam.
	Techknit Ultra Short Sleeve Another great option for guys that run HOT all the time. This top is made of super lightweight fabric and fits as a slim cut (order a size up if you’re unsure)
Nike Challenger Short Another best selling style for Equinox, this 7 inch short is made up of at least 75% sustainable materials. This runs true to size and has built in briefs.