What Will Affect Your Next-year Clothing Collection in 2026? Weekly Briefings in Dec 16th-Dec 21st

Santa’s ringing bell not only brings us gift season, but more inspirations from the activewear market this week, especially for Arabella Clothing. It is the best time for a look-back in 2026. There is more news worth sharing and Arabella has summarized it for you. Let’s take a look and hope they can light you up for your next-year collections.

Colors

(Dec 18^th)

Jane Boddy, the creative director of Pantone, has accepted the interview from Fashion United to explain the recent controversy of Pantone’s latest color of the year 2026, Cloud Dancer. Ms. Boddy also explained more details on how they select the color of the year, as well as these colors’influence on brand strategies, their retail industry and their applications. Here is the full interview.

From Arabella’s perspective, Cloud Dancer can be utilized in versatile activewear and athleisure. As one of the neutral colors, this white tone has been widely used on multiple running wear like perforated tank tops in ON. Its characteristics of lightness and association with consumers’longing for relief are perfect for activewear for Spring and Summer. Here are some of cases that have applied in these activewear brands.

Trends

(Dec 16^th)

Fashion United has released a prediction of the clothing market in 2026. There are 8 trends worth following as below for guiding activewear startups.

1. Uncertainty becomes normal.

2. Slowing down happens in the luxury industry but not stagnating.

3. Rational inventory management, precise promotion and data-driven purchasing strategies will replace blind expansion.

4. Long-term valued, inherited and handcrafted products will become preferences.

5. Mid-to-small brands face more chances under the rational consumer concepts.

6. Transparent prices, authentic crafts and durable designs will gain more consumer trust compared to fake sustainability.

7. Physical retail is shifting toward experience, service, and community building, with deeper integration between online and offline channels.

8. In 2026, brands will need a slower but healthier growth path to rebuild trust and establish a clear, well-defined positioning.

Cross-comparing previous latest article from Mckinsey that Arabella has summarized: “The State of Fashion 2026: When the rules change“, 2026 is an essential year for brands transitions. From Arabella Clothing’s perspective, mid-prices, quality and sustainability might become 3 decisive factors affecting consumers. We believe that they might reflect on the utilization on eco-friendly fabrics and garment craftsmanship, as well as long-term designs in activewear or athleisure.

Brands

(Dec 9^th)

Gap has teamed up with California Makeup brand Summer Fridays to debut a new collection that contains 20 styles of essentials, mixing up Gap’s comfort and Summer Fridays SoCal aesthetic.

This collection includes soft knitted and fleece sweatsuits, as well as flannel pajamas and accessories, and comes with exclusive makeup sets.

(Dec 12^th)

Lululemon announced that they are planning to enter 6 new markets: Greece, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and India. Lululemon’s SVP of EMEA, Sarah Clark, has expressed Lululemon’s belief in the European and Asian market and will accelerate their expansion through the cooperation with more franchise partners and bring more innovative products and experiences.

Fibers

(Dec 18^th)

The 2025 sales performance of the Australian wool market reflects a divergence in price trends for wool of different finenesses, indicating an increase in buyer selectivity rather than an overall change in demand. The latest forecast indicates that wool production will decline significantly due to an expected 10.3% drop in the number of sheep shorn in the 2025–26 season.

Regarding clients’ reactions to wool-
blended activewear at ISPO Munich 2025, Arabella Clothing still sees great potential in the wool activewear market. Even though there are still concerns about its rising price, its sustainability and outstanding performance still give it a place to stand so far. Arabella has prepared performance wool collections this year for you. If you would like to test the waters to develop more products in high-performance activewear, maybe you can find inspiration through them.

What’s Trending in Latest Activewear Brand Launches?

In this gift season, most of top brands’new releases come with their top-selling essential collections. Modal-blended cotton has particularly become their main fabrics due to its characteristics of ultra-soft yet fuzzy hand-feel. Coziness is the theme of this week.

Lululemon

Theme: Essential Wear

Color: Black/Blue

Fabrics: Modal/Cotton/Nylon-blend/Recycled Polyester

Product Types: Sweatsuits, Tank Tops, Leggings

*Craftsmanship & Design Details: Twisted bands

Alo Yoga

(Anthracite Collection)

Theme: Essential Wear

Color: Dark Gray (Anthracite)

Fabrics: Cotton/Polyester Blend

Product Types: Sweatshirts, Half-zip pullovers, Leggings

*Craftsmanship & Design Details: Acid Wash, Knitted

NIKE

Theme: Essential Wear

Color: Yellow/Black/Light Blue

Fabrics: Cotton/Polyester

Product Types: Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Trackpants

*Craftsmanship & Design Details: UVA and UVB protection, Barrel-leg

Under Armour

Theme: Essential Wear

Color: Pink

Fabrics: Cotton/Polyester Blend

Product Types: Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Tops

*Craftsmanship & Design Details: Taping, Heather

Learn More News & Trends of Activewear with Arabella Through
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