Period-proof your workout

With its recent launch in the period activewear space, Adidas has opened up a new market for India

Not many know that during adolescence one in four girls drop out of sports owing to their period. When the team at sporting major Adidas learned of this fact two years ago, they decided to venture into the period activewear space. With Stay In Play period leggings launched in June, the brand joins a list of several others who have been working on performance enhancement apparel for women. While period-proof underwear has dominated the market for a few years — thanks to homegrown brands like SochGreen and Lavos — not much has been spoken about performance activewear. For instance, before Bengaluru-based yoga brand Proyog set up shop in 2015, co-founder Malika Baruah says they spent two years researching fabrics. They had to not only be sustainable, but also have the strength and finish to provide high performance, she says, explaining how they came up with the trademarked Hyperbreath fabric. “Each and every fabric underwent tests for a range of features such as stretch and recovery, yarn strength, staining, and colour fastness.” Ahead of the India launch of Adidas’ range, we take a look at it and other brands working in the space.