You Can Shop Olympic Athlete-Worthy Activewear On The High Street, Thanks To Uniqlo

Welcome to summer 2024, also known as the unofficial season of sport. With Wimbledon and the Euros in full swing and the Paris Olympics yet to come, our inner athlete is primed and ready to emerge (if only our stamina got the memo). While these types of games have certainly inspired a few pints in front of the pub's big screens, they've also inspire me personally to get that little bit healthier too. To push a little harder on my weekend Park Run or squeeze in an extra class, it's hard not to get just a little bit bitten by the sporting bug. And one high street brand is bringing us all just that little bit closer to realising the athlete within with a new activewear collection that has literally been designed in collaboration with athletes.

Uniqlo's new Swedish Athletes Collection is a game changer, bringing Olympic-level performance to our everyday wardrobes. Even if your only sport is the marathon scrolling on your phone, this collection is ready to help you smash your next PB. Five years ago, Uniqlo partnered with Team Sweden to design the Swedish Olympic and Paralympic uniforms, merging high-performance functionality with its signature sleek and stylish Japanese aesthetics. As a result, the brand had world-class athletes providing invaluable feedback on their designs, ensuring each piece meets the rigorous demands of elite sports while maintaining Uniqlo's trademark simplicity and elegance. So Uniqlo decided to roll it out into a public-facing activewear edit we can all partake in.

Designed with input from Sweden's top athletes, the collection boasts ultra-technical fabrics and ingenious design details that elevate it from your usual high street activewear to Olympic-worthy gear. Think replacing pockets on jackets to make them lighter, extra ventilation holes and more inclusive size ranges. Whether you’re a novice runner, a studio-shy fitness enthusiast, or someone who gets winded climbing stairs, it's made to enhance your personal performance.

But hey, it's Uniqlo, so it has to fit with their 'lifewear' ethos too - creating good looking garms built to withstand everyday life. Us mere mortals don't have the same fitness demands as an Olympic athlete, but we do need comfy pieces that we can wear from hot yoga straight to brunch. You can expect the usual Uniqlo blend of sustainable fabrics, functionality and minimalist style, showing that you don’t have to be an Olympian to dress like one. So go on, embrace your inner athlete with any one of our Uniqlo picks below —or at least look the part, eh?