Singapore’s activewear scene started to sprout within the mid-2010s, using on the worldwide health increase and the rise of boutique gyms, yoga studios, and way of life wellness tendencies.
In addition to well-known international manufacturers like Adidas and Lululemon, native manufacturers emerged, providing fashionable and purposeful attire that catered particularly to Asian wants, akin to physique sort and modesty.
Nevertheless, Singapore’s enterprise panorama has solely change into tougher, particularly for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic. Grappling with rising operational prices, persistent manpower shortages, evolving shopper behaviors, and international financial uncertainties, corporations have discovered survival removed from straightforward.
Actually, the whole variety of corporations compelled into obligatory liquidation (court-ordered closures attributable to debt) reached 187 in the first half of 2025—a five-year excessive for that interval. And final yr, Singapore noticed a 15-year file excessive, with 307 obligatory liquidations for your entire yr.
Native activewear manufacturers haven’t been spared, both. A number of, together with APHY and Circulate Funkie Studios, have folded in 2025, whereas even worldwide names like Sweaty Betty closed each its Singapore shops this yr.
For the homegrown manufacturers that stay, survival meant adaptability and altering the way in which they operated.
We spoke to a number of native labels to know how they’re navigating Singapore’s high-cost atmosphere, shifting shopper habits, and aggressive pressures—and what it takes to remain related in a market that’s as demanding as it’s vibrant.
1. Vivre Activewear
For some manufacturers, downsizing was seen as the best transfer to maintain enterprise sustainable.
Based in 2014, Vivre Activewear entered the scene with a promise: high-quality yoga put on at accessible costs. Early success noticed day by day on-line gross sales of round S$1,000 and the opening of its first outlet at Far East Plaza.
At its peak, Vivre operated six outlets and achieved annual net revenues of S$1.9 million in 2020 and 2021. However the pandemic years introduced a surge of rivals, significantly online-only manufacturers providing “large reductions” to achieve market share. This, co-founder Sylvia Lim defined, “modified buyer expectations relating to pricing.”
With rental and manpower prices averaging S$30,000 per retailer, sustaining bodily shops turned impractical. Shops that when earned five-digit income had been quickly barely breaking even.
By 2024, Vivre shuttered all bodily shops. Working solely on-line allowed the model to “right-size” the enterprise, hold annual income under S$1 million, deregister GST, and enhance profitability by means of leaner e-commerce operations.
“At this stage, we don’t anticipate to see income progress as we intention to stay small and agile whereas specializing in profitability,” stated Sylvia.
2. Outfyt
One other model that needed to face the implications of shifting shopper habits was Outfyt.
Established in 2016, the model is understood for minimal, fashionable activewear crafted from recycled nylon and polyester sourced from rescued fishing nets, carpet fluff, and industrial plastic waste—a deliberate move by founder Stephanie Colhag Yeo to advertise gradual style.
Outfyt began as a web based retailer earlier than opening a boutique alongside Haji Lane in 2017. As a comparatively new model on the time, Stephanie shared that having a bodily retailer would permit the area people to expertise Outfyt’s attire in particular person. The model additionally hoped to succeed in a global viewers, as the placement was well-liked with vacationers.
Nevertheless, in mid-2025, Outfyt returned to an online-first mannequin to adapt to post-pandemic buying habits. Through the years, Stephanie noticed that prospects more and more most popular searching and attempting gadgets at residence.
Consumers have additionally change into extra acutely aware about their purchases, selecting sustainable and ethically made clothes.
This aligns effectively with Outfyt’s sustainability focus, but it surely additionally provides one other layer of price on prime of Singapore’s already excessive working bills. The primary problem, Stephanie famous, is balancing high quality, ethics, and affordability with out compromising the model’s core values.
That stated, conserving operations on-line has confirmed to be sustainable thus far, although the model nonetheless hosts pop-ups often to let prospects expertise its materials firsthand.
3. GLOWco
Different manufacturers have gotten artistic and adopted different strategic initiatives to navigating Singapore’s activewear market.
Based in 2019, modest activewear model GLOWco has a bodily presence, but it surely will get to maintain prices low by operating a retailer in a non-mall edutainment constructing, Yo:Ha Industrial at Tampines. The area additionally doubles as a health studio, offering a further income stream to maintain the model’s operations.
Initially a web based model, GLOWco moved into the area in 2021. By day, prospects can go to its retail retailer by appointment to really feel materials, affirm sizes, and obtain personalised styling steering—permitting the model to handle foot visitors and improve the client expertise.
By night time, it transforms into GLOWco Move, a women-only health studio providing courses akin to pilates and yoga from S$90/month. The model additionally hosts pop-ups at occasions and periods on the studio to strengthen group engagement with GLOWco.
Along with its bodily retailer, GLOWco has expanded its presence by means of consignment placements and e-commerce platforms. Its items can be found in Decathlon shops in each Singapore and Malaysia, and the model has additionally reached prospects by means of on-line marketplaces like Lazada and Shopee.
4. cheak
cheak, then again, has adopted a extra cautious strategy in direction of scaling up.
Previously referred to as butter., cheak was based in 2020 and was acquired by Love, Bonito two years later. It has since grown to change into a recognised activewear model for Asian ladies.
The model has been deliberate about enlargement, taking 5 years to open its first standalone boutique at ION Orchard in Oct 2025. “Each resolution we make takes quite a lot of consideration in how we are able to scale cheak meaningfully,” stated co-founder Olivia Yiong.
Beforehand, Cheak operated primarily on-line and bought choose items in Love, Bonito’s regional shops to check the waters. With the ION Orchard retailer, the model hopes to broaden its buyer base. Whereas its present viewers is usually youthful buyers, the brand new location goals to draw vacationers and an older demographic.
cheak additionally intends to broaden into Malaysia. As a part of this technique, it launched a pop-up at APW Bangsar in September to gauge demand. The model has additionally collaborated with Malaysian fitness center GoodJuju on limited-edition items, which might be bought each at cheak and the fitness center.
With its bodily enlargement, the model tasks a 1.4 occasions progress in comparison with final yr by letting native buyers expertise their full assortment in particular person.
Surviving the powerful enterprise local weather
These Singaporean activewear manufacturers present that agility and flexibility are key to surviving the powerful enterprise local weather.
Whether or not downsizing to e-commerce, pivoting to hybrid fashions, or taking a measured strategy to brick-and-mortar enlargement, they reveal that long-term sustainability and progress is determined by repeatedly adapting to market adjustments, whereas additionally carving an area for themselves in an more and more saturated market, competing with international and native manufacturers alike.
- Learn extra tales we’ve written on Singaporean companies here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Vivre Activewear, Outfyt, GLOWco, cheak
