HanesBrands expands activewear category with Hanes Moves

Apparel manufacturer HanesBrands has set about reestablishing itself in the activewear category with a new collection dubbed ‘Hanes Moves’. The line, focused on performance and comfort, offers pieces for women, men and children.

Hanes Moves already began slowly rolling out in 2024, however, those behind the brand said this will continue into the next year. The collection will include apparel, socks and innerwear.

Speaking to WWD, Jane Newman, chief design officer at HanesBrands, said that Hanes Moves came as a “natural extension” to the core basics Hanes has become known for. She told the media outlet: “We went from core basics to more fashion basics to comfy wear lounge at home. And now this is sort of bridging that gap as well, into more out and about.”

For HanesBrands, activewear has remained a financial pain point, with the category reporting a 19 percent drop in sales across 2022. The company continued to tackle waning demand for activewear throughout 2023 and into 2024, particularly during this year’s Q1, when activewear sales fell 31 percent.

This new proposition seemingly hopes to change that, with Newman noting that the company set out to address its biggest challenge: elevating its comfort proposition. Hanes thus utilised specific technology to solve problems across all categories, efforts of which will be further reflected in the soon-to-be-released women’s underwear line that includes period technology.

Functionality was also imperative, as was subtle branding, the decision for which was made based on consumer feedback that suggested consumers would feel more comfortable wearing products all day without being active if the logo wasn’t obvious. The hidden logo is therefore intended to make items more transitional, Hanes said.

Hedgepath concluded: “Hanes Moves brings such a great intersection of our apparel business and our innerwear business. We’re finding that the athleticwear space brings a really nice reason for us to unify our products into a common range or common collection. I’m excited to see that come to life. I think that consumers will love it.”