Gymshark has grown from a screen-printing operation out of a Birmingham garage to one of the most recognized activewear brands in the world. The growth trajectory is genuinely impressive and the brand’s marketing — built primarily through fitness influencer partnerships before influencer marketing was mainstream — is well-studied in business schools.
What the marketing success tells you nothing about is whether the products are good. Here’s what a year of wearing them actually produces as an assessment.
Gymshark occupies the space between fast fashion activewear and premium activewear. Their fabrics are meaningfully better than H&M Sport or ASOS Activewear equivalents — more structured, better-constructed, more resistant to pilling — and meaningfully less premium than Lululemon or Alo equivalents. This positioning is reflected in their pricing ($35-65 for most pieces) and it’s accurate positioning.
The Seamless range is their strongest product category. The Vital Seamless, Energy Seamless, and newer iterations use a knitted construction without seams in high-friction areas that reduces the chafing and pressure point issues that badly placed seams in cut-and-sew construction create. The seamless construction also produces a second-skin fit that’s flattering in most body types.
The Adapt collection uses a different construction — a printed pattern on an engineered mesh that mimics the visual complexity of marbling — that photographs extremely well and performs adequately for gym use. It’s more of an aesthetic product than a performance product.
After twelve months of regular wearing and washing (cold, inside out, no dryer — standard activewear care), the Seamless pieces show slight pilling at the inner thigh — less than I’d expect from H&M equivalents, more than I’d expect from Lululemon or Girlfriend Collective equivalents.
The waistbands have maintained their position and haven’t stretched out significantly, which is a more important durability metric than most reviews address — a waistband that relaxes within six months is a functional failure regardless of how the fabric otherwise holds up.
The colors have held through washing without significant fading, which is not universal in mid-market activewear.
Gymshark sizing runs slightly smaller than some brands, particularly in the leggings. Reviews consistently note that the Seamless pieces benefit from sizing up if you’re between sizes. The High Waisted leggings run true to size but the Core leggings run small.
The size guide on their website is accurate for most people — using the measurements rather than the size labels is the correct approach.