I'm All About Minimalist Workout Sets Right Now—These Have My Full Attention

As a regular gymgoer before the whole world turned upside down, it felt a little disheartening to say goodbye to my collection of cute workout clothes at the start of last year. I know most people consider leggings a wardrobe staple, but outside of the gym, I rarely ever wore them in a true sartorial sense. That was until I discovered Girlfriend Collective—the IG-famous cult activewear brand championed for its size inclusivity and ethically made workout clothes. In a feeble attempt to get enthused over working out at home (FYI: I hate home workouts), I bought a set from the brand after hearing so many glowing reviews from friends. I was not disappointed.

Although I quickly dropped working out at home, I kept wearing the set everywhere I went. It was a cool, figure-hugging alternative to sweatsuits, and the simple, elevated design made it easy to wear with any layer I threw over it. Shortly after, my obsession with minimal activewear sets was born, and now that I can officially hit the elliptical and weight room in full form, you can bet I'm shopping for more. 

In case you're wondering, no, these aren't the frumpy workout clothes you may have worn in PE years ago—these activewear sets take the elevated look of athleisure and combine it with the sporty performance ability to make it through an hour of yoga, HIIT, boxing, or all the above. Consider it the fully evolved form of athleisure that you can actually break a sweat in. Read on to check out all of the gorgeous sets I'm tempted to buy as well as how a few of our favorite fashion girls are wearing them.

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(Image credit: @deborabrosa)

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(Image credit: @fakerstrom)

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(Image credit: @taniceelizabeth)

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(Image credit: @em_tong)

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(Image credit: @lefevrediary)

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(Image credit: @sasha.mei)

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Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor forBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing , focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.