Engaging high performance gear

AT S$70 for a sports bra with bonded seams to prevent chafing and S$79 for a pair of compression tights that zaps stink-causing microbes, looking good while shaping up doesn't come cheap. Not that it has stopped the "well-thy" generation from snapping up high performance gear for breaking into a sweat.

With over 50 per cent of those in the highest income bracket regularly participating in sports, according to the National Sports Association Survey 2011, it's little surprise that active wear brands are pulling out the stops to lure the gym generation. And now fitness buffs have a new slew of chic gear to choose from as they attempt to shed the results of festive bingeing.

Fitness juggernaut Lululemon opened its first store in Asia at ION Orchard last month, having stocked its high-end workout attire at showrooms located in yoga studios for the past two years. This follows the opening of Under Armour, the second largest sports brand in the US after Nike, at Orchard Gateway, Tampines 1 and Collyer Quay.