2023 will be a breath of fresh air for women’s “recleisure,” aka clothing and accessories that can be worn on the trails and beyond. It’s not “Gorpcore,” high fashion’s term for outdoorsy styles meant to be worn on the streets, not in the elements. Instead, like the boom in “athleisure” that got athletic apparel out of the gym and the rise of “workleisure” that married professionalism with comfort, recleisure will blend fashion and recreation, offering women more transitional, size-inclusive technical pieces they can wear anywhere, especially in the great outdoors. Think: technical skorts and dresses, hiking sneakers instead of boots, and aprés-friendly ski wear. 

As Well+Good Trends Advisor Naomi Blackman, co-founder of women’s outdoor recreation company Alder Apparel (founded in 2019) explains, customers want versatility above all else: ”They want their technical gear to flow seamlessly into their everyday life—things they can wear on a hike to be comfortable and well-equipped to handle the elements, and then wear out to brunch with friends after,” she says. Blackman says the brand’s designs—which have expanded from a single pair of hiking pants to an entire collection of tops, bottoms, dresses, and outerwear in just two years—start from a place of function. From there, designs are less about trends and more about fit, especially on the sizing front. Currently, all of Alder’s pieces are offered in sizes ranging from XS to 6XL. 

“The outdoor industry—and apparel overall—has been notoriously slow to consider inclusivity,” Blackman says. “We built Alder with inclusivity in mind from day one…We spend a lot of time working on how our garments will fit on different bodies and how the garment will move with you throughout your day.” In 2023, Alder is adding a swim and workwear line, as well as additional lengths in the best-selling Open Air Pants. “We'll continue to design with new fits, sizing updates, continue to represent all bodies [with real customers as models], and continue working towards building a more diverse outdoor industry,” Blackman says.  

Alder Apparel isn’t the only new brand that’s come out of the woodwork to tackle outdoor sports’ inclusivity problem with more stylish, better-fitting clothes. Nor is it the only one with plans for growth in 2023. Ferwerda says Halfdays will continue expanding its sizing to be as inclusive as possible (currently, Halfdays’s items range from size 0 to 26). This fall, it released its first line of versatile puffer coats and parkas to be worn off the slopes. In 2023, Halfdays will “launch new styles that take customers into all seasons and outdoor activities outside of skiing.” 

Alpine Parrot, which was founded in 2020 and makes hiking gear exclusively for women sizes 14 to 24, just announced its first hiking shirt for pre-order this November in sizes 1X to 5X and in two different fits based on bra cup size. In early 2023, founder and CEO Raquel Vélez says, the brand will expand its pants sizing up to size 30 (available for pre-order now!) and plans to drop totally new styles later in the year. 

So why all this momentum for women’s recleisure now? “Looking at who’s outdoors, it was never represented in what the industry was showing us,” says Chelsea Rizzo, co-founder of Hikerkind. She explains that it’s not just white, male extreme athletes on the trails, but regular people, including people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, and women. “Finally, there’s this rumbling of, ‘This is who’s actually outside, and we’re going to finally create options and change the narrative of what the outdoor industry has been telling us for all these years,’” she says.

Rizzo and Levy seem to think that recleisure’s recent surge was a long time coming and is being welcomed from both consumers and businesses in the space. “People are so excited and ready for a change. Hearing the stories of women, people of color, and people with different body types—these people are really being listened to by [brand executives]” Rizzo says. “And rather than the people at the top [of legacy companies] being like, ‘Okay, well, we can do this on our own’, they’re inviting us in, creating opportunities, and creating new spaces so we can diversify the outdoors.” For Hikerkind, this means bringing its Hike Club on the road in 2023, giving women around the country a chance to get outside together. 

REI made significant strides for diversity and inclusion this year, too: It expanded its apparel size range in all stores to 3XL this spring, saw double-digit growth in women’s outerwear sales, and launched a collection with Outdoor Afro (an organization committed to connecting Black people and communities to nature) in September. Jessica Weidenbach, REI’s merchandising manager for women’s outerwear, says versatility will continue to be top of mind in 2023. “Our goal is to get more people outside,” she says. “From a design perspective, women want to be comfortable and confident in what they are wearing, regardless of what they are doing. More and more, we are seeing customers choosing color and style to express themselves, as well as focusing on quality and sustainable brands that align with their values. Our assortment now and in the future really caters to this level of versatility that is performance first, yet stylish and functional.” 

Legacy activewear brands are also exploring new terrain, veering off their beaten paths with more versatile, outdoor-focused options. Adidas, Saucony, and Vivobarefoot have all experimented with street-to-trail-running hybrids that can be worn well beyond the woods this fall, launching the Free Hiker 2, Ride 15 TR, and Tracker Decon FG2, respectively. Outdoor Voices and Lululemon both launched hike-specific collections for Fall 2022, both of which include technical pieces with a twist, such as OV’s pocket-loaded Zip-Off Overalls and Lululemon’s Grid Fleece Overshirt that doubles as a trendy button-down.