Old Navy has turned one of its established product categories into a brand of its own.
On September 15, 2026, the Gap Inc.-owned retailer introduced Old Navy Sport, a dedicated activewear sub-brand designed around performance, comfort, versatility and value. Rather than treating workout clothing as just another department inside Old Navy, the company is giving activewear its own identity across stores, e-commerce and social channels.
The timing is significant. Old Navy says it now ranks No. 5 in the U.S. activewear market, according to Circana, giving the retailer an established customer base from which to expand. The company is also introducing Old Navy Sport shop-in-shop areas in 42 selected stores while rolling the branding out nationally online and through the Old Navy app. Old Navy’s Sport launch announcement describes the concept as apparel meant to transition from workouts to weekends rather than serving only one exercise setting.
For people shopping for activewear, however, the more interesting story is not simply that Old Navy created a new logo or retail category.
Old Navy Sport reflects a broader change in workout clothing: performance apparel increasingly has to be comfortable during exercise, adaptable enough for ordinary life and available in more silhouettes than the traditional skin-tight gym uniform.
Old Navy Sport Gives Activewear Its Own Identity
Old Navy has sold workout clothing for years, so Old Navy Sport is not the creation of an activewear business from scratch.
Instead, it consolidates those products under a clearer identity.
Jessica Shynn, vice president of merchandising for Old Navy Sport, said the company sees an opportunity to put greater focus and innovation behind the category. According to Old Navy, the assortment combines performance details with contemporary silhouettes and seasonal colors while maintaining the value positioning associated with the larger brand.
That makes Old Navy Sport different from a limited capsule collection.
Customers will encounter the concept across OldNavy.com, the Old Navy app, stores nationwide and a dedicated Old Navy Sport social account. The 42 shop-in-shop locations take the strategy further by giving activewear a more distinct physical environment inside selected stores.
From a consumer perspective, that organization may also make activewear easier to shop according to function.
Instead of treating every piece of athletic clothing as interchangeable, Old Navy currently distinguishes between leggings, joggers, running shorts, training shorts, athletic dresses, jackets, base layers and other categories. Its performance families include PowerSoft, PowerChill, StudioSmooth, SleekTech, StretchTech and CloudMotion, each positioned around somewhat different combinations of stretch, softness, support or activity. Old Navy’s current activewear selection shows how broad that assortment has become.
Comfort Does Not Mean The Same Thing For Every Workout
The word “comfortable” appears frequently in activewear marketing, but comfort is highly dependent on context.
Someone running several miles may prefer clothing that stays close to the body and moves sweat efficiently. Someone performing Pilates may prioritize stretch and softness. A person taking a walk, traveling or spending several hours in the same clothing after a workout may prefer a looser silhouette and less compression.
Old Navy’s current fabric categories illustrate these differences.
The company describes PowerSoft as a more supportive and compressive option, while StudioSmooth emphasizes a softer feel that can work for yoga and everyday wear. PowerChill provides another alternative for consumers seeking a different balance of fabric and fit. StretchTech appears across shorts and joggers intended to allow substantial movement, while CloudMotion is used in performance tops and polos.
That range matters because there is no universal activewear fabric or silhouette that is best for every person.
The practical question is whether the garment works for the movement being performed.
A high-support legging might feel appropriate during a demanding training session but unnecessarily restrictive during a casual walk. Conversely, extremely loose fabric can become distracting around equipment or during exercises involving rapid movement.
Old Navy Sport’s potential strength is therefore not that it replaces fitted workout clothes with relaxed ones. It is that the retailer increasingly presents multiple levels of structure, coverage and compression inside the same activewear ecosystem.
The New Assortment Goes Well Beyond Traditional Leggings
One visible sign of the change is the variety of shapes appearing in Old Navy’s current activewear assortment.
Alongside conventional leggings and fitted shorts are wide-leg sweatpants, joggers, lightweight woven active pants, skorts, athletic dresses, oversized fleece layers and barrel-leg pants. Old Navy currently lists products such as High-Waisted TrekTech Lightweight Woven Active Pants and High-Waisted SleekTech Barrel Ankle Pants alongside its PowerSoft and StudioSmooth leggings.
That variety changes what “dressing for exercise” can look like.
Leggings remain useful for many activities because a close fit reduces loose material and can provide support. But someone should not have to assume that exercising seriously requires wearing the tightest possible garment.
A wider pant can work well for walking, mobility work, low-impact exercise or an active day around town. Joggers can provide room through the legs while maintaining a secure ankle. Skorts and athletic dresses provide another option for activities where a shopper wants coverage and freedom of movement in a different configuration.
These alternatives also make activewear more adaptable to individual comfort preferences.
A body-neutral approach to fitness clothing does not ask whether someone’s body looks “right” in a particular silhouette. It asks whether the garment fits the person, supports the activity and remains comfortable during actual movement.
Real-World Testing Shows Why Fit Matters More Than Marketing
Early independent testing of Old Navy Sport provides useful context beyond the company’s launch announcement.
A Men’s Health editor tested several Old Navy Sport pieces during workouts in San Francisco, including Pilates and strength training. The review found the StretchTech and performance garments generally functional during exercise and specifically noted that certain shorts allowed movement without requiring constant adjustment. The reviewer also observed that one CloudMotion shirt felt heavier during hotter outdoor conditions, an example of why a garment can perform differently depending on environment and activity. The Old Navy Sport wear test was published alongside the September launch.
A separate Women’s Health evaluation tested pieces from the new line for approximately a week and highlighted the softness and functionality of StudioSmooth leggings while also noting less favorable details in certain garments, including the sound produced by some track pants and the presence of a front seam on some leggings.
Those observations are useful precisely because activewear comfort is rarely determined by one feature.
A fabric may feel excellent while a seam placement does not. A pair of shorts may provide enough stretch for squats but have a waistband that feels different during prolonged sitting. A shirt can work well indoors yet feel too heavy outdoors in warm weather.
Consumers benefit from evaluating each piece as a complete garment rather than assuming that a technical fabric name guarantees comfort.
Movement Is A Better Fit Test Than Standing In Front Of A Mirror
Activewear should be assessed while moving.
A garment that looks well fitted while someone is standing still can behave very differently during squats, lunges, running, cycling or prolonged sitting.
When trying on workout clothing, a few simple movements can reveal much more than appearance alone:
- Squat and lunge to see whether the waistband stays secure and the fabric moves without excessive pulling.
- Walk, sit and raise the knees to check whether seams or hems repeatedly shift position.
- Reach overhead and rotate the torso to evaluate whether tops ride upward or restrict movement.
- Consider whether the amount of compression still feels comfortable after several minutes rather than only during the first fitting.
This matters particularly with clothing intended to move from workouts into everyday activities.
Old Navy Sport explicitly promotes a workout-to-weekend approach. A garment designed for that purpose needs to remain comfortable not only during exercise but while driving, walking, shopping, working from a laptop or sitting for longer periods afterward.
The appropriate fit is therefore the one that works across the activities a person actually plans to perform—not simply the smallest or most compressive size that can be worn.
Fabric And Moisture Management Still Matter
The expansion into lifestyle-oriented silhouettes does not eliminate the technical requirements of workout clothing.
During exercise, sweat and repeated movement can increase friction between clothing and skin.
The American Academy of Dermatology advises people exercising regularly to consider moisture-wicking materials and appropriate fit. Its guidance explains that fabrics designed to move moisture away from the skin can dry more quickly, while excessively tight clothing may contribute to rubbing and irritation for some people. AAD workout skin guidance also emphasizes choosing clothing according to the conditions in which someone exercises.
That does not mean tight activewear is inherently problematic. Many well-fitted performance garments remain comfortable precisely because they stay securely in place.
The important variables include fabric, moisture, seams, construction and individual movement patterns.
Old Navy currently describes several of its activewear materials as stretchy, breathable or moisture-wicking, and those properties may be particularly valuable for higher-intensity exercise. Shoppers should still evaluate how a garment performs on their own body rather than relying exclusively on a product description.
If repeated rubbing leads to persistent irritation, broken skin or significant discomfort, switching clothing may help address a practical source of friction, but persistent or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare professional rather than self-diagnosed as simply an apparel problem.
Affordable Activewear Is Becoming More Specialized
Old Navy’s decision to establish a dedicated sport identity is also notable because specialized activewear has often been associated with premium pricing.
Old Navy approaches the category differently.
The retailer is positioning Sport around performance plus value, attempting to compete for shoppers who want technical features and contemporary design without necessarily moving into premium activewear price tiers.
That strategy has considerable scale behind it. Old Navy operates more than 1,200 stores across the United States and Canada, in addition to its online business, and the company says its existing activewear operation has already reached the No. 5 position in the U.S. active market.
Retail Dive described the launch as a significant activewear bet for Old Navy, noting that the category has already been a strength for the retailer. Meanwhile, the new shop-in-shop environments suggest Gap Inc. wants consumers to see Old Navy Sport as more than a renamed rack of leggings.
For shoppers, increased competition at accessible price points could mean more choices in fabric, inseam, silhouette, compression and intended activity.
That variety is arguably more important than any single fashion trend.
Everyday Activewear Is Becoming A Category Of Its Own
Old Navy Sport arrives as the distinction between “gym clothes” and everyday clothing becomes increasingly difficult to define.
The current Old Navy assortment includes highly fitted PowerSoft leggings at one end and wide-leg fleece pants, woven utility pants, joggers and oversized outer layers at the other. Some pieces are clearly designed around demanding exercise, while others emphasize versatility across lower-intensity movement and ordinary daily use.
That broader spectrum gives consumers more freedom to dress according to what they are actually doing.
Someone heading to a strength workout may prioritize support and stretch. Someone walking several miles may prefer lighter woven pants. Someone moving between a Pilates class, errands and work-from-home hours may care more about softness and freedom from restrictive seams.
None of those choices makes a person more or less athletic.
The emerging activewear market is increasingly acknowledging that people move differently, exercise differently and have different comfort preferences.
Old Navy Sport Reflects A More Flexible Definition Of Performance
Old Navy Sport’s September 2026 launch is ultimately notable because it places comfort, technical performance, contemporary design and everyday versatility under one identity.
That is a different proposition from treating activewear exclusively as tight clothing built for intense workouts.
The new sub-brand still includes compression leggings, sports bras and conventional training apparel. But it also encompasses joggers, fleece, woven pants, barrel silhouettes, dresses, skorts and other garments that acknowledge how fitness clothing is actually used throughout the day.
For consumers, the best way to approach that expanding choice is not to search for one supposedly perfect type of activewear.
Consider the activity. Pay attention to fabric and seams. Test clothing while moving. Choose the level of compression and coverage that feels appropriate. Think about whether the garment needs to perform only during a workout or for several hours afterward.
Old Navy Sport’s biggest contribution may be making that wider definition of activewear more visible at a mass-market scale.
Performance clothing no longer has to conform to one silhouette to function as performance clothing.