The LYCRA Company, a world-leading innovator in fiber and technology solutions for the global apparel industry, announces its annual legwear trend forecast for 2025 and 2026. The legwear innovation collection was crafted to align with the dynamic lifestyles of today’s consumers, drawing inspiration from four distinct personas, each representing different stages of life and attitudes towards living, working, and leisure.
By exploring their aspirations, desires, and ideas, we focused on creating product trends that merge quality, functionality, and desirability. These personas reflect the diverse motivations behind purchasing decisions, with fashion often serving as a form of self-expression and connection to social groups.
In developing this collection, The LYCRA Company prioritized both functional benefits—such as comfort, resilience, and durability—and design aesthetics that resonate with wearers’ identities. Its aim was to create styles that evoke positive emotions like joy and excitement, fostering a deeper connection between consumers and the brand. The collection serves as a space for innovation, where the multidisciplinary LYCRA® brand legwear team embraces creative experimentation and risk-taking to explore new possibilities.
Annually, through an alliance with the trend forecasting experts from Stijlinstituut Amsterdam, The LYCRA Company introduces an innovative legwear collection designed to spark creativity and offer a curated approach to legwear design.
“With this new trend forecast, we’re redefining legwear by merging innovation, comfort, and sustainability. Our vision is to offer solutions that not only enhance personal style but also drive progress for brands and manufacturers alike,” said Sybille Bald, Strategic Marketing Director for Legwear.
Each persona’s legwear is designed to meet their unique needs and preferences, blending innovative features with their daily routines and aspirations:
I AM LUCY
“My focus is college, sports, holidays, adventure and friendships!”
LUCY is a digital native who views fashion as a dynamic form of self-expression. She is a trendsetter, embracing diverse styles like Barbiecore, K-Pop, and Cottagecore while keeping an eye on quality, sustainability, and value. Her wardrobe reflects her passion for creativity, inclusivity, and individuality, with her color palette dominated by soft pastels—lilac, pink, white, and grey—enhanced with vibrant pops of acid yellow and blue. LUCY isn’t just following style trends; she’s creating them. As a true digital native, she grew up with smartphones and finds traditional sports dull, preferring alternative, adventure, and e-sports. LUCY’s bold fashion choices and conscious consumerism are shaping a new era in the industry.
• The Y2K trend is beloved by LUCY with her candyfloss colored socks use COOLMAX® EVERYDAY DRY COMFORT to wick moisture and a modal component for a smooth, silky feel in casual shoes for everyday occasions.
• LUCY’s powdery pink cycling-length leggings feature laser cut scalloped seams and LYCRA® FUSION™ fiber for customizable DIY creativity without fraying.
• LUCY has been encouraged to be eco-conscious and an over the-knee sock in white and lilac two-tone made with COOLMAX® EcoMade and LYCRA® EcoMade fibers combining 100% pre-consumer textile waste and BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) cotton for breathable, moisture-wicking, and comfortable wear.
• A trompe l’oeil all-in-one hosiery garment with its K-pop aesthetic features a semi-sheer brief, netted hosiery, and ribbed knee-highs, this LYCRA® BEAUTY shaping garment uses LYCRA® ADAPTIV fibers for ease of putting on and taking off.
With each piece, LUCY stays true to her ethos: fashion that merges functionality, innovation, and personal style, all while staying conscious of sustainability and inclusivity.
I AM NOVA
“My focus is wellbeing, family, friends, home, nature, work & leisure!”
NOVA is tech-savvy, socially conscious, and values authenticity in both fashion and lifestyle. Navigating between online and offline worlds, she expects brands to meet her needs with convenience and transparency. Her generation, educated but financially burdened, seeks experiences like travel over traditional life paths, often delaying marriage and children.
In fashion, NOVA is in a style dilemma. While trends from her youth are back, she prefers a modern twist on these nostalgic looks rather than reliving high school outfits. She embraces well-being and a healthy lifestyle, balancing exercise with indulgence, and values versatility in her wardrobe. NOVA’s fashion prioritizes comfort, function, and sustainability. She demands resilience and ease of wear, along with flattering designs that balance comfort and style.
• NOVA’s base layer garments maximize comfort with THERMOLITE® PRO fibers for warmth and breathability, crafted from lightweight hollow fibers and 100% post consumer waste. This versatile two-piece keeps her warm and dry for any occasion, from workdays to a ski vacation.
• Merging performance with style, NOVA’s LYCRA® 3D hosiery garment features LYCRA® STEAM-SETTABLE fiber for a 360-degree fit, ensuring comfort and durability with a wider fit. The pattern reflects her love for updated classics, blending style and function with a rhythmically repeated opaque on a smooth sheer knit.
• NOVA’s knee-high socks are designed for practicality, featuring LYCRA® ENERGIZE™ brand for graduated compression to revitalize tired legs and LYCRA® ADAPTIV fibers for easy wear and removal. The two-tone design elongates the leg, blending style with functionality. NOVA prefers apparel that serves multiple lifestyle needs.
• NOVA prefers minimalist styles, and her legwear features a swirl design that complements her active lifestyle. The LYCRA® ENERGIZE™ brand garment provides graduated compression to revitalize tired legs, while LYCRA® ADAPTIV fiber ensures the wearer is able to put on and take off the garment easily.
NOVA’s wardrobe reflects her connection to nature, favoring soft blues, greens, teals, browns, and pinks. These organic, subdued shades evoke optimism and retreat while still connecting to her youthful energy. Pink, a nostalgic color for NOVA, now appears in muted tones, symbolizing maturity and resilience.
I AM EZRA
“My focus is adventure, performance, smart solutions, sport and design!”
EZRA is a well-rounded individual who prioritizes both physical well-being and a balanced lifestyle. He seeks high quality products that align with his active, practical lifestyle and his forward-thinking approach to health, work, and adventure. He values products that support his proactive mindset, durability, and functionality, whether in fitness, career, or outdoor experiences.
• COOLMAX® toughFX socks: Durable, moisture-wicking, and comfortable, perfect for outdoor adventures. EZRA values their blend of functionality and natural aesthetic, making them ideal for hiking and workwear. The socks are lightweight and abrasion-resistant, with soft cuffs that stay in place using the LYCRA® SOFT COMFORT fiber.
• COOLMAX® EVERYDAY DRY COMFORT socks wick moisture away from the feet, keeping them dry all day. They align with EZRA’s priorities, offering functional product design with enhanced performance features that add comfort to his daily and active lifestyle.
• A modern take on the traditional herringbone made from 100% recycled materials, THERMOLITE® EVERYDAY WARMTH socks combined with bamboo fibers offer everyday warmth to a modern cellulosic sock, with LYCRA® SOFT COMFORT fiber ensuring easy wear and a secure fit that stays in place.
• White versatile ribbed socks are a practical fit for all EZRA’s activities with LYCRA® T400® EcoMade fiber offers a comfortable fit with excellent shape retention and staying in place, while also keeping their white color and can even be bleached.
EZRA’s style reflects his preference for classic, durable, and versatile items that offer high-performance benefits, whether he’s exploring the outdoors or navigating city life. His color palette includes utilitarian shades like khaki, grey, burgundy, black, and white, which convey both ruggedness and sophistication.
He values LYCRA® fiber technology for its durability, comfort, and performance, with innovations like LYCRA® SOFT COMFORT offering staying up power and LYCRA® DRY brand using a special polyamide keeping feet dry. Whether for active pursuits or daily wear, EZRA seeks gear that seamlessly integrates into his lifestyle while supporting his commitment to sustainability and quality.
I AM AVA
“My focus is beauty, fashion, color, celebration and glamour.”
AVA is a luxury consumer who values quality, exclusivity, and craftsmanship. Her generation has experienced both analog and digital eras, making her independent and open to change. She balances work and life seamlessly with a high disposable income that allows her to indulge in premium goods and experiences.
AVA is drawn to exclusivity and emotional connections to luxury brands, often favoring limited-edition items or members-only offers that enhance her sense of prestige. She seeks products that make her feel good, whether through brand heritage, craftsmanship, or the personal significance attached to owning an item. Her bold and eclectic style blends extravagant pieces with timeless designs, often featuring vibrant colors like saturated blues, greens, and teals that reflect her connection to nature.
Technological advancements and innovation captivate AVA, especially when they enhance both aesthetics and function. She gravitates towards contemporary brands that experiment with new trends and designs.
• AVA’s legwear is enhanced with LYCRA® FUSION™ TRUE TO YOU fiber, offering a luminous, run-resistant finish that combines a natural glow with shape retention and optimal waistband comfort thanks to the new developed fiber LYCRA Top Comfort.
• She prefers knee-highs made with vibrant colors and the band comfort of LYCRA® MADE TO FIT YOU construction, which holds up and does not leave red marks.
• Her seamless cobalt capris feature an enhanced LYCRA® MADE TO FIT YOU waistband for a secure, adaptable fit, accommodating a range of sizes. LYCRA® ADAPTIV fiber ensures ease of movement, comfort, and style, staying in place without compromise.
Her love for intricate lace patterns and abstract designs is complemented by vibrant hues and sensory pastels. Semi-opaque hosiery pieces made with LYCRA® SHEER SENSATION fiber provide zero cling properties and durability, adding a luxurious feel to her wardrobe.
AVA’s timeless yet experimental style makes her a trendsetter, embracing a wardrobe that blends classic luxury with modern innovation.
