The term athleisure was coined to express the combination of athletic activity and leisure. A trend that, in fashion, has alternated between moments of success and others of decline but which has inevitably given rise to a cultural revolution that has now radically asserted itself in our day-to-day lives, defining a new concept of style in which function, comfort, fashion and elegance converge and influence each other.

This style, in recent years, has particularly attracted celebrities who, as trendsetters, have helped to establish it as increasingly mainstream. This newfound love for athleisure and the active style has inevitably extended to eyewear. Sunglasses worn by bikers and runners have now become an integral part of everyday looks because they combine comfort, top performance, style and the latest trends. Suffice it to say that in the recent annual report conducted by GlassesUSA.com - the online eyewear retailer hailed by the prestigious Forbes magazine as one of the best sites on which to buy frames - athletic-inspired eyewear is among the four hottest trends for 2023.

"Athletic-inspired frames continue to trend for the coming season, as seen on the runway at Milan Fashion Week. Eyewear brands like Oakley and Costa Del Mar have perfected this iconic athletic eyewear trend, which was a favourite for rave culture through the 1990s, while Australian brand Poppy Lissiman has their own take on this 'raver-meets-athletic' eyewear trend in hues, such as digital lavender and optic white" reads the landing page dedicated to the "2023 Eyewear trends" report, where expert eyewear designer Lihi Kopel of GlassesUSA.com explains: "Athletic eyewear is an extension of street style and athleisure, too. In the years since Covid hit, society has changed; more people wear activewear every day. It can be seen by how it all began with celebrities in California wearing only activewear brands as a sign of high social status. Activewear has merged into street culture, and that includes eyewear." In the eyewear of spring 2023, the athleisure concept is embodied above all in goggle-shaped spectacles, which exhibit angular profiles, futuristic lines or 90s/80s-inspired vintage details and modular styles, combined with lightweight and sustainable materials. Some of the models with wraparound silhouettes and vegan materials created by the aforementioned Poppy Lissiman have become famous, appearing 'resting' on the famous noses of stars such as Justin Bieber, Bella Hadid, Rihanna, Kourtney Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski.

The Los Angeles-based brand, Bonnie Clyde, on the other hand, has just launched two new creations sporting Y2K and wrap-style silhouettes: with their light, elegant and slightly curved wrap-around design, they are eminently suitable to be worn for sports and non-sports activities. and come in a particularly pop colour choice that adds a note of quirky irony. All this is accompanied by a declaration of intent that consecrates sunglasses as the go-to accessory for every occasion and every season. Moving away from the world of glamour and towards a more holistic approach to life, the District Vision brand, described by the New York Times as "A sports brand for spiritualists," offers functional and technical eyewear that strives to improve sports performance while promoting mental well-being. A project dedicated to athletes that can't be accused of lacking style and sophistication. "District Vision's SS23 collection represents our most ambitious and refined offering yet: enthusiastic venturing into new fields, deeper dives into the application of state-of-the-art sustainable performance fabrics and trims, and a simultaneous expansion and honing of our toolkit for mindful athletes," explain the two founders, Tom Daly and Max Vallot."Drawing inspiration from California's rich legacy of design, spiritual and mountaineering culture, with an eye towards Japanese craftsmanship and European fabric technologies, we've built a collection that pays tribute to the interconnectedness of our inspirations - where sport and spirit meet to play."