Lululemon

What all the fuss is about: Lululemon Athletica is launching its first ever store at ION Orchard in December. Best known for its stretchy yoga pants, the brand and its upscale fitness apparel has developed something of a cult following in America and Australia. It’s launching in Singapore with a full line of clothes covering running, dancing, cycling and yoga.

Why you should care:

• It’s all about function and form. Lululemon clothes are built on the premise of performance design—made by athletes for athletes. Ignoring the marketing-speak, that translates to handy features like yoga pants with no seams (so they don’t ride up or rub when you’re stretching into that downward dog), breathable mesh panels in those most sweaty areas and handy hidden pockets for keys in their running pants.
• They have ohh la la fabrics. Lululemon bases its reputation on its signature fabric Luon, which is designed to handle serious stretch, and suck away sweat from your body (for less, you know, BO).
• The clothes are almost frustratingly hip. The thing about Lululemon clothes is that they actually look pretty good on—tees come in fun, bright colors and patterns, leggings are made with thicker fabric to force your butt into a perkier shape and pants come with wider waistbands to prevent any unwanted‘muffin tops’.

Where you get your hands on it: Lululemon is slated to open mid-December at #B1-11 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn.

Under Armour

What all the fuss is about: Under Armour opened their first ever store in Singapore earlier this year with a range of gritty, industrial-chic workout clothes, shoes and accessories.

Why you should care:

• They have cool new products. The Under Armour range makes you want to take your training up a notch with items like the SpeedForm Apollo, designed for long distance running thanks to the abrasion rubber in high wear areas, and the Heatgear Sonic Compression t-shirts, designed to squeeze your muscles so they vibrate less when you're lifting weights.
• They’re taking over the sports scene. After their first store in Orchard Gateway, Under Armour have since launched three more in as many months—#01-03, Income@Raffles, 16 Collyer Quay; #02-22, 10 Tampines Central 1; and, Takashimaya Department Store.
• It's looks and feels manly. Under Armour is one of the least girly shopping experiences you can have. The interiors are dark and industrial, the décor is gritty and masculine and the clothing looks like it’s designed for people who want to get the job done .

Where you can get your hands on it: At the Orchard Gateway Under Armour store. 

Decathlon

What all the fuss is about: After selling online in Singapore for a couple of years, huge European sports store Decathlon has opened their first store, an “experiential zone” where you can test and try-out all their products.

Why you should care:

• Things are seriously cheap. Think $5.90 for a ladies tank top, $6.90 for swimming goggles and $250 for an adult mountain bike. The products are all entry-level sports goods—meaning they’re made for the casual sports fan as opposed to the semi-professional athlete. It means starting a new sport is no longer cost prohibitive.
• They have an impressive range. There are literally over 13,000 different items available covering 45 different types of sports including archery, fishing, equestrian and badminton.
• They’re making shopping fun again. The new space is an experiential store which means you’re encouraged to try the products, and actually get to jump on trampolines and ride the bicycles around the store.

Where you can get your hands on it: From the new Decathlon store.