The fitness industry has majorly evolved over the past decades, to improve its offerings and cater to specific fitness categories. Some of the changes have resulted in better quality and performance, premium fabrics, sustainability, enhanced styles and functional clothing. Today, we bring to you Dino Estrada’s take on the importance of fashion in the fitness world. Dino Estrada, who has a long-standing history as an athlete and bodybuilder has a wealth of wisdom when it comes to fitness. He has been involved with fitness for over a decade and has seen this industry advance over the years. 

What is the most important aspect of fashion within the fitness world? 

For me, the most important aspects of fashion within the fitness industry are comfort and versatility. I consider both aspects to be of equal importance for individuals like myself, who lead an active lifestyle & frequently find themselves having to transition between casual —or work-related— events/activities and activities that are much more physically demanding. Thus, comfort and versatility in the clothing I wear are major contributors to how efficiently & effectively I’m able to maneuver through my daily routine. Clothes that fit comfortably allow me to focus on the tasks at hand as opposed to being distracted by minor inconveniences, and clothing that is versatile allows me to optimize my time & avoid having to constantly bring a change of clothes to suit the differing environments I frequent throughout the day.

In terms of clothing, what do you think is lacking within the fitness industry? If none, what can be improved?  

In my opinion, over the last few years especially, the fitness industry as a whole has done a wonderful job of heightening innovation, improving creativity/production tactics, and effectively tailoring their products towards the needs, desires, and requests of their target audiences. Though it’s difficult to pinpoint specific areas in need of improvement, I will say that I’d love to see brands offering a wider variety of reference images for customers to view prior to purchasing apparel from their sites. Allowing each individual article of clothing to be modeled by multiple individuals —with different body types— would give customers a much better idea of how specific clothing would fit them, and in turn, reduce the frequency of product returns being made.

How has gym fashion evolved in your eyes? 

Gym fashion has evolved significantly throughout the past decade; however, I feel that fitness apparel companies have made some of their most notable advancements in the versatility, quality, and complexity of their clothing. Each year the line between active & casual wear seems to become increasingly blurred as fitness brands continue to incorporate more elements of ‘style’ (and ‘body shaping’, even) into their gym apparel —giving their garments a more appealing & desirable look that has captured the attention of the general public.

As a bodybuilder, what are your gym essentials? 

As a bodybuilder, the single most important article of clothing to own are Jed North Short Shorts —they truly are essential to the bodybuilding experience ..the stringers take a close second, though :) Anyway, you should always ensure to wear both to the gym so you’ll never miss out on a good pump, of course. But the third most important thing is your headphones! These are another key ingredient to a successful training session, and if you forget them, you may have to actually be social for the day.

If you had to pick between gym clothes or smart casual wear? What would be your go-to? 

Both are essentials and have a place within my daily routine; however, if I had to choose, I’d have to say gym clothes because they are slightly more universal and I’d be able to wear them in more instances than I could wear casual apparel.

What’s your favorite Jed North outfit? 

This was honestly the most difficult question to answer so far because I have so many. If I had to choose two though, my preferred gym fit would have to be the Jed North Athletic Mesh Gym Shorts (Black) with the Men’s Dri-Fit Stringer (Black), and my favorite casual fit would be the Distressed Ripped Stretch Skinny Jeans (Black)  with the Premium Classic Polo T-Shirt (Black) & the Faux Suede Men’s Lifestyle Bomber (Gray).

Follow @dinoestrada14 on IG for more tips and bodybuilding inspo.

For all things, fashion follow @jed_north on Instagram.