Gen Z has dismissed dreams of owning a Birkin bag and has picked up sneakers instead. As luxury struggles to woo a young generation of consumers who have not yet accumulated enough wealth to drop five figures on a handbag, the cohort of 20-somethings has instead become enamored with more affordable fitness activities.
“If you have the ability to get up before work or after work and train and have running shoes and and you can do that, I mean major props to you,” New York City influencer Chloe Hechter said in a recent TikTok about the city’s “status” symbols. “I feel like saying that you ran—or that you run, or that you’re going to run—the New York City Marathon is huge clout in New York.”
Gen Z, a generation finishing college and beginning to climb the career ladder, was hit with a COVID-era perfect storm of financial woes and push toward virtual communication that has led them to prioritize all things fitness, said Jessica Ramírez, cofounder and managing director of the retail trend firm the Consumer Collective.
An era of jobless growth following post-pandemic hiring surges endangered Gen Z’s career aspirations of finding or getting promoted at a job, making it harder for them to accumulate wealth. A desire for a cheap hobby, paired with a desire to escape from a loneliness epidemic that was exacerbated during the pandemic, has created a burgeoning trend of finding community at a gym or run club, where dropping tons of cash is optional.
“With running, it’s the easiest sport, where you can just go outside, put on a pair of speakers,” Ramírez told Fortune. “Gen Z is affected the most by the loneliness effect, and a lot of these sports communities—running being the biggest one—it offers a community.”
Running laps around luxury
Hechter wasn’t imagining a Gen Z takeover of her hometown race. The 2025 New York City Marathon had a record 59,226 participants, nearly 11,000 of which 25-to-29-year olds, comprising the largest cohort of runners at nearly 25%. By comparison, just 17% of marathon finishers were under 30 in 2022.
Fitness brands have cashed in on the generation’s fitness craze, with sneaker brand On partnering with 29-year-old actor Zendaya in April 2025. Alo launched an “immersive wellness experience” and “yoga sanctuary” on Roblox, an online metaverse and gaming platform beloved by Gen Alpha.
For Gen Z, lacing up their sneakers and limbering up may be more popular than shopping at luxury stores. Plus, Hechter’s analysis of Gen Z’s most sought-after items and events also included Alo or Lululemon yoga mats and belonging to a premium gym like Equinox and Solidcore as being similarly prestigious to running a marathon itself.
“If you’re pulling up to CorePower with, like, an Alo mat or a Lululemon yoga mat, I know you mean business,” she said. “You could have gotten a $15 yoga mat from TJ Maxx, but you didn’t.”
Meanwhile, the luxury industry is experiencing a broader slowdown: A June 2025 report from Bain & Co. found a 3% dip in luxury spending in early 2025, as well as the loss of about 50 million customers. Personal luxury goods took the biggest hit, dropping from $435 billion in spending in 2023 to $429 billion in 2024, the category’s first contraction in 15 years, barring the pandemic. Even LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault admitted during a presentation to investors last week the industry as a whole has suffered as a result of geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.
Gen Z, in particular, also doesn’t appear to have a taste for scooping up big-ticket items. A Vogue Business survey from late 2025 found 72% of Gen Z luxury shoppers preferred to own a Walmart “Wirkin” dupe than the real-deal Hermes Birkin bag. The outlet attributes the preference for the dupe to the fact the generation may not be able to afford these goods, and as a result, not value them in the way those with established wealth do.
“Money is a concern,” Ramírez said.
An analog renaissance
But the pursuit of running and fitness isn’t just financial, according to Ramírez. It coincides with Gen Z seeking out not luxury islands, but analog islands of vinyl records, paperback books, and other physical media. Young people are digital natives, but some may feel like their fluency with tech and social media may have come at the expense of real-world experiences.
“Younger generations have an almost longing wistfulness because so little of their life feels tangible,” Pamela Paul, author of 100 Things We’ve Lost To The Internet told the Associated Press. “They are starting to recognize how the internet has changed their lives, and they are trying to revive these in-person, low-tech environments that older generations took for granted.”
Coming of age in a pandemic, the generation is also health-conscious, drinking less alcohol than their millennial counterparts, and slurping up protein-packed drinks from companies like Starbucks. An ABC Fitness report from 2024 found 73% of active Zoomers belong to a health club or gym. That’s compared to 72% of millennials and 54% of Gen Xers.
“I don’t think the [pivot toward] sports is a trend,” Ramírez said. “It’s a lifestyle shift, which is much more significant.”
How luxury is trying to win over Gen Z
Ramírez saw these trends reflected in the brands Gen Z has taken interest in, as the generation has not eschewed luxury entirely. While names like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have struggled to capture the interest of young shoppers, brands like Prada have capitalized on Gen Z’s love of little treats and desire for bite-sized luxuries that are more experience-based, according to Ramírez. Prada opened a cafe at Harrod’s serving lattes dusted with cocoa in the shape of the Miu Miu logo.
“That’s where you see all these luxury houses really create these lifestyle strategies…giving them those little treats…giving them something that they can be excited about and identify with,” Ramírez said. “I think that is especially important in today’s shaky macro backdrop in general.”
She added that brands who are successful see these smaller items as a way to earn the trust of Gen Z, so that when these young people eventually earn bigger paychecks, they’ll spend their cash on those same brands.
“A brand tapping into consumer interest and understanding, it really is going to create that loyalty for when these consumers do have money: ‘Hey, that brand really understood me. They have these great items, I’m going to go spend more with them,’” Ramirez concluded. “So it’s kind of like leaving breadcrumbs.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
