Where to buy cheap workout clothes?

Ladies, where do you buy affordable workout clothes from? Instagram-famous activewear brands everyone's obsessed with - Honest Reviews. 

The lifestyle activewear 'workout culture' etc is a pretty heavily saturated market. So I seriously cut down on purchases in 2020, for obvious reasons, but before that I felt like I had tried most of the fitness clothing brands I came across on Instagram that looked appealing to me. Here's who I've bought from and my thoughts and (opinions about fitness influencer/athletes/whatever you want to call them). Some of these have a few storefronts here and there but I think it's safe to say they're all definitely brands that owe their success to social media:

Instagram Activewear Brands I've seen and have ordered from:

Paragon Fitwear: I got one pair of leggings a few years ago during a Black Friday sale when they weren't as big as they are now. They were crap and I wore them like one time, I would have been very upset had I purchased them at full price, because they felt like 20 dollar leggings from Walmart. I hate the whole pre-order model that they have, especially because I think it's just their regular gig and not something they do if they flub their inventory purchasing and sell out real quick. Everyone knows they re-sell leggings they get from Aliexpress, so no reason to ever buy from them. Also unrelated to their merchandise, but I was not very fond of any of the Paragon athletes when I still followed the brand.

 

Bombshell Sportswear: Their sports bras have been a VERY mixed bag and even their smallest size is sometimes too big on me, even though I am not smaller chested. But I love their leggings, and think they're excellent quality as ridiculous as the prices can be. If they're a re-seller, I haven't figured out who they're buying from, so if anyone knows, let me know lol. This is like a treat myself brand, especially since they take Afterpay. Their Instagram page is odd sometimes, because it's this strange mix of people who look and/or are fitness competitors and people who look like Fashion Nova models. Also, their most famous rep is probably MichiePichie, and while she seems very nice and has an amazing body, a lot of the exercises she does are WACK. I think my favorite was when she was using her couch for hip thrusts.

 

Lici Fit: I really like Lici Fit, and again, if anyone knows where they order lici dupes from, LET ME KNOW. This is another brand where stuff sells out really fast, but they're getting better about it. They always release the same cuts but in different patterns so if you continue to try ordering from them, you'll get a feel for what sells out quickest. This is really thin stuff that does not hold you in at all, but I actually like that in active wear. Lici is one of those brands that does not very well advertise who their athletes are (their page is pretty much exclusively just showcasing new launches), but I do know who a few of them are, and I'm not crazy about any of them. One thing I do like about them is that their stories are almost entirely just them showcasing customers in their stuff, and they probably showcase the most diverse set of girls.

 

Muscle Nation: Based in Australia, they've got a pretty big following, but if you're not Australian I would say there's probably a good chance you learned about them through Rachel Dillon or Hattie Boydle, since those are the two biggest influencers that were on their roster, although only Hattie is still with them. If you like shorts, I think they make some of the best ones. Haven't bought from them in over a year, though, and in 2021, they definitely get an F for diversity.

 

NVGTN: Everything sells out super fast and is not worth effort, and every launch has lots of angry people in the comments. I have a pair of NVGTN dupes form GymDeity that are identical to my NVGTN ones, and I've seen like four other Instagram fitness brands selling the exact same leggings, I bought their because it was the cheapest ship within the USA (around $19). The leggings they're most famous for are also very unflattering on most and will require you to have a very specific body type or pull them up so far you've given yourself a wedgie. Also, posted a bunch of stuff about their launch last June when everyone else was posting #BLM content and only posted after getting flak in their comments. I don't think I follow anyone who is a NVGTN athlete so I don't know too much about them from that side.

 

CLS Sportswear: Great, if you like the options of a lot of different colors. There's not much else to say about them other than that. They do claim to make stuff by hand, although they have non-custom items too, but the quality isn't so great to make it worth it. I remember delivery being faster than I expected. Still maybe one of the better options if you like scrunch butt stuff?

 

Crop Shop Boutique: This is Rachel Dillon's line that she launched in late 2019. I got some shorts and I liked them, got a top that was very uncomfortable and fit weird. A lot of more neutral stuff and they're doing a lot of loungewear too. Not much to say.

 

Gymshark: I have not ordered from Gymshark in a long time, but when I did, I liked the Flex stuff and thought the seamless stuff was very uncomfortable to wear. I think everyone knows and has been able to formulate their opinion on Gymshark.

 

P'Tula: P'tula is a lot like Lululemon at a (slightly) cheaper price tag. Good quality stuff, probably not going to blow your mind with any style or color choices, but if you don't want to walk around in neon booty shorts and a crop top all the time, Sami's got you covered. I used to follow some of their athletes but don't anymore, because I found them all to be pretty boring and the overall content they were putting out isn't what I'm interested in anymore.

 

Doyoueven: They have a huge following but they're kind of just there to me. I have a few seamless sets and they're okay. This is a boring brand to me. The batch of athletes I did follow didn't make the cut the last few unfollow sprees I went on.

 

Alphalete: I feel like a lot of people either really like Alphalete, or hate them because of the owner and the athletes. The stuff I have is okay, again, I'm biased towards less tight leggings that allow for more movement. I do have a pair of the OG leggings in this blue colorful that's stunning, though. I see a lot of people having shipping problems but I can't comment on this because they're in Stafford, TX which is super close to where I live. I do not really like any of the Alphalete athletes.

 

Cute Booty Lounge: To get a pair that fit properly in the legs and butt I have to suffer through the worst cameltoe of my life. I have a pair that are super cute but absolutely cannot be worn for working out or out in public. Does a lot of unique patterns compared to most brands.

 

Instagram Fitness Brands I've seen but have never ordered from:

Til You Collapse. I almost ordered way back when they did all the fun colors but couldn't afford it. Now that I can afford it, I think all of their stuff looks cheap and boring.

Buff Bunny. Again, most of it looks super boring to me. There was a pair from one of her more recent launches I was interested in because of the color but it was sold out by the time I got to it.

Balance. The very first time I ran into this brand their cheetah print was called leopard and that really bothered me.

Ryderwear. Ryderwear must be popular with a lot of people who aren't me because they get a lot of bigger influencers as their reps who probably don't do it for free.

Saski Collection. The shipping is just too much.

Peachybunz. Seen it around, just never felt compelled to purchase.

Lazuli Label. I remember reading about the two girls that own this brand getting into a fight with someone else because they accused her of stealing their designs. The person they accused straight just admitted that they both buy their stuff from a wholesaler and slap their label on it.

Tala. Again, never felt compelled, but I also don't find Grace to be the most likeable of owners.

Bo+Tee. I've actually ordered from Oh Polly plenty but their activewear brand hasn't done anything that's caught my attention. For now its cheaper to buy bo and tee dupes form amazon. 

Spiritual Gangster. They are well-liked for their yoga clothing on social media, but because I don't attend yoga flow or pilates classes, I can't really speak on that. However, their yoga pants and leggings are pretty pricey.

AYBL. Meh.

Echt. Also meh.

Related: Where to buy good cheap gym clothes for women

As the title says, looking for good places that sell workout clothes for women that don't break the bank. For stylish affordable activewear and athleisure alternatives to lululemon, Bombshell Sportswear, NVGTN and more!