Why sportswear is not made for tall people and why it should be
If you're over 6 feet tall, you recognize it instantly: sweatpants that end halfway down your calves, sleeves that stick to your forearms, or shirts that creep up as soon as you move. You stand in the fitting room with pants that the label says are “your size,” but you already feel it: this is another compromise.
For tall people, sportswear shopping is rarely a treat. It is more often a quest full of frustration, where you have to choose between style, comfort or fit - but almost never all three at once. Even though the problem is anything but small, especially when you look at the numbers.
Holland is long and yet forgotten
The Dutch are, on average, the tallest people in the world. The average Dutch man is 1.83 meters, the average woman 1.70 meters. But there are hundreds of thousands of people who are well above that. Think of men who are 1.90+ and women who are 1.80+. They can hardly find suitable clothing in regular sports collections.
Yet most sports brands do not make clothing specifically for this target group. Why? Because tall people are still seen as a ‘niche. While it is anything but a small group. Indeed, research by CBS shows that some 15 to 20% of Dutch people fall into the ’tall above average“ category. That's a sizable target group that is structurally skipped.
What happens when clothes don't fit?
Unfitting sportswear is not only uncomfortable, it also affects your freedom of movement, motivation and self-confidence. You are less likely to put on something in which you feel uncomfortable. And if you constantly have to pull, roll or adjust, it affects your workout. Literally.
Something bigger is also at play here: if your body never fits into anything, in the long run it feels like you yourself don't fit. Like you don't really belong. That's what many tall people experience - in fitting rooms, on athletic fields, in group classes.
That's why Peakout is there
At Peakout, we say: enough. We make sportswear from the ground up for tall people. Not an afterthought, not an ‘extended’ model, but real thoughtful design. With fits that are just right. Fabrics that move with you. And a style that makes you feel strong.
We want you to feel free in your movement. Confident in your body. And above all: seen.
Because if your clothes do fit, you don't have to turn them in. Then you can just go. Run. Stretch. Grow. In clothes made for you. Finally.
