While leotards aren’t the reason college gymnastics fans follow the sport, they add variety and fun for enthusiasts and athletes alike. Teams across the country and across divisions continue to experiment with design elements big and small. While classic styles remain popular, programs are increasingly trying out unique and bold looks that make them stand out. Read on to revisit some of this year’s trends.
2026 Trend: Velvet Made a Comeback
Often associated with 1990s-era gymnastics, velvet is showing up more and more often in the 2020s. Clemson kicked off the season with its Enchanted Magic design, a rich purple velvet bodice paired with white sleeves. Illinois debuted Velvet Eclipse, a full-body deep blue velvet with contrasting rhinestones, and both Rhode Island College and Utica also showed off full-body velvet designs. Penn State and Pittsburgh combined velvet with other fabrics for contrasting textures.
What’s Next: Ribbing Enters the Chat
Staying on the leading edge, Illinois showed an athletic design featuring ribbed fabric. Arizona State also used ribbed fabric in its Sparky leotard. Ribbing is a current trend in athleisure – will we see it catch on in leotard designs?
2026 Trend: Cuff Details Gained Ground
This year, teams increasingly wore their name on their sleeves – on their cuffs. Kent State and Clemson used graphic print, while others, like UCLA and Missouri, used rhinestones for a subtler touch. We also saw more traditional embellishments, like heavy clusters of rhinestones from Oregon State, plus distinct details like cutouts – in Stanford’s Main Quad leotard – and patterns – in Oklahoma’s stained glass look – that complemented the design themes.
What’s Next: Collars Get Creative
Oklahoma showed a split collar in its nationals-winning look, a feature New Hampshire also tried out. We’ve also seen multiple schools put their name on the collar. Keep an eye out for teams playing with this element more in 2027
2026 Trend: Creative School Spirit Took Over
Schools are increasingly showing their loyalties in unique ways. Rather than just school names and mascots, we saw Rutgers and Minnesota put team slogans on their leotards, and Utah made its iconic hand sign the centerpiece of its Flash the U design. Washington honored its hometown with a rhinestone outline of the city skyline in its Seattle Pride look, and Stanford represented a campus landmark with creative use of rhinestones and back straps. As a service academy, Air Force has some of the most powerful school traditions. It produced some of the most striking looks of the season by representing the Space Force and Combat Search and Rescue.
What’s Next: Personalization Moves Forward
Utah first showed leotards with player names on the back, jersey-style, in its 50th anniversary design last year, then debuted the Belle in 2026 with the same feature. This season also saw Bridgeport debut its Protect the ‘Port look with player names combined with a mesh back. The idea has been criticized for being impractical, but with even smaller schools embracing it, it may keep spreading.
2026 Trend: Asymmetry Stepped Into the Spotlight
We saw familiar uses of this in LSU’s Imperial Classic and Iowa State’s Radiance (which unfortunately turned out to be the program’s final leotard). Illinois and Minnesota used a touch of asymmetry with a single mesh waist cutout, and Auburn showed a one-shoulder design with Bloom. But multiple schools played with asymmetry in a bolder way. Michigan State combined contrasting color and pattern on the sleeves and body and included a single waist cutout in its Lambda look. Oregon State similarly did a monochrome two-sided look at regionals. Florida combined an asymmetric back design with a one-sided waist cutout.
What’s Next: Sleeve Stripes Take Hold
Towson and Utah State showed a sort of racing stripe on the sleeve with color and rhinestones, respectively. Oklahoma’s national final look had a similar feature, with a tapered solid white panel over the mesh sleeves. This is a versatile element, working in sporty designs and more elegant looks, so it would provide teams with plenty of options.
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Article by Diana Scroggins
