Health goth is here to stay: clothing brands and apps to get you started
Health goth is here to stay. Are you one? Could it be the ideal thing for you? Find out with the health goth checklist…
1. Health goth clothing brands rock. Hard.
Gothic clothing is about form as well as function. Health goth style has its own aesthetic, which is body-aware trad goth with lots of clean lines and cyberpunk aesthetics. However, there’s no law saying you have to wear a mesh unitard. The leggings and a tee in your wardrobe work just as well. For high-impact sports like running then it’s important to take care of yourself with appropriate equipment (trainers, not New Rocks). For cardio work, you may want to explore modern materials that wick away sweat and allow the skin to breathe. Health goth does tend to veer towards high-performance, high-tech sportswear if possible, but it’s your decision.
Health goth brands and clothing
Wear what you feel good in. Sportswear – health goth included – requires wearing comfortable clothes, and layering is your eternal companion. Source brands and clothes that make you feel like you’re doing an excellent job of being yourself. Explore black and mesh, black and silver, black and a colour you really like to wear… and black. See gothic sportswear examples below.
A health goth’s best friend is their cat.
You always know what’s what with a cat by your side. If you dislike crop tops on their own, you can try it as an outer layer over a vest top or longer tee. Killstar have a good range of t-shirts, but alien cats always win.
Hydrate to get lit, stay lit with health goth water bottles
Some of us just re-use our plastic water bottles a million times and hope they don’t open all over our bag, and that’s fine. If you want to take it further, artists have been unleashing their dark art on Sigg water bottles. They cost twice as much but some of the designs are gorgeous. Then again, Sigg‘s plain version in darkest cadaver grey looks good, too.
Layer up with a Black Craft Cult racer tank top
If you want to feel body-positive and work, train and health at your own pace, clothing that layers up and down should be appropriate to most of your exercise routines. Black Craft Cult do a fantastically witchy and murky range of clothing. Tank tops work well over sports bras or fitted tees and under hoodies.
Hollow Cult tees and hoodies
Hollow Cult have an excellent selection of monochrome t-shirts, vests and hoodies that lend themselves well to working out and also rock the androstyle.
Black Hope Curse hoodie
This hoodie, modelled by Shopkadabra founder Alice Lockhart, is made by Black Hope Curse – a gothic clothing brand inspired by tattoos and the dark arts. They say that a number of their tattoo artists have a personal interest in the occult as well as horror and occult-based art.
Healthgoth drawstring bag
Healthgoth.com contributed towards getting the health goth movement into the public eye. They have a range of clothing available, but this drawstring bag is particularly useful.
Go speedo goth with an Iron Fist swimsuit
Mister Skull has a loose tooth! Swimming is a low-impact activity that can be kind to your body, and this Iron Fist skull swimsuit adds even more to swimming’s appeal. Also, you can inspire children in the communal pool. Inspire. That is definitely the word we’re looking for.
Blood rose swimwear from Spiral
Black and blood red – such a satisfying combination. There are more monochrome swimsuit designs available at Spiral, too. And skulls. And dragons.
Work those muscles with workout capri pants from V3 Apparel
Show the world you’ve got muscles! These super-cheap leggings are suitable for a range of sports activity, from running to squats, with elasticated waistband, and sweat-wicking materials to allow your skin to breathe.
Adidas Rita Ora skeleton leggings.
Adidas are doing a disturbingly effective line in sportswear likely to appeal to health goths, with clean functionality (obviously) and a twisted side. We are grudgingly very impressed. These Rita Ora skeleton leggings have a terrible habit of selling out, so you’ll have to be quick.
Health goth – who’s wearing it?
La Carmina
(See our La Carmina interview)
https://twitter.com/lacarmina/status/723253399131578369
A photo posted by La Carmina • lacarmina.com (@lacarmina) on
Carla Valentine
(See our Carla Valentine interview)
#AllRedEverything for @LESMILLSPUMP as usual. I can’t seem to help it – I just love red ❤💋💪#healthgoth#BodyPumppic.twitter.com/TRHuMv2d3H
— La Petite Mort-ician (@ChickAndTheDead) May 3, 2016
2. Your running app has a zombie storyline.
You’re likely to revel in the dark side of fitness if your running app is Zombies, Run – or you wish it was.Your mission is to run in one world while you’re a hero in the other.
As you tie your shoelaces, put on your headphones and set off on an adventure, you learn that you’re one of the few survivors of the zombie epidemic. As a Runner, you must reach of humanity’s few surviving outposts where you’ll be needed to gather supplies, rescue survivors and defend the territory. Then the missions get a little more sophisticated…
With over 40 missions and 3 million people playing worldwide, Zombies, Run! is the running app of choice for health goths like fabled pathology maven Carla Valentine. If you’ve ever sought a way to make the concept of running feel something other than horrific, this could be it.
3. There’s a whole health goth community in place.
Whether it’s sharing tips for where to get high-performance sportswear or sharing training tips and recipes, the health goth community is strong. In fact, it could be argued that the movement has been diluted as it’s expanded. The artists’ original intent was to focus on a dystopian, cleanliness-geared aesthetic with a transhumanist element, as they explained to UK Complex.
However, everyone who’s connected to the concept has had their own take on what health goth means to them. As a result, there’ll be purists and people who just want to get a bit more healthy in a way that feels right for them. As the community grows, you’re more likely to find those who ascribe to your point of view and can share information you’ll find useful.
The movement is widely credited to have started with a Facebook community page founded by Portland-based artists Magic Fade. It’s got around 30,000 members now.
4. You get to build a healthgoth playlist
Building a playlist is one of life’s great pleasure. You can check out Healthgoth.com’s mix below. Youtube and Spotify are full of them. And, of course, you can build your own. Our track of choice? Depeche Mode’s Master and Servant. Contact us to suggest publically-available healthgoth playlists you’d like to share!
Mitch Lilie health goth playlist (feat. Dead Can Dance, Magic Fades and more)
First the media got so excited about the health goth trend, then a minute later, they ran around saying it was finished. RIP. Final nail in the coffin. What were they getting so hectic about?
If health goth is over, so what? The beauty of necrotrends is that they can be resurrected at will. And, dear heart, your will is strong.
A health goth outlook provides something of eternal value and deserves to last the distance. Gone are the days when you just put on whatever you had to hand and ran/shuffled/walked around a park, feeling awkward but preferring it to social peer pressure down at the gym.
As the community expands, health goths can just enjoy the living hell out of approaching health and fitness their way.
