From Sweats to Sophistication: Chace Crawford on Upgrading Men’s Activewear
When most of us first started hitting the gym, the dress code was simple: baggy shorts, oversized tees, and whatever beat-up sneakers were lying around. Our middle school gym uniforms were comprised of black mesh shorts and plain gray t-shirts stamped with the school logo. Not exactly anything to write home about.
Fast forward to today, and your average gym looks more like a runway. Guys are showing up in the latest drops, repping brands people will gladly wait in virtual lines to get their hands on. The goal? Gear that works just as well on the golf course as it does at the squat rack or for a night out with friends. Even big names like Reggie Bush, Chace Crawford, and Miles Teller are getting in on the action, building lifestyle brands that prioritize style, performance, and versatility.
In fact, Crawford and Teller recently teamed up to launch American Dream Clubhouse, a lifestyle brand aimed at upgrading the modern man’s wardrobe staples. Think: buttery-soft tees and tailored shorts that look just as good under a barbell as they do under a leather jacket.
When the duo started the brand, they had two goals in mind: find fabric that moved well and items that could be worn wherever the day (or night) took them.
"We just wanted to create stuff that moved well, that's kind of part of our ethos," Crawford told Men's Journal. "It really started out as t-shirts and trying to find a t-shirt that didn't fall apart and was really well constructed. I just wanted something that didn't wrinkle so bad when you fold it up in your suitcase."
Once they landed on the right fabrics, the vision for the brand came to life. It started with polos—something you could toss in your gym bag and wear straight to a work dinner without worrying about wrinkles. From there, it expanded into shorts, tees, and more. The real standout? The fabrics. They’re luxe to the touch, wrinkle-resistant, and feature minimal branding, giving each piece a clean, elevated feel.
"I think fit is kind of one of the most important things, fit and feel, and looking sophisticated was sort of what we wanted to capture," he said. "There [are] some basics—tees in different colors, shorts in some fun prints, and pants just dropped too, which are really great. But yeah, we have a really active lifestyle, so it's just stuff that's [good] on the go. I'm always moving around from the gym to the car, to set, to what have you, at all different times of the day and night."