The Gap steps into the men's athleisure game

The Gap is stepping in to the men's athleisure wear game, which has exploded in recent years.

The clothes are intended to be formal enough to wear to the office, at least on casual Friday, and suitable for the gym or yoga studio directly afterward.

Gap's Hill City brand will roll out in mid-October at hillcity.com and will be on display at 50 of the clothing chain's Athleta stores, which sell technical, athletic clothing for women.

The Gap Inc. is struggling with weak sales and follows others in recognizing a sustained demand for work-to-yoga studio clothing.

Last month VF Corp., which makes Wrangler and Lee jeans, said it would break off its denim division to focus on its faster-growing brands like The North Face, Timberland, Altra, Icebreaker and Williamson-Dickie.