Hold up a pair of black leggings in the changing room and the question isn't whether they're black, it's whether they'll still be properly black after the twentieth wash, not gone grey and a bit see through when you bend over to tie your laces. That's the only thing worth testing before you buy, and most of us don't do it until it's too late.
Black activewear pairs with everything you already own, which is the whole point of it, but it works best against pieces that aren't fighting for attention. A plain grey marl tee, a washed out denim jacket for the walk to the gym and back, trainers that have gone slightly soft with age. I've got a black zip up fleece that's been worn over three different sports bras and a work shirt on a day I didn't have time to change, and nobody clocked it as gym kit at all. The colours and finishes that hold up best aren't always the flattest black either. A soft matte black with a tiny bit of texture in the knit tends to hide pilling and fading far longer than anything with a sheen, because shine shows wear the second it starts to go.
The gap between a good one and a bad one shows up at the seams first, not the fabric. Cheap black leggings and tops go translucent at the thigh or across the chest within a few washes because the fibre itself is thin, no amount of dye fixes that. A well made piece has flat seams that don't dig in, a waistband with actual structure rather than just elastic stitched on, and black dye that's been set properly so it doesn't bleed onto your pale towels or your car seat after a sweaty run. Squat in it before you buy it if you can. If it goes see through there, it'll go see through everywhere, and no amount of washing on a cold cycle will save it later.
If you're starting from nothing, get a solid pair of leggings in a thicker, squat proof fabric before you get the top, because leggings are the piece that gets exposed first and most often. Everything else, the sports bra, the zip top, the loose tee, you can build around them. A decent pair should go through a season of actual use, thrown in a kit bag, washed on a quick cycle, worn to the school run after, and still look like the same leggings you bought.
Reach for black activewear on the days you haven't got time to think about what matches, the early starts, the straight from work sessions, the days it's doing double duty as both gym kit and everyday clothes.
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