How running vests became Gen Z's hottest accessory: TikTokers are 'packing' the sporty jacket with everything from lip balm to Percy Pigs - as they kick off their 'running girl era' in a 'super cute outfit'

Forget vapes and Y2K crop tops - it would seem that the latest Gen Z accessory is now running vests. 

TikTokers have started showing off the athletic accessory on their pages, racking up thousands of views in clips brandishing how they 'pack' them to go for a run.

Influencers are popping everything from gels, phones, chap stick - and even Percy Pigs - into the handy harnesses so they can enjoy their jog hands-free.

Videos are encouraging viewers to buy the item in ad posts - with options ranging from sleek pricey variants to cheap and cheerful ones - so they can enter their 'running girl era'.

Fitness social media star Holly Brooks, based in Los Angeles, took to her account to share a tour of her running vest, the contents of which 'are more valuable than her handbag', she joked.

Fitness social media star Holly Brooks , based in Los Angeles , took to her account to share a tour of her running vest, the contents of which 'are more valuable than her handbag', she joked

She managed to fit a chic pair of shades, energy sachets, an inhaler, her bulky iPhone, some gummies and a Summer Fridays lip balm in the contraption.

Elsewhere, lilyonarun.co showed what she would pack in her vest on a 'race day', which included hair ties, a sweatband, and body glide - all of which fit neatly into the jacket.

Meanwhile Canadian influencer lifelogsbysteph said she is 'officially a running girlie' as she filmed herself trying a new vest on.

Others have also praised the vest for making their outfit 'super cute' - as shared by Manchester influencer adaywithlevi. In another video from Australian TikToker bibi_isabella4, a vest featured as part of a 'running OOTD'.

Many took to social media to also admit that they made the purchase despite not being keen runners - and even though they can 'barely jog around the block'.

Influencer goodsgrove said she hopes the purchase will 'encourage her to run more', while user salpal333 confessed she bought a variety of gear for 'the most mid 5K anyone has ever seen'.

Running vests can start anywhere from £15 (options on Amazon go for as little as £12.99) and leap to £150 and above.

Their main purpose is for storage of essentials like water, keys and your phone during longer runs. 

Elsewhere, lilyonarun.co showed what she would pack in her vest on a 'race day', which included hair ties, a sweatband, and body glide - all of which fit neatly into the jacket

Meanwhile Canadian influencer lifelogsbysteph said she is 'officially a running girlie' as she filmed herself trying a new vest on

While a nostalgia for 2000s-esque clubbing and 'brat girl summer' - a trend championed by Charli XCX's sixth-studio album - is encouraging young people to move away from the clean-girl aesthetic, it would seem there is still a staunch wellness focus amid Gen Z's online content.

It comes as running has curated a hip 'It Girl' following, with apps like Strava and Map My Run connecting fellow enthusiasts.

Younger populations are even doing cardio while they date, with dating app Tinder recently launching an exercise club for singletons.

Speaking to The Atlantic, one clinical psychologist also remarked on a trend which sees people in their 20s suddenly develop a yearning to run a marathon.

Kevin Masters - a professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine - told the outlet that young people seek to accomplish a goal by picking up an athletic endeavour like running, to help tackle 'quarter life crises'.

Others have also praised the vest for making their outfit 'super cute' - as shared by Manchester influencer adaywithlevi 

Running vests can start anywhere from £15 (options on Amazon go for as little as £12.99) and leap to £150 and above

'It's basically a life commitment at least for the period of time that you're doing it,' he explained.

Elsewhere, reports claim that Gen Z are shunning millennial vices like downing alcopops and smoking while adopting their own risky habits, from vaping to taking ketamine. 

Older generations' predilection for binge drinking and cigarettes have typically been among the biggest causes of ill health. 

Most drugs - from ecstasy to cannabis - were also consumed at higher rates by millennials than the teenagers of today. 

But while Gen Z drink less and take fewer drugs, experts warn other social changes are putting their health at risk. 

Professor Iain Buchan, a public health expert from the University of Liverpool, said youngsters are living very different lives from their parents. 

'If you look at the change in our energy balance, the way we eat, what we eat, the way we move around and relate to each other, all these things have changed dramatically in the last 20 years,' he told MailOnline. 

Influencer goodsgrove - pictured - said she hopes the purchase will 'encourage her to run more'

While a nostalgia for 2000s-esque clubbing and 'brat girl summer' - a trend championed by Charli XCX's sixth-studio album - is encouraging young people to move away from the clean-girl aesthetic, it would seem there is still a staunch wellness focus amid Gen Z's online content

'Although we are more connected we are also more sedentary as everything is done sitting down, online, or fixed to a device. 

'Our bodies didn't evolve to spend so little energy. We need to move around and interact physically and spend time disconnected in order to reflect.'

The expert also warned of dietary changes that were creating 'the perfect storm'. 

'Life has become so different in terms of pace and food has changed too: we now have unhealthy diets, with high fat, high salt and high sugar junk foods that provide rapid energy, and that's not good for health,' he said. 

'We have created a quick fix environment that's all about short term pleasure and it's causing long-term pain.

'It's the perfect storm, to combine that with being fixed to the spot and a lack of physical interaction – all of these things are causing problems with the way children develop. It's not what our bodies have evolved to do.

'These problems have been baked into a generation and we're now seeing the effects of that. We see a rise in mental health problems, obesity and other diseases, and drug use.'