Dive Brief:
- Two years after its women’s-only footwear launch, Lululemon this month is debuting its first men’s footwear as part of its spring and summer footwear collection, the brand announced Thursday. All of the upcoming designs will be available online and in select stores in both men’s and women’s styles.
- As part of the new footwear collection, Lululemon is introducing its first casual sneaker, Cityverse, on Feb. 13. The Cityverse sneaker comes in four colorways and is designed for everyday wear, the company said.
- The company is also introducing new running shoes, Beyondfeel and Beyondfeel Trail, which will go live on March 19 and May 7, respectively. Lululemon plans to launch more footwear, such as the Restfeel Sandal, later this year.
Dive Insight:
Lululemon is building out its footwear presence in more ways than one.
The Cityverse and Beyondfeel rollouts add to Lululemon’s existing assortment and expand the retailer into the men’s shoe space for the first time. Lululemon in September said it would launch into men’s footwear in 2024, though the company’s original plan targeted a 2023 launch. The activewear brand unveiled its first shoe, a women’s running shoe called Blissfeel, in 2022, which was followed by its Chargefeel cross-training shoe, Restfeel slides and its Strongfeel training shoe.
“At Lululemon, every product we make is designed to embody our feel-first philosophy, which is rooted in the belief that when you feel your best, you perform your best — and our new styles and men’s footwear offerings are no exception,” Sun Choe, Lululemon’s chief product officer, said in a statement. “With new performance running shoes and our first-ever casual sneaker added to our lineup, we can now outfit both men and women in versatile gear from head to toe. Extensive research, wear-testing and ambassador feedback went into each of these designs to ensure a perfect fit, no matter the activity.”
The expansion into men’s footwear comes as the brand reaches toward a $12.5 billion revenue goal by 2026. The company in 2022 surpassed $6 billion in revenue and announced the new revenue target, which hinges on doubling its men’s business, among other areas. The company at that time also announced plans to take advantage of opportunities in footwear, tennis, golf and hiking.
Lululemon in January raised its Q4 outlook, expecting revenue to grow as much as 15% year over year and reach a high of $3.19 billion. The retailer’s Q3 revenue grew 19%, hitting $2.2 billion.
