Dive Brief:
- Outdoor Voices has partnered with U.K.-based licensing and brand management company Focus Brands to expand across the U.K. and the EU, according to a Tuesday press release.
- Focus Brands will work with some of its established regional partners on the development, sourcing, marketing and distribution of the activewear lifestyle brand across these new markets, beginning with wholesale and e-commerce channels.
- U.S.-based Outdoor Voices also recently announced its expansion into South Korea, China and Southeast Asia, per the release. The brand relaunched in 2025 following its 2024 acquisition by private equity firm Consortium Brand Partners.
Dive Insight:
Outdoor Voices’ partnership with Focus Brands is intended to “introduce the brand to new consumers while maintaining the distinctive identity that has made Outdoor Voices a recognized name in American activewear.” Focus Brands has previously worked with sportswear and lifestyle brands including Nautica, Ellesse, K-Swiss, Patrick and Reebok, per the release.
Earlier this year, Outdoor Voices inked a deal with Sam’s Club to offer a limited-edition collection of women’s, men’s and kids’ apparel and accessories. The company is currently under the leadership of founder Tyler Haney, who left in 2020 amid rumored clashes with then-board chair Mickey Drexler and returned for the 2025 relaunch.
“Outdoor Voices was built on a simple idea: that movement should be fun, accessible and something that brings people together,” Haney said in Tuesday’s release. “It’s exciting to see that original spirit continue to find new audiences around the world. The opportunity to bring Outdoor Voices to communities across the UK and Europe is a natural extension of what we set out to create — a brand that inspires people everywhere to get out and Do Things.”
Consortium, which also owns California Pizza Kitchen, Jonathan Adler and Draper James, bought Outdoor Voices a few months after the brand was forced to close all its stores and move to an online-only model.
Since then, Consortium has worked with Outdoor Voices to build strategic wholesale relationships, expand its e-commerce capabilities and grow its international partner network, per Tuesday’s release.
“Outdoor Voices has an incredibly compelling brand identity and a philosophy that resonates well beyond its home market,” Michael DeVirgilio, Consortium founding partner, said in Tuesday’s release. “Our strategy has been to pair the brand’s unique positioning with exceptional operating partners who can unlock its potential in markets around the world. With continued growth in the United States, our recent expansion across Asia, and now this partnership with Focus Brands, Outdoor Voices is on a trajectory to surpass its previous peak in global retail sales by the end of 2027. And we’re just getting started.”
Athleisure and lifestyle athletic brands have been reinventing their value proposition and shifting into new categories, such as sweaters, denim and even luxury handbags. As the line between athleticwear and casual sportswear becomes blurrier, brands have to fight harder for shoppers’ dollars and invest deeper in innovation.
