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Lululemon has jumped into the footwear business and effectively added a new category under its product list. With this new venture, its rivalry with Adidas and Nike is certainly going deeper.
Lululemon is already competing with the leading footwear giants through its sportswear items such as leggings and sports bras, and now the company is aiming to compete in the sneakers category as well.
The Canadian athletic apparel retailer headquartered in Vancouver stated that it is entering the footwear category in the same way it has built its apparel business, and this means offering products that were designed and created to "solve unmet needs, made for women first."
As per CNBC, Lululemon's launch of its new footwear range marks its official entrance into the sneaker market. Its new footwear business may be another important step for the company's growth as an athletic clothing retailer and keep up with its larger competitors.
Based on the report, Lululemon is set to release its first-ever running shoe for women on March 22. The product model has been named Blissfeel, and starting on the said date, people can buy it in select markets across North America, the United Kingdom, and Mainland China for the suggested retail price of $148.
The brand is releasing three more sneakers this year and these are the Chargefeel: A cross-training shoe ($138), the lululemon Restfeel: An elevated slide for post-workout ($58), and the lululemon Strongfeel: a training shoe designed for multi-directional movement ($128).
For the men's footwear, Lululemon shared it is aiming to launch them next year. At the same time, it will also be expanding its collection for women's kicks and will add seasonal and special edition sneakers as well.
"Footwear is the natural next step for us to expand and apply our long history of innovation in fit, feel and performance, and it represents an exciting moment for our brand," Lululemon's chief executive officer, Calvin McDonald, said in a press release. "We are entering the footwear category the same way we built our apparel business—with products designed to solve unmet needs, made for women first."
Finally, Lululemon's chief product officer, Sun Choe, also explained why they are launching the ladies' footwear first. "We intentionally started with women first because we saw an opportunity to solve for the fact that, more often than not, performance shoes are designed for men and then adapted for women and that didn't sit well with us as innovating for women is in lululemon's DNA."
