Walmart Launches Love & Sports, a New Activewear Brand – The Business of Fashion

Walmart is investing in fashion activewear, and is hoping a celebrity cycling instructor and a contemporary womenswear designer will cement its success.

The apparel giant will be releasing Really like & Sports activities, a new fitness clothing and swimwear line from Stacey Griffith,, a senior master instructor at boutique cycling chain SoulCycle, and Michelle Smith, the co-founder and former designer associated with fashion house Milly. The particular label, which hits Walmart’s website plus 1, 500 company stores today, features over 120 pieces, including colourful leggings, cropped logo sweatshirts, nylon rain jackets and vibrantly patterned swimsuits. Activewear sizing ranges through XS to XXXL and the price range is $12 in order to $42.

With its new line, Walmart intends to compete more meaningfully in the growing fitness apparel category, which hit $384 billion in global sales last year, according in order to McKinsey.

Brands are seeing activewear grow in response to increased exercise activity, as well as consumer demand for comfortable clothing. Activewear in the U. S. grew 31 percent in 2021, according to the NPD Group.

“We have activewear brands but not at this elevated, on-trend aesthetic, plus in quality and price point, ” said Denise Incandela, executive vice president of apparel and private brands for Walmart US.

Activewear is an important growth category with regard to Walmart, stated Incandela, noting that while categories like dresses are selling well, shoppers are also snapping up fitness attire. The Adore & Sports line was two years within the making. Smith plus Griffith, who met at SoulCycle and are now partners , incorporated bright colours and contemporary fitness clothes trends into the collection, like matching bra plus legging sets.

“I have seen every possible outfit, every bra, each unitard, ” said Griffith. “The market was so drab. Everything was oatmeal, blush colour or black. But we’re such pop culture girls, inspired by ‘70s and ‘80s fashion, and Björn Borg, Farrah Fawcett plus neon. ”

The launch of Walmart’s Love & Sports line is the latest example of the mega-retailer’s larger effort in order to become the fashion destination. Last year, the particular company hired American designer Brandon Maxwell as its creative director, with Maxwell designing in-house labels such as Walmart’s Free Assembly. In 2019, Walmart relaunched Scoop , the beloved New York Fashion brand that shuttered within 2016, as an exclusive in-house line.

But even with the mighty force associated with Walmart — the company sold about $33 billion worth of outfits in 2020, per one Wells Fargo report — Love & Sports faces fierce competition. The health and fitness apparel category is jam-packed, with activewear giants like Nike, Adidas and Lululemon, which just reported record growth and plans to double sales to $12. 5 billion dollars by 2026. There are also upstarts such as Gymshark plus Vuori, which is backed by Softbank’s Vision Fund. Mall manufacturers Abercrombie & Fitch and Express have both recently debuted in-house activewear lines of their own too.

Where Walmart believes it can compete is with lower-priced activewear. The company will allocate ample space for Enjoy & Sports activities within the stores, plus will furthermore roll out signage, aiming to introduce the label to customers who might not be buying trendy activewear yet. It also hopes to attract more up-market activewear enthusiasts who don’t want to spend as much on their gym outfits and appreciate Jones and Griffith’s colourful styles.

“Extraordinary value … is where we think we can really shine plus be differentiated, ” mentioned Incandela.