Lululemon launches first footwear collection
Lululemon has entered the women’s footwear category as it looks to provide a “head-to-toe” offering for customers.
This has included launching its debut ‘Blissfeel’ running shoe which will be available online and in selected stores across the UK, north America and mainland China from 22 March. Three additional styles called Chargefeel, Strongfeel and Restfeel will be introduced in the coming months. All styles will be for women.
Lululemon chief executive Calvin McDonald said: “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. 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.”
The company was able to draw on its 20-year expertise in designing performance apparel for women when developing the new offering. It said each shoe is designed to deliver a specific feeling and features different upper materials to create the right balance of cushioning and support.
Sun Choe, Lululemon’s chief product officer, added: “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. That didn’t sit well with us. Innovating for women is in Lululemon’s DNA—now we’re bringing that same expertise to footwear, and women were part of this journey every step of the way.”
