NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) today announced its official entrance into the footwear category, allowing the brand to now offer a head-to-toe solution for guests—made for women first. Earlier today, the company introduced its debut running shoe, Blissfeel, during a media event in New York. The style will be available online and in select stores across North America, Mainland China and the United Kingdom beginning on March 22. Three additional styles were also revealed, Chargefeel, Strongfeel and Restfeel, which will be introduced in the coming months.
“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,” said lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald. “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.”
lululemon applied insights and expertise gained over 20-plus years of designing performance apparel to deliver its inaugural footwear offering. Guided by its unique innovation lens, the Science of Feel, lululemon shifted the focus from being solely on the shoes to the people wearing them when developing its footwear collection. The brand’s history, and its research and understanding of how women uniquely move and want to feel, are the foundation for its approach to footwear and its vision for the category.
“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,” said Sun Choe, lululemon’s Chief Product Officer. “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.”
Each shoe within the lululemon footwear collection is designed to deliver a specific feeling and features different upper materials, foam compounds, construction methods and colors for the perfect balance of cushioning and support—and to help ensure a zero-distraction experience for guests enjoying the right fit from the first trial.
The four styles launching in 2022 are:
- lululemon Blissfeel: A running shoe engineered with an upper that supports movement and an energy-filled underfoot foam cushioning technology, which work together to make the miles feel effortless and blissful when running the distance. Launching in 10 colors.
- lululemon Chargefeel: A cross-training shoe designed for gym training and short runs with a dual density midsole for energy dampening and return, and an upper that provides midfoot lock down. Launching in summer.
- lululemon Restfeel: An elevated slide for post-workout. Leveraging the same design philosophy that drives lululemon’s performance shoes, delivering unparalleled feel and aesthetic for the guest who wants something easy to slide on. Launching in summer.
- lululemon Strongfeel: A training shoe designed for multi-directional movement that features a low profile, supportive midsole with a multi-directional outsole and an upper that locks the foot in place. Launching in fall.
“It feels like a long time coming that women get a shoe that’s built for us,” said Colleen Quigley, Track & Field Athlete and lululemon Ambassador. “I am so proud to have been a part of this footwear journey with lululemon and that soon more people will have the chance to experience Blissfeel. As a brand that has long been driving innovation, inclusivity and accessibility, it’s especially fitting, and personally very exciting for me that lululemon is entering footwear with a women’s running shoe.”
The brand’s men’s footwear collection will roll out with the same intentionality and insight-driven approach in 2023, along with special edition and seasonal collections as the brand continues to grow the category with new offerings in the future.
About lululemon athletica inc.
lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) is a performance apparel and footwear company for yoga, running, training, and most other sweaty pursuits, creating transformational products and experiences which enable people to live a life they love. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional designs, lululemon works with yogis and athletes in local communities for continuous research and product feedback. For more information, visit LULULEMON.COM.