SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Athleta, a Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) brand, today launched its limited-edition Athleta Girl back-to-school collection designed in partnership with Simone Biles. The line features 15 items designed to help girls ages 6-12 feel inspired and confident wherever the new school year takes them.
The new back-to-school collection marks another major milestone in Athleta’s landmark partnership with Biles, which was announced in 2021 with a shared mission of inspiring the next generation of girls. Biles’ new signature collection features an assortment of versatile activewear styles with unique branded trims, matte and soft sheen finishes and on-garment affirmations like “Use Your Voice,” “Courage is Your Superpower” and “Because I Can.”
As part of the multi-platform launch, Biles will share a video message with back-to-school confidence-building tips exclusively with members of AthletaWell, Athleta’s immersive well-being platform designed to build a community of empowered women.
Building on the success of its Spring 2022 Roblox activation, Athleta Girl is expanding its partnership with SuperAwesome to bring the Athleta Girl x Simone Biles back-to-school experience to life through Livetopia, a top 10 game on Roblox. The interactive and immersive game integration will include a Simone Biles avatar, branded in-game billboard signage, a storefront featuring clothing products from the Athleta Girl x Simone Biles collection, an exclusive obstacle course with 27 variations of play and a pep rally led by Simone at the Livetopia school.
“As part of our long-term growth strategy, we’re investing in new access points to reach new customers and expand our community of empowered women and girls,” said Lindsay Ferstandig, head of strategy for Athleta. “Athleta Girl has clear points of differentiation from our competition, offering our customers a one-of-a-kind product assortment that’s thoughtfully designed to not only empower girls’ active lifestyles, but also support them through life milestones like puberty and adolescence.”
Athleta is one of the only performance lifestyle brands to establish a celebrity partnership specifically in the Girls category, underscoring its commitment to the unique product category and brand differentiation.
Since its launch in 2016, Athleta Girl has become a powerful growth driver and key contributor to Athleta’s long-term growth strategy. Since 2019, the brand’s Girls business has nearly doubled its sales and achieved 125% customer growth. Athleta Girl product also ranks among the top entry points for new customer acquisition for the brand and serves as a high-value driver for existing customers. On average, customers who shop the brand’s Athleta Girl assortment spend two times more with the brand annually.
“Our Athleta Girl assortment is a powerful growth driver for our brand, and our unique Girls assortment is strategically designed to seamlessly transition with girls as they reach their teen years,” said Ferstandig. “If you walk into one of our stores today, about 40% of the product you’ll see in our Girls category has a corresponding style in our Women’s collection, allowing Athleta Girls to continue to shop their tried-and-true favorites as they transition out of Girls sizing.”
Athleta Girl x Simone Biles product collaborations have built on the brand’s category momentum. Biles’ first co-created product, a limited-edition “In Your Element Hoodie,” debuted last fall as the most-viewed item on Athleta.com within hours of its release. Her first signature collection also resonated with the brand’s Athleta Girl customer base, with the 12-style assortment averaging 4.8-star ratings on Athleta.com.
The new Athleta Girl x Simone Biles collection is available in stores and online now. To learn more, visit Athleta.com.
About Simone Biles:
Simone Biles is one of the greatest female athletes of all-time. The first woman to capture five All-Around World Championship titles, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history – male or female – with 25 medals overall (19 gold) and is a seven-time Olympic medalist (4 gold). A three-time Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, she has earned the rare distinction of having four skills named in her honor – The Biles – across beam, floor (two) and vault disciplines. Biles’ extraordinary accomplishments have received widespread recognition including TIME 100 Most Influential, Forbes 30 Under 30, Ebony Power 100, People Women Changing the World, USA Today 100 Women of the Century, and two-time Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year among others. Her autobiography - Courage to Soar - was a New York Times bestseller and developed into an award-winning tv special on Lifetime and her documentary series – Simone vs Herself – that streamed on Facebook Watch is nominated for a Sports Emmy Award. Biles utilizes her platform to help advocate for mental health and support initiatives that provide education and assistance for children and young adults associated with adoption and foster care.
About Athleta:
A certified B Corporation, Athleta is a performance lifestyle brand with a mission of empowering a community of active women and girls. Athleta’s versatile premium performance lifestyle apparel is designed by women for women with inclusivity at its core. Founded in 1998, Athleta integrates performance and technical features across its collection to support women across their entire lifestyle – from yoga and training to travel and sleep. In 2016, the company launched Athleta Girl mirroring its signature performance in styles for the next generation. Based in San Francisco, CA and a Gap Inc. brand (NYSE: GPS), Athleta apparel is available at its more than 220 retail stores across the United States and Canada, through its catalog, and at Athleta.com.
