Lululemon has kicked off its first footwear collection after more than 20 years of focusing on athleisurewear. Starting with the introduction of women’s styles on March 22, Lululemon will introduce the first design, named Blissfeel, a running shoe with foam cushion technology, in North America, China and the UK. The shoe will launch in 10 colors.
“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 Calvin McDonald, CEO of Lululemon in a statement. “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.”
Throughout 2022, Lululemon plans to introduce additional women’s styles: the Chargefeel, a cross-training design; Restfeel, a post-workout slide; and Strongfeel, a multidirectional movement training shoe. The brand will launch a men’s line in 2023.
“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, Chief Product Officer at Lululemon in a statement. “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.”
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Lululemon developed the footwear line under its Science of Feel standards, which aim to blend comfort with performance. The retailer plans to develop the footwear collection with special edition designs and seasonal offerings as Lululemon grows its presence in the category.
