Sportswear brand Lululemon has unveiled its first footwear collection for women, with a men’s line set to launch next year.
The company will launch its first running shoe, called Blissfeel, in select stores in the UK, North America and China on March 22.
Three other styles will be released later this year. the Chargefeel – a cross-training shoe designed for gym training and sprinting – can be purchased with the Restfeel , a post-workout sneaker. In the fall, the retailer will release the Strongfeel, a training shoe designed for “multi-directional movement.
Lululemon said it has used insights and expertise gained from 20 years of design experience to create shoes specifically tailored to women’s needs. It added that each design is designed to provide a specific feel, aiming to create a balance of cushioning and support.
Calvin McDonald, CEO of Lululemon, commented: “Footwear is the natural next step in expanding and applying our long history of innovation in fit, feel and performance, and it represents an exciting time for our brand. We are entering the footwear category in the same way we built our apparel business – with products designed for women first and foremost to address unmet needs.
We intentionally started with women first because we saw an opportunity to address the fact that performance shoes are typically designed for men and then fit women,” said Sun Choe, chief product officer at Lululemon.
“That’s not good for us. Innovating for women is in Lululemon’s DNA – and now we’re bringing that same expertise to footwear, and women are part of that journey every step of the way.
