Athleisure, known for its leggings and yoga pants, has introduced a sneaker for women called the Blissfeel. The shoes mark Lululemon’s first foray into footwear.
The move makes Lululemon Athletica (LULU) a new entrant in the fast-growing, highly competitive athletic footwear market, which saw its annual sales increase 20% year-over-year in 2021 as consumers gravitated toward more casual wear during the pandemic. to research firm NPD.
The company said its Blissfeel shoes will be available for purchase starting March 22 at select stores in North America, China, the UK and online.
Priced at $148, the sneaker is made using foam cushion technology and comes in 10 colors, according to the company.
Lululemon said the shoes are designed to meet the unmet needs of active women.
“We intentionally started with women because we saw an opportunity to address the fact that athletic shoes are most often designed for men and then adapted for women,” said Sung Cho, director of product at Lululemon, in a statement. “It didn’t suit us.”
This year, the brand is releasing three additional shoe options for women, including cross-training shoes, training shoes, and so-called “post-workout” shoes.
“It’s a big deal,” said NPD senior industry advisor and footwear analyst Matt Powell. “This is the first time a major brand has produced a shoe specifically for women. Mostly what brands sell in this space are smaller versions of men’s shoes. It’s a dirty little industry secret. Lululemon builds shoes from the inside.” specially designed for women’s feet.
The company said it will debut a separate line of shoes for men next year.
Lululemon announced its intention to expand its shoe business in 2019 when company executives said during an analysis event that they see a “white space” in a category they hoped to take advantage of.
The move now pits Lululemon against industry leaders Nike (NKE) and Adidas, as well as more fashionable brands like On and Allbirds.
“On the face of it, this sneaker game makes sense as it is a huge market that naturally complements other Lululemon sports products,” said Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director of GlobalData Retail.
“However, people are very attached to brands like Nike, so Lulu will have to be very different if she wants to make an impact,” he added.