Guys do yoga (broga?), guys drink those green slime coloured health drinks and, heck, apparently guys even wear Lululemon. In fact, sporty dudes wear the stretchy active wear (originally founded in Vancouver) so much that the brand is planning on opening a chain of standalone men only stores.
In a bid to sustain the massive growth they’ve experienced in the past few years, the only thing left for Lulu is to reign in those XY chromosome dollars, or else face a plateau in sales. Of course, this plateau would have nothing to do with its recent see-through pants scandal, no siree, but still, the brand is attempting the impossible by reinventing itself for another audience.
Up until now, Lululemon has catered to its male customers with simple tees, kahuna shorts and caps, but while this merch has sold well, existing female-orientated brands have had problems reaching the other half. Think Uggs, Toms and even Forever 21.
Men’s apparel currently counts for 12 percent of Lululemon’s business, which is a small slice of pie considering Lulu’s Chief Executive Officer, Christine Day, revealed that the chain will start opening standalone men’s stores by 2016; a revelation that comes only days after she announced her retirement from the company.
In all fairness, the brand has wrangled its underwear onto the tushies of NHL players, but would your partner/husband/beer-swilling-crumb-maker ever don Lulu gear? Maybe they already do, in which case, do you think the menswear shops will be a success?
Images via Lululemon.com
