Walmart continues to expand its exclusive brand offerings and fashion credentials.
The retail giant launches Love & Sport, an avant-garde fashion sportswear brand created in collaboration with fashion designer Michelle Smith and fitness superstar Stacey Griffith. With a hallmark of bold, bright colors, the new brand is now available on Walmart’s e-commerce site and is also rolling out to 1,500 stores.
The inaugural collection features 121 items, priced from $12 to $42. the assortment, ranging in size from XS to XXXL for sportswear and up to XXL for swimwear, includes retro running shorts, swimsuits, cropped logo hoodies, lightweight nylon jackets, seamless bras and more. Footwear and accessories will be added this fall and new collections will be released seasonally.
Since the pandemic began, sportswear has been a high-growth category. The NPD Group reported that sportswear sales increased by 37% in 2021.
“It was only natural that sportswear was the next step in expanding our portfolio of elevated brands, and we’re doing it with a bold and exciting brand that fills a blank for high-quality, high-performance sportswear and swim without the hassle. high price tag,” Denise Incandela, executive vice president of apparel and private label for Walmart US, wrote in a blog post on the company’s website.
The new brand is the latest in Walmart’s growing line of exclusive and fashion brands that includes Scoop, Free Assembly and Sofia Jeans. (As of March 2021, the retailer hired Brandon Maxwell, as creative director of Free Assembly and Scoop).
The couple behind the new Love & Sport line are well known in their respective circles. Smith, c.o-founder of the clothing brand Milly, designed the used dress worn by Michelle Obama for her portrait at the Smithsonian. She currently has a self-titled line of high-end clothing and lingerie. Griffith achieved fame and won a cult following: an indoor cycling teacher.
“This partnership with incredible design talent like Michelle [Smith] and a fitness powerhouse like Stacey Griffith “is unlike anything we’ve done before, and we’re introducing it at the perfect time,” said Incandela. “People are going back out now after the pandemic, and we think they are looking for the comfort of activewear that can be worn on the street. Our answer is Love & Sports: beautifully designed, high-performance, high-quality swim and sportswear that is truly affordable.”
As we continue to establish Walmart as a destination for fashion, we remain focused on expanding Walmart’s assortment of quality, fashion-forward clothing and accessories at incredible value. That includes strategic collaborations with designers and influencers to bring new collections to our portfolio of exclusive and elevated brands. Your new insights are resonating with our customers, and we love hearing all the wonderful feedback.
We can’t wait for customers to see and try the new line. Michelle and Stacey collaborated on the development process from start to finish, carefully creating each design around an athlete’s level of performance and emerging fashion trends and colorways in fitness, streetwear and swimwear. The entire collection features elevated details such as moisture-wicking fabrics, plenty of pockets, reflective taping, metal logo zippers, and waistbands that can be rolled down to go from today’s high-waisted pant trend to a low-rise pant trend. . Look.
Source: chainstoreage.com