Lululemon is partnering with the NFL to release apparel
Sign at the entrance of the Lululemon store in Midtown Manhattan.
Erik McGregor | Light Rocket | Getty Images
lululemon It’s partnering with the NFL to launch a clothing collection featuring the logos of all 32 NFL teams. This will be the first time the retailer has offered officially licensed merchandise for the NFL or any of its franchises.
The collection, which will launch on Tuesday, will include both men’s and women’s clothing and accessories bearing NFL team symbols. Some of Lululemon’s most notable products, such as the Steady State men’s line and women’s styles by Define, Scuba and Align, are part of the collection.
Lululemon’s shares rose more than 3% in Monday morning trading.
Long known for its roots in yoga apparel, Lululemon has made significant inroads into fitness and performance in recent years. The retailer formed a partnership with the NHL last year to launch team-branded products. It has also expanded its list of sports-related ambassadors to include PGA golfers Min Woo Lee and Max Homa, ATP tennis pro Frances Tiafoe, NFL player DK Metcalf and NHL player Connor Bedard. Earlier this year, the retailer made perhaps its biggest splash yet by appointing F1 champion Lewis Hamilton as an ambassador.
Celeste Burgoyne, Lululemon’s head of Americas and global guest innovation, said the retailer sees an opportunity in sports to provide “the best product for these fans so they can celebrate their team in world-class space.”
“It’s really about making sure our existing guests can now wear Lululemon in arenas and stadiums, but it’s also about a new guest and expanding and really connecting our worlds to grow our guest base,” he said.
Lululemon has struggled in recent quarters as the company has been hit hard by the effects of tariffs and other changing consumer trends. But speaking on CNBC last month, CEO Calvin McDonald said the company sees opportunity to innovate across its core categories and elements.
For the NFL, partnering with Lululemon on a new collection is another opportunity to expand access to team gear, according to NFL CRO Renie Anderson.
“We want to make sure we create a variety and assortment for all fans, from casual to classic styles,” Anderson said. “It’s all part of the ecosystem of passion and love for the sport and your club and the ability to express yourself in that way, whether it’s in a fun way with foam fingers or hats, or in a cool, casual, fashionable way.”
The new products will be available on the league’s e-commerce site and at the team’s retail locations, as well as through Fanatics, which has a long-standing partnership with the NFL and holds the league’s consumer product licensing rights for fan equipment.
Fanatics Commerce CEO Andrew Low Ah Kee said historically the sports industry had over-served fans in certain casual product categories such as T-shirts and hoodies, but now there was “a real demand and appetite for real premium”.
“The jersey is truly the jersey of the sport,” Low Ah Kee said. “So when we think about a consumer’s closet, we think jerseys play a role, but we think a lot of other clothing also plays a role.”
