Sign at the entrance to the Lululemon store in Midtown Manhattan.
Erik Mcgregor | Light rocket | fake images
lululemon is partnering with the NFL to launch an apparel collection featuring the logos of all 32 NFL teams. It will be the first time the retailer offers officially licensed products for the NFL or any of its franchises.
The collection, launching Tuesday, will include men’s and women’s apparel and accessories featuring NFL team symbols. Some of Lululemon’s most notable products, including its men’s Steady State franchise and women’s styles from Define, Scuba and Align, are part of the collection.
Lululemon shares rose more than 3% in morning trading on Monday.
Lululemon, long known for its roots in yoga clothing, has made a notable push into sports and performance in recent years. The retailer partnered with the NHL last year to release team-branded items. It has also expanded its list of sports 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 to date, appointing F1 champion Lewis Hamilton as an ambassador.
Celeste Burgoyne, president of Lululemon’s Americas and global guest innovation division, said the retailer sees an opportunity within sports where it can offer “the best product for these fans in the premium space to be able to celebrate their teams.”
“It’s really about allowing our current guests to be able to use 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 impacts of tariffs and other changing consumer trends. But CEO Calvin McDonald, speaking on CNBC last month, said he sees an opportunity to innovate within the company’s key categories and items.
For the NFL, partnering with Lululemon on a new collection is another opportunity to expand its reach in team gear, according to NFL CRO Renie Anderson.
“We want to make sure we’re creating a variety, an assortment for all fans, from casual styles to more classic styles,” Anderson said. “It’s all part of that 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 merchandise will be available on the league’s e-commerce site and in the team’s retail stores, as well as through Fanatics, which has a long-standing partnership with the NFL and holds the league’s consumer products licensing rights to fan merchandise.
Andrew Low Ah Kee, CEO of Fanatics Commerce, said that historically, the sports industry has often outpaced fans in certain casual product categories such as t-shirts and hoodies, but there is now “a real demand and appetite for truly premium products.”
“The jersey is truly the uniform of the sport,” Low Ah Kee said. “So when we think about a consumer’s wardrobe, we think T-shirts have a role, but we think there’s a role for a lot of other clothes as well.”
