Lululemon steps into footwear with women's running shoe

Athletic apparel brand Lululemon has branched out into footwear with the launch of its first women’s running shoe.

The initial style, called Blissfeel, was unveiled at a media event in New York on Tuesday and will be available online and in select stores across North America, Mainland China and the UK from March 22.

Three additional styles - Chargefeel, Strongfeel and Restfeel - were also revealed and will be launched in the coming months.

Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald said footwear was the “natural next step” for the brand and “represents an exciting moment” in its history.

“We are entering the footwear category the same way we built our apparel business - with products designed to solve unmet needs, made for women first,” he said.

Lululemon said it plans to introduce a men’s footwear collection in 2023, along with special editions and seasonal collections.

“We intentionally started with women first because we saw an opportunity to solve for the fact that, more often than not, performance shoes are designed for men and then adapted for women,” said Sun Choe, Lululemon’s chief product officer.

“That didn’t sit well with us. Innovating for women is in Lululemon’s DNA - now we’re bringing that same expertise to footwear, and women were part of this journey every step of the way,” Choe said.