Lululemon Athletica Inc. has connected with men right where they need it the most. The Vancouver-based athletic apparel retailer’s new ABC (anti-ball-crushing) pants promise to give men and their “family jewels room to breathe.”
Everyone from Fortune to Forbes to The Guardian to Mashable to Bloomberg News went gaga over the “anatomy-friendly” garment that drew sly digs across the Internet hall of mirrors.
Social media was also abuzz. Many took to Twitter to make fun of their name. “Lululemon’s ABC pants are but a first step toward the serious-yet-casual, austere-yet-virile masculine style,” read one tweet.
The pants also caught the attention of consumers too, who are lining up to buy them.
Already the new pants have helped generate a 16% increase in same-store sales last quarter for the company’s men’s business, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
Lululemon’s strategy is to open up more men’s-only retail stores, as many others are doing, including Holt Renfrew in Toronto. One testing ground Lululemon outlet is in Soho, in New York City, according to Brittany Rae Fraser, media relations with Lululemon.
Lululemon wants to see how it works out there before investing in more space.
Meanwhile, the ABC campaign has still got legs, jumping out March 26, still grabbing attention Tuesday.
“It’s cheeky, it attracts attention and it begs you to go find out what ABC stands for,” said Sandy Silva, an apparel industry expert at the market information provider NPD Group in Toronto.
“It’s a well-crafted, well-thought out strategy and they’ve executed it well,” she said.
The pants have a slim-fitting style and are made from a stretchable and sweat-wicking fabric called Warpstreme, with the pants were designed “with all-day comfort and performance in mind.”
Ms. Silva said the clever name and design is largely targeted toward the millennial man, a demographic who is more “fashion forward” and wants the slimmer pant look.
It may also drive those customers to Lululemon’s other clothing within their men’s line.
Lululemon may be introducing this product at just the right time as overall sales of men’s apparel have grown by 7% in the past year and activewear is driving most of that, according to the NPD group. An analysis NPD conducted found that apparel sales only increased by 2% without athletic apparel factored in.
“At a minimum it will drive traffic to the [Lululemon stores],” Ms. Silva said.
“That customer that comes in to try it on will hopefully leave with that and something else,” she said.
Financial Post
nmisketi@nationalpost.com
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