Athleta & Obé Fitness Deepen Partnership With Apparel Collection

NEW YORK, United States — Digital fitness platform Obé Fitness and athleisure brand Athleta have bolstered their ongoing partnership via the launch of a new apparel collection.

The collaboration, which includes a pair of black leggings and a sports bra donning both the brand’s logos, is just a taste of things to come with the duo revealing that a wider range of limited-edition and more eye-catching pieces will launch throughout 2022.

“In our current marketplace, we’re talking about ‘hybrid’ [and asking ourselves] what a post-Covid-19 world looks like. The pairing of our two companies and our shared mission allows us to reach people wherever they are,” Mark Mullett, Co-founder and co-CEO of Obé told Glossy.

Having doubled down on partnerships since its inception back in 2018, Obé has grown from strength to strength, despite the influx of digital offerings in the space as a result of COVID-19.

Themed live workouts in collaboration with HBO Max and its shows including “Sex and the City” and “Game of Thrones”, as well as a previous in-person retreat with Athleta have enabled the fitness startup to position itself as a lifestyle brand that exists beyond other more standard on-demand workout concepts.

Other collaborations have seen it link up with brands such as Bala Bangles, athletic apparel brand Terez and Colgate.

Alongside the mass migration to digital, this strategy has helped to differentiate the brand and propel the company’s membership figures. According to Glossy, Obé experienced 80% month-over-month increases between March 2020 and May 2020, a figure that levelled to 30% month-over-month growth from May 2020 to Oct 2020. However, the company remains tight-lipped over its current membership size and revenue growth.

It has also captured the attention of investors including Samsung Next, WW International, Kate Hudson and even Athleta who poured a collective $15 million into the brand in July. Off the back of the round the company was valued at $190 million, according to Bloomberg.

Read More: Obé Fitness Raises $15M From Samsung, Athleta, WW International & More

“We think Obé is rewriting the rules when it comes to fitness and entertainment, and it has the potential to resonate with consumers who have not been attracted to solutions offered by other market leaders, such as Peloton and Mirror,” said Jonathan Machado, Senior Investment Director for Samsung Next, in a statement at the time.

“There is plenty of competition in the smart fitness sector, but Obé has demonstrated the ability to meet a real need in a unique, scalable and differentiated way,” he added.

With plans to continue to add to its product and brand collaborations moving forward, the entertainment-led brand hopes to cement itself as an option for those looking for a more comprehensive and wider-reaching digital fitness experience.

“You can play the Facebook and Instagram game and, obviously, we do, but what’s more interesting for us is marketing partnerships,” Ashley Mills, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Obé recently told Digiday.

“We look to those as growth levers and opportunities for us.”