Peloton Launches In-House Athleisure Label: Peloton Apparel

NEW YORK, United States — Connected fitness brand Peloton has launched a private label apparel brand called Peloton Apparel, as the athleisure boom continues to lure new contenders.

Designed in-house and produced entirely by Peloton, the move signals a gear change for the company which has previously approached apparel through the lens of exclusive collaborations, such as its recent partnership with adidas.

Its latest move, however, demonstrates its intention to grow apparel into a core pillar of the business as it continues to expand into adjacent markets.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to officially launch Peloton Apparel, a brand that has been influenced by our amazing instructors and at its core is centred around supporting our Members,” said Peloton’s VP of Apparel, Jill Foley. 

“With each collection, we’re offering reliable pieces that support your sweatiest days, your busiest days, your rest days and beyond. Our goal with this brand is to enhance our Members’ lifestyles, not just one part of their day.”

Upon launch, the collection features a mix of men’s, women’s and gender-neutral styles and accessories ranging in price from $15 to $118, which it says have been tested by real Peloton Members, non-members and Peloton’s own instructors doing Peloton workouts. 

The move follows Peloton CEO John Foley’s recent admission that its “apparel sales are growing faster than the rest of the business”.

Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference earlier this year, Foley revealed: “I think we’re going to surprise people in apparel. We’re building the best quality apparel in the world.”

It also mirrors a wider market shift in which established players in vertical categories are making a play for the athleisure sector.

Earlier this year London-born athleisure retailer Sweaty Betty sold to Wolverine World Wide — which operates one of the world’s largest portfolios of footwear and lifestyle brands — in a deal worth $410 million. Iconic jeans maker Levi Strauss acquired Beyond Yoga, a fast-growing, premium athletic and lifestyle apparel brand based in the US. And major retailers have continued to launch their own activewear brands, from Target’s All in Motion, which generated $1 billion in sales in just one year to Kohl’s recently launched FLX, which it hopes will generate 30 percent of its total sales.

For Peloton, the appeal of cracking the $350+ billion activewear market is based on establishing both a brand-building tool and a revenue driver, Jill Foley, VP of Retail at Peloton, told Glossy.

It’s already pulled in the help of its high-profile instructors such as Robin Arzon to promote the collection to her 800k+ followers. And will continue to “incorporate instructors in authentic ways that align with their individual style and personal brands, as well,” revealed Foley.

With the brand navigating a tricky few months off the back of controversies surrounding the safety of its treadmills, and the more recent news of a dip in app usage of 41.7% since April, we’ll be watching to see if its expansion into athleisure can help the brand pull back some of its favour.