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Fabletics is transitioning further from its activewear roots with the launch of its first denim collection. The product will be available online and in select stores Thursday, according to a company press release.
The retailer, which was founded in 2013 as a challenger to Lululemon and other activewear brands, worked with denim expert Benjamin Talley Smith to design the collection, which incorporates Fabletics’ focus on comfort, fit and style. It features 11 different styles across three levels of stretch, seven washes and three inseam lengths.
The collection is available for both women and men, in sizes 23 to 35 and 29 to 44, respectively. The women’s jeans are available in a high-rise across wide leg, straight and skinny styles, as well as a mid-rise baggy jean, a mini skirt and a denim jacket. Men’s options include slim fit, straight leg, baggy and baggy utility jeans, along with a trucker jacket.
“What makes this collection with Fabletics special is the level of quality and style we were able to deliver at this price point — it’s something you don’t usually see,” Talley Smith said in a statement. “We also put a huge amount of work into fit testing across the full size range. Instead of simply scaling one pattern up and down, Fabletics is the first brand I’ve ever worked with to tailor every piece in the collection individually so that it delivers the best possible fit for every size and every body.”
Fabletics isn’t the first activewear brand to expand into denim.
Courtesy of Fabletics
While it is a divergence from Fabletics’ core offering, denim is a category others in the athletic space have also tested. Vuori, another upstart in the category, also sells jeans. The new iteration of Outdoor Voices has dabbled with it as well.
Fabletics CEO Adam Goldenberg told Retail Dive in January that the brand is careful about what categories it expands into. Part of that is about listening to customers; every corporate Fabletics employee is required to spend time in stores.
“What we have found is our customers will tell us what they want,” Goldenberg said, adding that this is how Fabletics ended up launching a scrubs category in 2023. “We always think about: One, does it fit the brand DNA? Do the customers want it from us? And then, can we execute on it better than others? So if it does those things, we move into it.”
Already, customers have begun wearing Fabletics’ clothes in daily life settings. Goldenberg pointed specifically to Fabletics’ Don Pant for men, which he compares to Lululemon’s ABC Pant, and said customers are wearing it for everything from conferences to golf and more serious workouts.
“Instead of simply scaling one pattern up and down, Fabletics is the first brand I’ve ever worked with to tailor every piece in the collection individually.”
Benjamin Talley Smith
Denim Expert
“Everybody’s moving towards this casualization and comfort,” Goldenberg said, which gives brands like Fabletics more latitude to expand into other categories. “Consumers are expecting that from our brands.”
The denim launch follows Fabletics usual pricing model, which gives users of its membership program a discount. For regular shoppers, the line runs from $109.95 to $174.95, while for VIP members, the collection costs $79.95 to $119.95. According to Goldenberg, about 80% of Fabletics shoppers within the last year are members and they account for 95% of the brand’s revenue.
Members appreciate the value of the program and the flexibility to skip months at no cost and pick how often they shop, Goldenberg said. Fabletics VIP members also receive perks like members-only sales, exclusive product and first access to collaborations.
So far, the expansion strategy is working for Fabletics. Shoppers are spending more as Fabletics expands its offerings. Wallet share has grown from 22% to 30% as the retailer increases its assortment, according to Goldenberg.
That doesn’t mean the retailer will enter just any category, the executive added. It still has to “have performance at its roots and be comfortable and be at a great price point,” Goldenberg said.