After successful collaborations with Beach Riot and Bandier, LoveShackFancy is embracing the activewear category on its own.
On Tuesday, the company will launch its first branded collection of activewear in all of its stores and online, as well as at retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Revolve, Fwrd and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The pre-spring collection features three prints: a pink floral; a vibrant blue hibiscus, and a cream, neutral bouquet on nine styles and 15 stock keeping units that include sports bras, leggings, biker shorts, tanks, athletic dresses and skirts. The fabric is a combination of 72 percent nylon and 28 percent spandex. Sizes range from XXS to XXL. The collection is manufactured in China.
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Activewear rounds out LoveShackFancy’s lifestyle offerings, which range from ready-to-wear and intimates to swim, accessories, jewelry, bags and shoes.
According to Rebecca Hessel Cohen, founder and creative director of LoveShackFancy, the company has collaborated twice with Beach Riot and once with Bandier.
“During COVID[-19], when I was trying to get inspired to work out, and couldn’t find anything I liked, I reached out to the owner of Beach Riot who had wanted to to do something with us. We did those very successful collaborations. All the girls loved them, we all still wear them, and the last few years we’ve been saying we were going to do activewear on our own, and this felt like the perfect time to officially launch,” she said.
She said her customers were eager for them to bring back activewear.
“It’s something that girls want consistently in their wardrobe. Everyone is doing some kind of fitness or sport. They’re also wearing leggings and sports bras as part of their fashion. It’s something girls have been definitely wanting from us,” she said.
According to Hessel Cohen, what distinguishes LoveShackFancy’s activewear from the competition is their distinctive prints.
“I think we’re using some of our favorite prints. They also go back to our Bogner collection, which we recently launched [for the second time] and is selling so well. You can mix and match your puffer with your fleece and your leggings,” she said. “It’s kind of a whole look and a whole lifestyle. The prints are very iconic and defining of LoveShackFancy, and super happy, spirited and feel good.” She said the seasonal prints tie back to the collection.
For example, they offer a blue print, so a woman can be clad in a look head to toe, from a ruffle miniskirt to a legging to a bra to a puffer to a fleece. “You got the whole thing,” she said.
The pieces can be worn for such activities as yoga, dance, SoulCycle and boxing, she said. “When you’re wearing your workout clothes, you also want to go out. Our girls love to work out and they love to go out. These are also pieces that you feel that you’re dressed when you’re wearing them.”
The brand will have a dedicated activewear space in its stores (where it carried the previous collaborations) and will build on their joggers, waffle pieces, thermals and T shirts that can go with the pieces. She’s calling the activewear “Fit and Fancy.”
The line retails from $115 for a biker short to $140 for a legging to $195 for a waffle top.
Femininity is the line’s hallmark. The sports bra, for example, has a little ruffle so it still feels feminine. There’s a sports bra that has LoveShackFancy in gold underneath. There are two styles of leggings, one has a V. The company had never done dresses or skirts in its activewear so it added that as well. She said swimwear will be a part of it.
Girls and kids’ activewear will be introduced in July, so mothers and daughters can match.
She said the collection is made of matte fabric but it’s lightweight enough so a wearer can really sweat in it. “I personally like to put on a legging and not want to rip it off and want to stay in it all day,” she said. She said they absorb sweat nicely and are comfortable to stay in.
There are 17 freestanding LoveShackFancy stores, and seven were open in the last year. They opened London and Manhasset, New York, last month. “Right now we’re taking a moment to breathe,” she said. She said some big collaborations are in the works, but said it was too early to talk about them.
For the activewear launch, all of the LoveShackFancy stores will host workout classes. “We’re having local yoga, Pilates and dance instructors. And we’ll have VIPs and customers come in to take the classes. We’re having parties and workout classes. We’ll also share it across all of social. It’s really great for community-building,” she said.