ADIDAS LAUNCHES ITS MATERNITY ACTIVEWEAR
Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg
NEW YORK — Adidas has unveiled its maternity performance-oriented activewear, making it the first big brand to get into the highly specialized segment.
Through a partnership with Power of Two, a San Francisco-based company, Adidas has developed a 21-piece collection that bows in specialty stores this spring. After two years of researching fit and technical details, there are items for swimming, yoga, running and workout wear, said Jeff Malone, president of the Power of Two and managing director of Dax & Coe, its other maternity apparel label.
Pants and shorts have front and back panels designed to help lift the abdomen and support the lower back. There are also tops with sewn-in shelf bras, tanks with a full-front CoolMax liners, nursing tops and fully lined bags with a bottle carrier, changing pad and compartment for diapers.
All bags are designed with “the one-hand method in mind,” since mothers seldom have a hand free, Malone said.
The maternity activewear will be offered in about 700 doors this spring. T-shirts wholesale for $15, fitness pants are $26 and swimsuits are $32.50.
Dana Cappiello, designer and co-founder of The Power of Two, noted that seven variations of one swimsuit style were designed before “getting it right.”
Highlighting the potential of the maternity market, Malone said, four million babies are expected to be born in the U.S. this year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce projections. In addition, the average woman spends about $650 for apparel during their pregnancies, Malone said.
“Women would spend more if there were more available,” he added.
Jolynn Ovington, global business unit manager for Adidas, said, “The collection sets a new standard in functional fabrics, exceptional fit, sophisticated design and garment construction, in order to meet the needs of female athletes during all of the stages of her life.”
Julie Tupner, whose “Maternal Fitness” exercise program has been used by such celebrities as Uma Thurman and Elle Macpherson, is the spokesperson for the Adidas maternity collection.