The Gap Inc. Athleta activewear brand has added an intimates category with the debut of its Rituals collection. The brand is seeking to grow within a segment that has been forecasted to reach $16.2 billion in the U.S. by 2026, according to Euromonitor International.
The collection, which will be available Sept. 20, 2022 on Athleta.com, is “designed by women, for women,” and features inclusive sizing, with products that use technical fabrics to provide breathability and wicking. Prior to the collection’s launch, Rituals was wear tested by more than 100 women for quality, fit and fabric. The goal of designers who created the collection was to provide comfort and enhanced support that eliminates digging, rolling and chaffing. Underwear in the Rituals collection is sized from XXS to 3X and bras from A to G. Price points for the collection range from $16 for underwear to $69 for bras.
“As a customer-focused brand, we are consistently engaging with and listening to her needs and know the intimates category is growing,” said Felix del Toro, Chief Product Officer for Athleta in a statement. “By introducing the Rituals collection, we are inviting even more customers into our brand and giving her an opportunity to build a complete wardrobe at Athleta layer by layer.”
Athleta’s expansion into intimates coincides with the company’s expansion of its retail footprint with new store openings. The Gap Inc. parent company has been struggling with poor performance at some of its banners. For its most recent financial quarter, Athleta was one of just two Gap banners showing sales growth, albeit only by 4% compared to the same period the previous fiscal year. Gap CEO Sonia Syngal departed in July 2022 following the departure of Old Navy President and CEO Nancy Green in April.
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