A sign at the entrance to the Lululemon store in Midtown Manhattan.
Eric McGregor | Light Rocket | Getty Images
lululemon has partnered with the NFL to release an apparel collection featuring the logos of all 32 NFL teams, the company and the league announced Monday. This is the first time the company has offered officially licensed merchandise for the NFL or its franchises.
The collection, scheduled to launch Tuesday, will include men’s and women’s apparel and accessories featuring NFL team symbols. Some of Lululemon’s most notable products include the Steady State men’s franchise and women’s styles such as Define, Scuba, and Align.
Lululemon stock rose more than 3% in morning trading Monday.
Lululemon, long known for its roots in yoga wear, has expanded into the sports and performance field in recent years. The retailer partnered with the NHL last year to launch team-branded items. It has also expanded its roster of sports ambassadors, including PGA golfers Min Woo Lee and Max Homa, ATP tennis pro Francis Tiafoe, NFL player DK Metcalf and NHL player Connor Bedard. Earlier this year, the company made perhaps its biggest splash yet, appointing Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton as its ambassador.
Celeste Burgoyne, Lululemon’s president of Americas and global guest innovation, said the retailer sees opportunity in sports where it can offer “the best products that allow fans to celebrate their teams in premium spaces.”
“This is about allowing our existing guests to wear Lululemon in arenas and stadiums, but at the same time expanding our world to bring in new guests and grow our guest base and really connect,” she said in an interview with CNBC.
Lululemon has struggled in recent quarters. The company has been hit hard by the impact of tariffs and other changes in consumer trends. But CEO Calvin McDonald said in an interview with CNBC last month that he sees opportunities for innovation within the company’s key categories and items.
For the NFL, partnering with Lululemon on the new collection is another opportunity for the league to expand its range of team gear, according to NFL Chief Revenue Officer Lenny Anderson.
“We want to make sure we have variety and selection for all fans, from casual to classic styles,” Anderson told CNBC. “It’s all part of an ecosystem of passion and love for the sport and the club, and the ability to express yourself in that way, whether it’s in a fun way with foam fingers and hats or in a cool, casual and fashionable way.”
The new items will be available through the league’s e-commerce site and the team’s retail stores, as well as through Fanatics, which has a long-standing partnership with the NFL and holds consumer product licensing rights for the league’s fan gear.
Fanatics Commerce CEO Andrew Low Ah Kee said that while the sports industry has historically often overserved fans with certain casual product categories such as T-shirts and hoodies, there is now “a real demand and appetite for real premium.”
“Jerseys are really sports uniforms,” Lou Ah Kee told CNBC. “When you think about a consumer’s closet, I think jerseys have a role, but I think a lot of other apparel has a role as well.”
