Fabletics is a global, active
lifestyle brand
A lifestyle brand is a brand that attempts to embody the values, aspirations, interests, attitudes, or opinions of a group or a culture for marketing purposes.page 16 Lifestyle brands seek to inspire, guide, and motivate people, with the goal of ...
that sells both men's and women's
sportswear
Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons.
Typical sport-specific garments ...
, footwear and accessories, commonly referred to as "
activewear
Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons.
Typical sport-specific garments ...
". The company operates on a membership model and is known for its e-commerce business approach and also has over 85
brick-and-mortar
Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases r ...
stores.
[ The brand has a membership program that allows shoppers to become "VIP Members", with access to special membership discounts and perks. Fabletics offers its members personalized outfits chosen for them based on their lifestyle and fashion preferences and releases capsules weekly in sizes XXS-4X for women and monthly in sizes XS-XXL for men. One of the co-founders of the company is ]Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and businesswoman. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award, as well as nominations f ...
.
History
Fabletics launched in 2013, and was co-founded by Adam Goldenberg, Don Ressler, Ginger Ressler, and Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and businesswoman. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award, as well as nominations f ...
. In 2015, under the umbrella of fashion incubator TechStyle Fashion Group, Fabletics was its fastest-growing label. At its locations, Fabletics stocks apparel based on analytics of its online trends. The company added collections for dresses and swimwear in the spring of 2017. In September 2017, Fabletics announced its first line of official footwear including slip-ons, lifestyle sneakers, and workout shoes. In 2020, Fabletics announced that it had surpassed $500 million in annual revenue and has more than 2 million VIP members.
In April 2020, Fabletics expanded to menswear, signing Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
After winning se ...
as an investor and the face of the new brand. In March 2021, Fabletics released its Fabletics Fit app, which has hundreds of on-demand workouts, meditations and other content. Fabletics VIP members can access the app as part of the program, but nonmembers must pay $14.95 per month.[ The company expanded into loungewear in 2021 and has since launched a velour capsule with actress ]Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Anne Hudgens (; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in ''Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (2006â ...
. Fabletics was named to ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' Best Customer Service List of 2022. In January 2022, Fabletics announced that Kate Hudson would be transitioning from principal face of the brand to an advisory role.
In May 2022, they launched a tennis line for both men and women.
Locations
In the fall of 2015, Fabletics expanded to brick and mortar
Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases r ...
retail with its first store in Bridgewater, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township is both a regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey (home to Bridgewater Commons and different corporate headquarters) and is a bedroom suburb ...
. Since then Fabletics has opened over 73 North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
stores and expanded into Europe.[ In October 2021, Fabletics opened its first non-US store in ]Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
which was followed the company's first UK store, an experiential pop-up, on London's Regent Street
Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...
.[ The London and Berlin stores bring Fabletics to 75 stores worldwide.][ Fabletics was one of few retailers to avoid layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic, and shifted retail staff to "omni-associates" during this time.] Fabletics has developed and deployed OmniSuite, a proprietary, cloud-based enterprise retail platform, in all of its stores. OmniSuite combines e-commerce, POS and order management solutions with back-office systems, and is utilized in all Fabletics retail locations. As of 2020, Fabletics has established carbon neutrality
Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...
at all of its stores, transitioned away from plastic shipment bags to recycled, biodegradable
Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. It is generally assumed to be a natural process, which differentiates it from composting. Composting is a human-driven process in which biodegradati ...
and reusable polybags and launched an eco-conscious capsule for Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...
2020 made entirely from recycled or upcycled materials. The company expanded into retail resale with ThredUp, in 2021.
In May 2022, they opened a new location in Valencia, CA.
Partnerships
Hudson was named the ambassador for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer is a charity campaign originally launched in the UK in 1996 by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and now operated under the charity's new name Breast Cancer Now. Corporate partners for the campaign represent famous high-st ...
with Fabletics partnering on a pink capsule collection to support breast cancer awareness. In May 2017, the company announced a collaboration with singer Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
in support of the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up campaign. In October 2018, Fabletics announced a partnership with Varsity Spirit
Varsity Spirit, LLC, also known as Varsity, is an American cheerleading company owned by Varsity Brands. Founded in 1974 as the Universal Cheerleaders Association, the company is a manufacturer of apparel for cheerleading and dance teams, organiz ...
, making Fabletics Varsity's official activewear partner. As a part of this deal, Fabletics launched pop-up shops at Varsity Competitions in the US. In October 2020, Fabletics and Varsity extended their partnership through 2024. In October 2020, Fabletics announced a long-term partnership with Hydrow, the at-home rower with live and on-demand athlete-led workouts. As part of the Fabletics x Hydrow partnership, Fabletics members can purchase a Hydrow at members only pricing, plus access to an accessories and gear package. In addition, Fabletics is Hydrow's official apparel partner, designing and producing all Hydrow apparel, and Hydrow's trainers will exclusively wear Fabletics in all of Hydrow's workout content. In 2021, Tough Mudder
Tough Mudder is an endurance event series in which participants attempt obstacle courses. It was co-founded by Will Dean and Guy Livingstone. The obstacles often play on common human fears, such as fire, water, electricity and heights.
The fi ...
chose Fabletics as its "active lifestyle" partner. In November 2021, Fabletics began working with college athletes and tournaments to grow its men's business. The company sponsored the Jacksonville Classic, and announced that it is planning partnerships with individual NCAA players.
Since launching, Fabletics has released a number of capsules with notable brand partners, including Maddie Ziegler
Madison Nicole Ziegler (; born September 30, 2002) is an American actress and dancer. She was initially known for appearing in Lifetime's reality show '' Dance Moms'' from 2011 (at age 8) until 2016. From 2014, she gained wider recognition fo ...
, Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl ...
, Madelaine Petsch
Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch (born August 18, 1994) is an American actress and YouTuber. She is known for portraying Cheryl Blossom on The CW television series '' Riverdale'' and Marissa in ''F the Prom''.
Early life
Petsch was born on August 1 ...
and others. In April 2021, Kevin and Eniko Hart released the Hart Collection, the brand's first capsule designed for men and women. In December 2021, Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Anne Hudgens (; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in ''Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (2006â ...
was announced as a spokesperson for the brand, releasing the Velour x Fabletics collection, with pieces made of velour. In April 2022, Hudgens also released a summer Y2K-inspired collection designed by herself, called Sun-Daze by Vanessa Hudgens.
In April 2022, Fabletics partnered with singer Lizzo
Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After col ...
to launch a size-inclusive (sizes of 6X to XS) shape-wear brand called Yitty.
Controversy
An investigation by ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine into Hippo Knitting, a manufacturing company that supplies Fabletics, received reports from at least 38 workers alleging sexual and physical abuse from management. A Fabletics spokesperson said the brand vowed to do "everything in heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
power to further remedy the situation". Production at Hippo Knitting stopped on May 3, 2021. After a three-month pause, Fabletics resumed production in August 2021 while taking steps to improve workers' rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...
, including a new anti-intimidation policy, a new grievance procedure and other initiatives.
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.fabletics.com/
21st Century Fashion Company Bets on Tech & Media
Kate Hudson's athleisure brand is doubling down on a strategy it borrowed from Apple and Warby Parker
Kate Hudson's Fabletics Fiercely Giving Amazon A Run For Its Money
Companies based in Los Angeles
Sportswear brands
Fashion accessory brands
Online clothing retailers of the United States
Clothing brands of the United States
Fashion accessory companies
American companies established in 2013
Clothing companies established in 2013
Retail companies established in 2013
Internet properties established in 2013
Underwear brands
Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States
Subscription services
2013 establishments in California