Gap: Athleta Has Arrived
Today, Gap announced the arrival of its newest brand, Athleta, right on the heels of Express's introduction of their new yoga line. Athleta makes/sells sporty and active apparel and footwear for women (sorry, guys). Gap acquired Athleta last fall, and has just now added the brand to its online stores. Happily, the same shopping and cardholder perks that exist for Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Piperlime merchandise also exist for Athleta.
I find it interesting that this new brand focuses solely on women (and granted, the women's active apparel is, or was at one time, one of the fastest growing markets), where most of Gap's other brands seem to have a more balanced selection.
What do you think? Have you shopped this brand before? Do you think this brand works with the rest of the Gap family? Will you check out Athleta?
6 comments:
I'm excited about this -- although I've never bought from Athleta before, I've been getting their catalogs for a while and am coveting some of their sporty dresses, and I hear the quality is pretty good. Athleta doesn't seem to do the coupon/discount thing, so I've been holding out and hoping that the acquisition by Gap Inc. will lead to some good promotions. Not sure how well it complements the Gap empire, but then, I suspect the active market is a growth industry, given the way people are getting into sports and the environment and "green" activities.
-t
I'm in a similar boat as the above commenter. I've received their catalogs for a while and have always found cute things inside, but haven't bought anything yet. I want to say that in some of their catalogs, they have specially made pieces from bigger brands, like patagonia and prana. can't remember for sure though...i might be thinking of another company.
I've purchased a few things from them in the past (years ago) and was rather unimpressed by the quality. The clothing definitely looked better in the catalog than they are IRL. I also recall the price being on the higher side, too. :(
I'm interested in seeing how Athleta will evolve under Gap ownership.
LL
Ahh, I knew this brand looked familiar, and that's because I've been tossing their catalogs in the recycle bin for months! I couldn't figure out how I got them, but this makes sense now. :)
I do remember the price being a little higher than what I would pay for athletic wear, so I am interested to see how things will go as part of the Gap family!
from a marketing perspective, the brand could use a little help. the name and logo feel very watered down and unadventurous. my blog's take on the matter: http://onthebutton.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/naming_athleta_gap/
@Alex - Thanks for the info and link! :)
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