Dive Brief:
- In an expansion of its Calia private brand, Dick’s Sporting Goods has launched Calia Inspire, a collection that uses a new technical fabric aimed at versatility. At the same time, the company launched a campaign, “Calia Inspire: There’s Beauty in the Burn” to promote the collection, the retailer announced Monday.
- The collection features leggings, bodysuits, dresses, shorts, tank tops, sports bras and other activewear pieces, according to a company press release. Sizes range from XXS to XXL in stores, with some styles available in 1X to 3X online.
- The Inspire fabric mirrors spandex but with “lightweight support and subtle compression,” the retailer said. It is designed to minimize odor, protect against UV rays, wick away sweat, keep the wearer cool and adapt to the wearer’s movement.
Dive Insight:
The launch of the Calia Inspire collection signals Dick’s Sporting Goods’ continued investment in its private label brands, even without brand ambassador Carrie Underwood.
In 2015, Dick’s and Underwood launched the Calia fitness brand as a Dick’s Sporting Goods exclusive. She stepped away from the brand in 2021, though, and the line released its first Calia products without her input in 2022. That same year, the company enlisted other brand ambassadors to promote the brand, including actress Dascha Polanco, gymnast Shawn Johnson East and golf journalist Alexandra O’Laughlin. Dick’s Sporting Goods has been pouring more resources into marketing and introducing new private-label brands in recent years.
With the Inspire fabric and collection, Dick’s aims to cater to the athleisure consumer who may wear the collection in various situations ranging from yoga or high-intensity weight training to casually at home. The retailer plans to promote the collection across Hulu, Disney+ and Amazon, as well as during the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4.
“We know activewear is not just for when you’re intentionally being active,” Alycia Scott, vice president of vertical brand design at Dick’s Sporting Goods, said in a statement. “We wear it throughout our daily lives, and it’s become a staple in many women’s wardrobes both inside and outside of the gym. With Inspire, we wanted to create pieces that were tough enough to withstand the most intense workout, but comfortable enough to wear all day long. We want women to feel like they can do anything and have Inspire move with them.”
The rollout of the Inspire collection and fabric follows two recent quarters of growth for the retailer. In its second quarter 2023 earnings report, Dick’s reported a 3.6% net sales bump to $3.2 billion, though it came alongside a “business optimization” plan that included job cuts and other streamlining initiatives. The following quarter, the company saw its net sales rise 2.8% year over year to $3 billion.
