Image via Nike
*This piece first appeared in the Front Office Sports Newsletter. Subscribe today and get the news before anyone else.
Yoga is a big business.
According to The Good Body, there are over 6,000 yoga studios nationwide and 36 million people who practice Yoga in the U.S. alone. Expanding that out internationally, The Good Body believes there are 300 million people who do yoga around the world. In the U.S. alone, Americans spend $16 billion on yoga classes, clothing, equipment, and accessories each year.
Given that number, it’s easy to see why a brand like Nike would be diving deeper into the yoga market.
After releasing a new apparel collection created specifically for yoga, including its first-ever men’s yoga line, we caught up with Josh Benedek, Media Relations Director for Nike, to see what this move means and how they are positioning themselves in a crowded market.
On yoga as a fitness tool…
”Our goal is to offer innovative products and services for the entire spectrum of training activities, from high intensity to lower impact, to enable all athletes to achieve their ambitions. We have historically had a significant portfolio of offerings for a higher impact workout, from the iconic Nike Metcon footwear to Nike Pro apparel, and are excited to offer new mindfully designed silhouettes for the yoga athlete to help them reach a new level of athletic performance and mental strength through their practice.”
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On use of athletes and influencers…
”We used NFL linebacker Khalil Mack, Track & Field athlete Christian Coleman, NBA players Kevin Love and Channing Frye, skateboarder Korahn Gayle and some of our male Nike Master Trainers in the creative to launch the line. We will continue to use our trainers and athletes to promote the line throughout the year and beyond.” The focus is on fitness, not athleisure… ”There’s a secret workout weapon that many competitive athletes have in their sport-performance arsenal: yoga. We designed this collection to celebrate the athleticism of yoga, with a clean, distraction-free aesthetic that offers comfort, versatility, support and ease of mobility during common yoga poses and flows. Nike believes yoga can help you reach another level of athletic performance and mental strength, so it is more functional.”
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The focus is on fitness, not athleisure…
“There’s a secret workout weapon that many competitive athletes have in their sport-performance arsenal: yoga. We designed this collection to celebrate the athleticism of yoga, with a clean, distraction-free aesthetic that offers comfort, versatility, support and ease of mobility during common yoga poses and flows. Nike believes yoga can help you reach another level of athletic performance and mental strength, so it is more functional.”
*This piece first appeared in the Front Office Sports Newsletter. Subscribe today and get the news before anyone else.
