Although Carrie Underwood was the face of Calia at launch, the private label women’s athletic brand from Dick’s Sporting Goods has managed to grow a sizable fan base beyond the country music icon, the company claims, thanks to its unique blend of performance and style.
Calia, which was created with Underwood in 2015, is the retailer’s second largest-selling women’s fitness brand after Nike. And even after the singer exited the brand in late 2021, it has continued to thrive, according to Chad Kessler, executive vice president of vertical brands for Dick’s. “We’ve been seeing exceptional growth in Calia,” he said. “The customer is attached to it and the business is very healthy.”
Kessler and Dick anticipate that the brand will only become more significant as a result of the Monday launch of Calia’s newest collection, Inspire. According to Kessler, leggings will be the star product. However, Calia Inspire will also feature dresses, shorts, bodysuits, tanks, sports bras, and other items in sizes XXS-XXL in physical stores and 1X-3X online.
Inspire’s claim to fame is a fabric called Lycra Adaptiv, which calia Dick’s said is new to the marketplace. The fabric is said to boast the same strength as traditional Lycra spandex but with superior support and compression. Its fibers mold to the body, growing and contracting during motion and maintaining their fit at rest.
The line also includes UPF technology to shield the skin from UV rays, BodyBreeze Wicking technology to remove moisture from the skin, and BodyFree technology to prevent odor. To make sure the products are not see-through, testing was also conducted.
“We worked really hard to make the Lycra fabric,” Kessler remarked. It seems as though you are supported even when you are not wearing anything. You’ll go from the most strenuous workout to simply doing errands with it.
According to Alycia Scott, vice president of vertical brand design at Dick’s, “we wear it throughout our daily lives, and [Calia has] become a staple in many women’s wardrobes both inside and outside of the gym.” “With Inspire, our goal was to design clothing that was both pleasant to wear all day and durable enough to endure the most demanding exercise. We want Inspire to move with women and give them the confidence that they can accomplish anything.
Calia Dick’s
Kessler described the Inspire launch as “the coming-out party for Calia.” Kessler joined Dick’s from American Eagle Outfitters a year ago. He emphasized the leggings, calling them “the most versatile that Dick’s offers.” He also mentioned the sports bras and matching sets as important additions to the line.
According to Kessler, a “360-degree marketing campaign” will be used to promote the Calia Inspire collection with the goal of drawing in new customers as well as reintroducing the brand to current ones.
The national commercial campaign Inspire: There’s Beauty in the Burn debuted on Monday. The goal of the 30-second commercial, which was created by the advertising firm Opinionated and incorporates the music “Pretty Girls Walk” by Big Boss Vette, is to demonstrate how a rigorous workout can be motivating and leave a person feeling strong and attractive.
Emily Silver, chief marketing officer of Dick’s, said, “The launch of Inspire and release of ‘There’s Beauty in the Burn’ is a big moment for the brand, signaling the start of next phase of growth.” “We are excited to be launching a campaign that highlights the true elegance found in everyday women’s grit and strength, as well as in their aesthetics.”
The advertisement will appear on Dick’s social media accounts and on streaming platforms including Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon. It will be televised for the first time on February 4th, at the 66th Grammy Awards.
Kessler stated that a celebrity’s face shouldn’t be associated with the Calia brand because it is already so well-known. Four celebrities were chosen by the retailer to represent the Calia Collective following Underwood’s departure: Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East, actress Dascha Polanco from “Orange Is the New Black,” golf and travel writer Alexandria O’Laughlin, and influencer and businesswoman Hannah Bronfman. Now, though, the brand is on its own.
He went on to say that the objective of Calia Inspire and the new marketing initiative is to establish the brand as a competitive rival to the dominant national brands. “We strive to bring our vertical brands up to the level of national brands, and we make some really strong products across them.”
The biggest private brand of the store, according to Kessler, is DSG, which provides “amazing value” to consumers on hard items and clothing for men, women, and children. It’s a reliable port of entrance, he declared.
Furthermore, Vrst, a high-end men’s athletic brand that “fills the white space with a different aesthetic than our national brand partners,” is available from Dick’s. Maxfli golf; Quest, a brand of outdoor equipment; and a few other names. Private brands accounted for $1.7 billion, or 14% of Dick’s total revenue, in the fiscal year 2022.
