Editor's Note: This article has been updated with comments LULULEMON.
In the $ 1.4 billion women's sports apparel market, heir Lululemon's Ellie scientific culture in Los Angeles, the latest launch immediate challenge.
Pledging half the price, same quality workout gear Ellie's method avoids the complex needs of high-tech in favor of consumers to measure social media: First introduced on Facebook and tested to measure the reaction strength of the trend.
"As a website design, manufacturers, they can show that they are testing the entire social media to get the user / fans to decide if they like their design, if the popular equipment manufacturing within four days, and to provide mass market retail "the representative told VentureBeat. "This is a garment manufacturing lightning speed."
A recent $ 200 million worth of investment Trinity Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners and Blumberg Capital Injection, Ellie is flush and hunger, as it pulls out stops in its online-only mode, hybrid subscription and a la carte e-commerce.
Users can buy a la carte or signed a "suitable fashion club membership", that is $ 49.95 a month to deliver custom-tailored to bring sports equipment, all the members of their fashion preferences and lifestyle questions .
"Think of it as a Lululemon's monthly meetings,", VentureBeat said.
In a report detailing her recent visit to Ellie's garment district (Garment District) in downtown Los Angeles factory, TechCrunch's Riyadh Rao says co-founder Marcus Greinke Ellie explained to her how he was able to provide high brand quality, low-cost clothing.
She wrote: "Ellie buy Lululemon same fabric, but the clothing of the process is to create and sell more effectively, so these costs are not passed. Allie has taken a bunch of houses (in the U.S.) in the design and manufacturing process . sketches, create the sample, the actual development of products through Ellie. usually takes four to five months now takes less than two months ...... Of course, there is no brick and mortar store, cut out, Such overhead. "
Lululemon's is considered the pinnacle of, but it is also a luxury that many people can not afford, ", Greinke Forbes." That's why we realized there really is no one on the market in the $ 30 to $ 70, the middle ground. "Basic Ellie top is $ 32, Lululemon's sixty-eight yuan; Allie Leggings are $ 42, Lululemon compared to $ 78.
Lululemon is a multibillion dollar Canadian yoga-inspired front surf Dennis "Chip" Wilson founded the brand in 1998, and continuously improve its key markets in retail and lifestyle bars and some eyebrows tight social outliers principle. Wilson was ceded CEO Christine Day at the helm last year.
Spin ivivva athletica year-old girl in 2009 5-12 lines of the lululemon coupon clothing brand to expand its portfolio, and then extended to men. , Said recently - holiday sales accounted for 15%, while men accounted for eight percent of sales year and a half ago, it has grown to 12%.
This question will be whether Lululemon, which has been increasingly active in defending its signature yoga pants as a flexible upstart, can retain its leading position in the market makes its move.
"Make time and money to provide an excellent gym and workout experience for most of us it is very difficult," Forbes Ellie's Greinke comment. "Why do you want to pay $ 130 or more physical exercise like yoga pants clothes? Give you a healthy lifestyle should be achievable, Allie make sure you look and feel good, you begin or end a day trips to the gym. "
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