lululemon Bets on Footwear & Men's Category: Will it Pay Off?

As part of its Power of Three ×2 growth strategy, lululemon athletica inc. LULU continues to lean into two major bets, expanding its men’s category and growing its presence in footwear. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the men’s business posted solid 8% year-over-year growth, outperforming the women’s category and reinforcing its long-term momentum. Guest response to key franchises such as Zeroed In, Smooth Spacer and ShowZero remained strong, while the Fast & Free running short marked a successful addition to its performance-driven men’s apparel lineup.

lululemon’s “No Line Align” men’s collection saw strong traction in a limited rollout, with a full expansion planned for fall, hinting at a future core franchise. Aligned with growth areas like yoga, run, train, golf, and tennis, the brand is strengthening its appeal to active male consumers. Management remains confident in its innovation pipeline and ability to meet rising demand.

LULU is also stepping up its game in footwear, aiming to establish a stronger foothold in this competitive category. In first-quarter fiscal 2025, the company introduced its first-ever men’s footwear collection, launching the Beyondfeel running shoe across all North America stores and online. The response has been strong, with solid sell-through and positive guest feedback.

On the women’s side, new styles like the Restfeel slide and Cityverse sneaker expanded the company’s offerings in both performance and lifestyle categories. With a disciplined, guest-focused rollout strategy, lululemon sees footwear as a key long-term growth driver.

LULU plans to deepen its investment in men’s styles and inventory, with the segment expected to grow 4% in fiscal 2025 and contribute nearly a quarter of total sales. If execution remains strong, lululemon’s dual focus on men’s wear and footwear may drive substantial future upside.

lululemon’s Competition in Men’s & Footwear Lines: NKE & RL

As LULU accelerates its push into the men’s and footwear markets, it finds itself going head-to-head with industry heavyweights like NIKE Inc. NKE and Ralph Lauren Corporation RL, both well-established players with deep brand loyalty and scale.

NIKE is refocusing on performance and innovation to drive growth in its core men’s and footwear categories. NKE’s “Win Now” strategy emphasizes sport-specific design and athlete engagement, with momentum in men’s running and training, supported by the latest launches like the Vomero 18. As NIKE expands across run, train, golf and tennis, it increasingly overlaps with lululemon’s growing men’s and footwear push, intensifying competition for the same performance-driven male consumer.

Ralph Lauren’s men’s category delivered a strong performance in fiscal 2025, with growth led by core products like polos, knits and elevated casualwear. The brand is expanding its reach in men's through sport-inspired collections and targeted product assortments, including lifestyle and performance apparel. RL is also growing its footwear business, particularly in sneakers and casual silhouettes. These efforts increasingly align with lululemon’s men’s and footwear strategy, as both brands compete in premium, active-inspired segments targeting style-conscious male consumers.

The Zacks Rundown for LULU

lululemon’s shares have lost 38.3% year to date compared with the industry’s decline of 23.1%.

From a valuation standpoint, LULU trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 15.71X, significantly higher than the industry’s 11.7X.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LULU’s fiscal 2025 earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 1%, whereas the consensus mark for fiscal 2026 suggests growth of 8.3%. Earnings estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 have been southbound in the past 30 days.

lululemon currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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