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Monse Teams Up With Equinox for Capsule Collection

Monse is the latest designer label to muscle up its business with an exclusive athleisure line.

Through a collaboration with the fitness and wellness operation Equinox, Monse’s Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia have dreamed up directional, performance-oriented pieces. Available in select Equinox clubs and its online site, Monse’s limited-run styles include a zig-zag bra top, a long-sleeved crop top and cutout leggings.

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With more than 100 fitness clubs, Equinox will be helping to introduce the Monse label to a wide customer base of workout and wellness enthusiasts. In addition to the fitness-friendly styles, Equinox will carry select items from Monse’s spring collection, like olive-colored parachute pants. Monse first introduced athleisure into its line a few seasons ago.

The partnership was “kind of kismet,” according to Equinox’s vice president of retail Annie Walters, who is a regular Monse wearer. She and Monse’s chief executive officer Renee Prince Fillip first met when Walters worked at Neiman Marcus. They later reconnected at Saks Fifth Avenue, where she worked as vice president of store merchandising before joining Equinox.

Fillip said Kim and Garcia are “very excited” to add Equinox as a point of distribution for the brand. Kim frequently adds activewear to her everyday looks, and she loved how Equinox bought from the collection, selecting athleisure and ready-to-wear to incorporate fashion and fitness, Fillip said. Monse declined to comment on projected sales.

The first Monse drop for Equinox features nine styles and two other drops are planned. The electric blue color wave in the first drop is exclusive to Equinox, as is a black Monse sweatshirt. Asymmetric tops with cutouts and Monse logo ticking tape are expected to be key items, Walters said. “It’s a very elevated way to do active and it truly defines taking your active to the street, and being able to marry it with additional apparel pieces to make it truly lifestyle.”

Monse’s founders Kim and Garcia are also the creative leads at Oscar de la Renta.

“They were really excited about this new, novel partnership. It felt different and fresh. And it spoke to this demographic — the designer activewear client — that they were going after,” Walters said. “It is the same customer that we have in our building today. We’re just offering something that would be along the lines of what they are already purchasing at a Saks, Neiman’s or a Bergdorf’s.”

As the pandemic has dragged on, some people have maxed out on sweatpants and are trying to upgrade their style. Walters said, “There’s definitely been a strong migration from the sweatsuit back to performance [apparel]. This gives them the opportunity to level up their performance apparel.”

From her perspective, consumers’ willingness to spend is being swayed by their emotions. “During the pandemic, there was such a sense of wanting to feel safe and comfortable. Everybody was wearing a colorful sweatsuit to not only uplift their spirits but also to feel comfortable at home. Now as people emerge and come back into the world, they’re starting to regain their confidence in their bodies. This collection specifically shows off the hard work that people put into their figures. It’s definitely a sexy, elevated silhouette. Our customers, who have worked so hard to create these amazing physiques, are going to love this product,” Walters said. “It’s definitely for someone who wants to make a statement. She’s not your girl who wants to hide in the corner. She wants to feel good and show off everything she has.”

The average price for the limited-run leggings is $390, and tops range from $350 to $450.

The alliance signals a glimpse of more of what’s to come for Equinox, as in limited-run collaborations with other designers. “We’re really trying to create moments of differentiation in our assortment and really bring a designer presence to Equinox. We want to continue to facilitate partnerships, where we’re able to bring something that is not necessarily what first comes to mind for active apparel to our members,” Walters said.

Earlier this week Equinox rolled out its 2022 marketing campaign. Flagged as “Life Is the Luxury,” the theme is meant to amplify the power of possibility. Beyoncé’s lead dancer Loic Mabanza, Muay Thai fighter and model Gracie Carvahlo, model and dancer Cyrus Amini and Olympic track and field hopeful Divya Biswal are featured in the yearling campaign.

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