There are brands that are front of mind when you think of specific men’s dress codes. If you are dressing up in something elevated, then there are brands like Tom Ford. When you want some great workwear, Taylor Stitch is an easy go-to. And if you are working off those extra few drinks you’ve had in the gym, Fabletics is one of the best in the game. But recently, they have been expanding out of the gym and into the streets. Their lifestyle additions, like the Don Collection, began to show versatility in what they could do. Now, they are adding maybe the biggest departure from their gym fits, denim. I got a chance to pick the brain of Kelli Dugan, the Chief Merchandising and Design Officer for Fabletics, about their journey from fit lifestyle to lifestyle fits. And I got to try a few items myself. I know, perks of the job.
Activewear will always be at the core of what we do, but we’re constantly listening to our customers and evolving alongside how they live and dress. Today, people are building wardrobes that move seamlessly through their day, and denim is a natural extension of that. – Kelli Dugan, Chief Merchandising and Design Officer
They listened, and they delivered
We’re all guys here, right? We can talk? Ok, here is the truth. When we find something that we like, we don’t like to shop for more. When we find a brand like Fabletics, and they fit us well, and they work well for us, we want to beg them to do everything so we don’t have to go through the agony of testing sizes. So, it isn’t that surprising that the Fabletics faithful began clamoring for more options to go along with the Don Trousers, Bomber, and all the gym goodness.
“This is an incredibly exciting category for us because it’s something our customers have been asking for,” Dugan says. “More than a third of our nearly three million VIP members told us they wanted denim from Fabletics, so we saw a real opportunity to deliver it in a way only we could. What makes this launch special is that we approached denim the same way we approach our best-selling activewear: obsessing over fit, fabric, comfort, and style. The result is premium denim engineered for a flattering fit and all-day comfort, offered at a price that delivers real value. In a category as competitive as denim, that combination is hard to find.”
New look, same Fabletics
Here is the rub. When a brand is really good at something, branching out can be dangerous. Fabletics is stellar at outfitting me when I need to hit the gym. They are one of my go-to brands for feeling good while working to feel better. So there is always a little bit of trepidation when this happens. Like your favorite pizza place announcing they are dropping tacos on the newest menu. So, when I first put on the jeans and the jacket, I noticed something: they felt right. Clearly, this is no pizza place looking for a gimmick. They felt like the style of my other favorite denim brands, without losing the function of my favorite gym brand.
“Our goal was to bring the same promise our customers know and love from Fabletics — great fit, comfort, and fashion-forward design at an accessible price — to a new category. Denim felt like the perfect next step because it pairs so naturally with the lifestyle pieces our customers already love from us, from tees and sweatshirts to outerwear.”
But how did it fit?
Ok. Now down to the brass tacks. They looked great. They felt functional. But jeans need a lived-in feel. They need to have that best friend reliablility the rest of your wardrobe doesn’t. Everything else in your wardrobe has a purpose. Trousers for elevated moments. Sneakers for the gym. Hats for a bit of expression. Your jeans? They are different. They are the things you throw on when you don’t know for sure what you want. You want to look great, you want comfort. They are there for you when you need them. So, I held these to a higher standard than I would other garments.
I got my hands on two straight-leg fit jeans (light wash and black wash) and a black wash denim trucker jacket. For my stroll through the city for coffee and a stop at a bookstore, the light wash and jacket fit me perfectly and were the ever-sought-after level of fit and function. Then, for an evening dinner and drinks, I threw on my black wash jeans and paired them with a knit tie for a fun twist on the suit and tie look. I was blown away by how seamlessly they went from daytime errands to after 6 pm date night style.
Denim is much like any other garment; there is a fair amount of subjectivity that goes into what becomes a favorite. They need to have all of the Big Three Fs: Fit, Function, & Fashion, if they want a chance at cracking those top lists. I am happy to say that Fabletics denim hit all three of those criteria out of the park, and they are a new denim mainstay for my on-the-road-lifestyle in and out of the city.
