“From work to workout”: Why Aje Athletica is ramping up its fashion focus
After its launch just two and a half years ago, Aje Athletica has become a powerhouse in the athleisure space. But moving forward, the business will be focusing on upping the fashion factor of its collections.
Holding its first ever runway show earlier this month at the Sydney Opera House, Aje Athletica is working to evolve its business beyond its initial offering of leggings, sports bras and other workout wear – and instead deliver more “elevated” designs – though still with its customers’ active lifestyles in mind.
Aje Athletica’s chief executive Nadia Lotter told Inside Retail the brand has come a long way in two years, but that it is evolving with its customers’ changing needs.
“A lot of consumers are opting to dress in an elevated [but] off-duty way, and we wanted to use the [runway] show to put ourselves out there and say, ‘Hey, we’re no longer just an activewear brand – we’re a lifestyle brand with a fashion sport focus’,” Lotter said.
Repositioning a brand can be challenging, but Lotter said the process has been smooth. In fact, the brand’s ties with other businesses in Aje Collective, such as Aje and Ikkari, have made the transition fairly natural.
The shift won’t see Aje Athletica exit the athleisure space, but rather broaden its range into new areas: such as blazers and trench coats.
“If you come to us you’ll be able to buy activewear, plus a blazer to wear with that activewear. You couldn’t do that [at our competition],” Lotter said.
“For us, it’s really about taking a woman on the move through her week, from work to work out, to weekend, and dressing her for success through all of those elements.”
Future focus
Beyond this shift in focus, Lotter is also planning to grow steadily into the new year. The business already has 15 stores, but more are on the way – likely another six in the next six months. And, with Aje Athletica still firmly in growth mode, the business’ e-commerce sales are roughly 150 per cent higher year-on-year.
“The online growth has probably been the most significant, and that’s mainly because when the brand was founded, it shared a website with Aje,” Lotter explained.
“We were essentially sharing a basket, and then a customer would decide at the end of a shopping journey what they actually wanted to buy. Do they value Aje? Or Aje Athletica.
“When we split out of that website, probably around March or April, that’s really when we started seeing success and started to invest in customer acquisition.”
The next phase of investment for the business will be on serving its customers in the best possible way. Lotter noted the business is investing in training programs for its staff to ensure they have the tools to better connect with customers, as well as handle issues and complaints, and adapt to their changing needs.
Lotter is also looking to set Aje Athletica apart from competitors in the athleisure space by integrating with Aje’s newly-launched health and beauty business Ikkari.
“We have products in our range that can help people feel confident, which is our clothing, and then we have products in our range that can help people feel good inside as well,” Lotter said.
Moving forward, the business will be able to talk to its customers, understand their active lifestyle, and recommend Ikkari products that may suit their needs as an additional sale.
A new level
Lotter took over leading Aje Athletica earlier this year, when Aje Collective co-founders Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest shuffled the business’ leadership structure.
The restructure has enabled each brand within Aje Collective to have its own dedicated strategy, focus, and control over its operations, Lotter said.
“What we actually found was that if each brand was to be successful, they needed to have a clear strategy, and a clear dedication to delivering that outcome,” Lotter said.
“Otherwise a hero brand in a network is going to get more attention and time than the other brands, and this separation in the brands has been able to propel us to growth, while also pushing the Aje brand to a new level.”
The post “From work to workout”: Why Aje Athletica is ramping up its fashion focus appeared first on Inside Retail.