Is Outdoor Voices the New Lululemon?
As someone who grew up in Austin, Texas, going home for winter break consisted of being asked “Have you heard of Outdoor Voices yet?” by all of my friends. Although I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of athleisure – I wear skirts daily and my leggings are strictly reserved for working out – the brand Outdoor Voices had been popping up on my Instagram feed for days, and I was starting to become curious about the new activewear brand. My best friend, who attends Texas A&M University, elaborated that “everyone on campus is wearing it right now,” adding that the pale pink leggings she was wearing were in fact from Outdoor Voices. Since then, I’ve watched the brand explode further in popularity, with new student ambassadors popping up seemingly every day. What I first thought was another Texas trend transcended state borders, with Chicago’s first Outdoor Voices store opening on December 22, and student ambassadors being selected from Northwestern’s campus. Between its growing popularity, sustainable pieces, and brilliant social media presence, it’s clear OV is a brand – and a lifestyle – that’s here to stay.
Tyler Haney founded Outdoor Voices in 2013 after graduating from New York City’s Parsons School of Design. After being featured in J.Crew in early 2014, she opened the first Outdoor Voices store in Austin in October 2014. When she developed her signature OV Kit, a set of a comfortable and fashionable bra or crop top and leggings, her company took off.
Now with a headquarters in Austin, nine storefronts, and 325k followers on Instagram, Outdoor Voices is valued at $100 million– next in line to steal the crown of women’s athleisure from queen bee Lululemon. Although Outdoor Voices doesn’t offer as many articles of clothing on their website as Lululemon does, with only 55 pieces of women’s clothing compared to the 515 pieces listed on Lululemon’s website, Outdoor Voices reigns supreme with its prices. OV’s TechSweat Crop Top, one of its most popular sports bras, is sold for $45. The fan favorite Free to Be bra at Lululemon is sold for $52. While Lululemon’s leggings notoriously range from $98 to $148, Outdoor Voices’ leggings are sold at prices between $75 and $105, and are available in warm pastels, colorblocked patterns, and soft, sustainable recycled polyester fabrics. With online reviews raving about everything from the “flattering and functional” waistband to the “secure” amount of compression, these leggings are easily comparable with, if not superior to, the iconic Lululemon leggings.
Not only does Outdoor Voices appeal to college students more than competing brands with its lower prices and 20% student discount, but it also highly markets its products and brand toward young adults. The company sells every item a millennial fitness fanatic would want, including leggings, sweatpants, shorts and skorts, sports bras, tanks, dresses, jackets, shoes, and accessories for both men and women in sizes XS to XL. Furthermore, with their motto #DoingThings, the brand encourages enjoying exercising more than unnecessarily pushing ourselves. “We believe in going out and Doing Things,” the company’s statement says. “Moving our bodies and having fun. Let's let go of our expectations, rules, shoulds and should nots. Let's have fun, be free, make discoveries, make friends, and make progress. Let’s start #DoingThings together.” Outdoor Voices gives its followers permission to push their bodies with recreational weekend hikes, rather than hardcore weekday training. Furthermore, Outdoor Voices targets students through its ambassador and campus rep programs, where they give free products to individuals who fit the Outdoor Voices look and agree to post pictures in the gear with the hashtags #DoingThings, #OutdoorVoices, and #OVOfficial.
Northwestern Junior and Communication studies major Rachel Cantor has been a campus representative for Outdoor Voices since the end of fall.
“I love the mission, vision, and message the company puts out – #DoingThings. I’m very passionate about female entrepreneurship, and I love supporting female-run companies like OV.”
Cantor has shared two posts on her Instagram account that highlight the Outdoor Voices brand and products.
“I have the creative freedom to post what I want, but there are fun weekly challenges!” she said.
These weekly challenges, every post, and product sales from referrals go toward redeeming free new products. However, Cantor believes the biggest perk of being an Outdoor Voices rep is making people aware of the brand she loves. “To me, the biggest park is sharing this brand I’m passionate about. Nobody in Chicago really knew what OV was until very recently.”
Although she’s long been a fan of the company and has frequently promoted its products on her own, she can now shamelessly post about her love for one of her favorite brands– and get free stuff while doing it.
With its assembly of an almost cult-like group of college-aged micro-influencers that fill Instagram feeds with new #DoingThings content almost every day, it’s hard for those that don’t own Outdoor Voices to not be curious about the brand and all that’s associated with it. As the fashionably fit brand plans to open another store in New York’s Flatiron district and is showing no signs of stopping its appointment of daily new influencers, Outdoor Voices is slowly but surely cementing its place as the best and hottest new activewear brand to keep an eye on.