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- left on friday 2
mornin' merry makers ☀️🏊️🏐🍁🛍️
lululemon has been on my mind a lot lately.
partly because i was reading chip wilson’s newest memoir, partly because of tracksuit’s latest findings on how lulu ranks in gen z wallets, and partly because i’m in la for the summer where i feel like i’m living in a walking ad for technical apparel. especially true when i’m on abbot kinney.
on one of my recent store strolls, i discovered small storefront selling swimsuits that felt unlike any swimsuit i’ve felt before. they also had crazy long clothing tag ribbons that matched the lululemon red in both color and style.
the store was left on friday.
a brand with very strong lululemon roots. lof for short was founded by shannon and laura, two former lululemon heavyweights who spent over two decades combined designing the actual pieces that built the brand’s cult following.
most notably the speed short (shannon)
& the free to be bra wild (laura).
during one evening hot tubbing sesh, the two product-loving athletes realized how frustrated they were with the state of swimsuits. they had a suit for every setting but none that made them feel confident, cute, and actually held up.
today we’re diving head first into this brand that determine to give you Epic Good Times™ while wearing one suit.
in today’s letter, you'll learn:
→ how they're building on their lululemon legacy with smoothing dream fabric, brand color, name choice, and more
→ how olympic athletes (& moms) became their ultimate marketing strategy
→ where to shop their standalone and pop-ins across the us & canada
before we dive into today’s store-y,
let’s show some love to my returning merry sponsor:
tracksuit, who keeps the insights flowing and the newsletters free.
their latest data drop (in partnership with adweek) shows which brands are winning gen z’s wallets. lululemon lands at #7, with a 13% jump in consideration. proof that purpose and product can work overtime, over decades, and over generations.
want to learn how to make brand your legal performance enhancer?
stories i'm watching
technical innovation: their proprietary "smoothing dream fabric" from italy provides compression both wet & dry. a functionality that lululemon's studio-focused fabrics can't match. they're solving a problem lulu never quite cracked. plus it’s also snag resistant which we all need given the state of pools.
words that wear well: left on friday gives their pieces names that evoke movement and mood. the suit names sound like Epic Good Times™. hi tide, streamline, weekender, sunday, shoreline. no numbers, no jargon. just pure feel good feelings (another thing lululemon has always done well!)
lululemon legacy: that familiar lululemon red is everywhere in their branding. when you know what works in activewear, why change a good thing? the color immediately signals premium technical apparel. plus the name starts with a L like lululemon which was a strategic decision from day 1.
reverse strategy: instead of jumping into the crowded leggings market, they identified an underserved category (active swimwear) & built expertise there first. when they later launched activewear and lots of lovely linen lounge, they weren't another me-too brand they were the swimwear experts expanding their expertise and offering.
their social strategy takes the best of what worked for lululemon growth and applies it to swim. 184K instagram followers.
olympic validation: their 3-year partnership with volleyball canada culminated in designing uniforms for team canada's beach volleyball team at the 2024 paris olympics. the team won silver medals while wearing left on friday. that's the kind of credibility you literally can't buy.
celebrity adoption: gwyneth paltrow, michelle monaghan, & hilary swank all organically adopted the brand. when gwyneth posts your swimsuit on her story, you know you've created something special (read my prior issue on goop to understand why).
limited drops & leopard print: they drop small batches of select colors year-round, fueling that “get it before it’s gone” energy. case in point: their most recent loeffler randall collab that gave they first ever printed suits in leopard along with a jelly sandal.
retail rollout
left on friday operates a carefully curated network that applies proven activewear retail principles to swimwear:
permanent locations:
abbot kinney flagship in la since dec 23
queen street flagship in toronto, opening very soon!
strategic pop-ups: (the proven market-testing approach!)
santa monica, la, ca @ burton
soho, nyc, ny @ westerlind
soho, nyc, ny @ burton (yes 2 in soho only blocks away)
w 4th, vancouver, can @ turf
muskoka, ontario, can @ duke’s boathouse
muskoka, ontario, can @ the boathouse yoga co
showroom, victoria, can @ a warehouse space
coming soon (based on public announcements)
alberta, can
las vegas
new york city
now hiring
these lululemon alums proudly employ many other lululemon alums, a chief creative officer from madewell, and a cfo from kit & ace, if you want to join the left on friday fam, they might just be looking for ya!
corporate roles (in la & vancouver):
manager, retention (la)
senior accountant (vancouver)
fit models (vancouver)
retail positions (in usa & canada)
so fitting for a fit brand
left on friday isn't just building another swim brand, they’re building what tracksuit calls a fit brand. a term i discovered (& am newly obsessed with) from their newest “track the field” report.
fit brands win in customer acquisition, margin, and long-term loyalty. they’re built for endurance, not hype.
left on friday’s olympic partnership shows they’re going for gold, literally. getting athlete approval shows their commitment to being the best. can’t wait to see what they do for LA 28
products made to feel incredible on, so you feel incredible in it.
simple as that.
p.s. if you own left on friday, please report back 😄