We researched 44 sports brands from highly technical performance-ware to athleisure, from independent studios to group-owned giants to highlight a potential gap in the market: performance-first, independent brands designed specifically for women*
Men have SATISFY, SOAR Running, #UVU and countless others. But what culturally coded, performance-first independents have been built for her, by her?
At first glance, it looks obvious. The upper-right quadrant of this map—high-performance, specialist brands designed for women—is strikingly sparse.
But is this a legitimate niche? Or more of a mirage.
It’s possible that women in sport aren’t under supplied but served differently. Or perhaps all the performance needs are met by Nike, adidas etc. Or maybe style-first shopping behaviours aren’t a market weakness but a customer preference.
But all great positionings start small.
I believe that there is a gap for a fresh independent with a strong creative point of view, or a female-led offshoot from one of the male-oriented specialist labels that dominate the scene.
And the logic tracks: if Satisfy, Pas Normal, UVU, SOAR, Bandit can cultivate cult status through elevated design and endurance credibility, why hasn’t anyone built their equivalent specifically for women? It feels like it has potential.
This, and lots more on edition+partners.
*data fully available upon request. No gatekeeping, open-source etc.