Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M announced on Wednesday the launch of H&M Sport, a new line of athletic wear that will hit stores in January 2014.
The announcement comes in the wake of the revelation earlier this year that the retailer had signed an agreement to provide sport apparel for Sweden’s athletes for the next four years, which will include the Winter Olympics and Paralympics set to take place in Sochi, Russia next year and the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The new sport collection was designed with input from the Swedish Olympic team with a focus on performance, and includes pieces for women, men and children.
Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Head of Design at H&M said, “Sport and fitness is becoming an increasingly important part of all of our lifestyles, and the new H&M Sport is there to help you look and feel great.”
For women, the H&M Sport line includes pieces like windproof and water repellent running jackets, protective fleece jackets, looser fitting garments for yoga and other like activities, and athletic quick-dry pieces.
The men’s line offers running jackets, warm-up tops and trousers, sleeveless hoodies, and insulating jackets for outdoors. The key piece in the collection is a fully waterproof shell jacket.
H&M Sport for kids has pieces for boys and girls including track suits, swimwear, clothing for dance, and outdoor sport garments for various weather conditions.
Swedish Olympic swimmer and medalist Therese Alshammar, whose design input was incorporated into the collection, added: “Our focus has been checking the pieces for fit and function, for performance and also comfort. These new H&M Sport pieces will help everyone get the most out of their sporting life.”