Men’s premium active apparel brand Rhone is paying homage to its female employees with a new capsule collection.
Available on the brand’s website this week, the line is comprised of seven pieces, including hoodies, leggings, tanks and joggers, retailing for $64-$138. According to Rhone, the company’s employees conceptualized and championed the range, and its launch celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, along with Women’s History month.
“The women of Rhone were the inspiration for this capsule collection, and they’re the backbone of this business,” co-founder and chief product officer, Kyle McClure, told Sourcing Journal. “This capsule collection celebrates and recognizes the creativity, tenacity, and leadership of Rhone’s female employees.”
The products’ inseams are emblazoned with Virginia Woolf’s quote, “No need to be anybody but oneself,” and a creative campaign features Dr. Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Women.” Six Rhone employees were photographed for the collection’s lifestyle imagery.
When asked whether Rhone would consider making women’s athletic wear a permanent staple in the line, McClure said there are currently no plans for another women’s collection. “While we anticipate learning a lot from this launch, we’re not viewing this as an opportunity to test the market for future expansion into the category,” he said. The six-year-old DTC brand is known for its men’s athletic, casual and lounge styles, ranging from underwear to joggers, tees, chinos and button-down shirts.
In designing the brand’s first and only women’s product, McClure described a desire to bring something different to the athletic wear market. “The biggest challenge we faced was the fact that the world didn’t need another black legging,” he said. “We felt like in order to proceed, we needed to not only deliver incredible product but also have something to say.”
What followed was an organically evolving design process that stemmed from a desire to show appreciation and respect for the company’s female staff, he said. “The women of Rhone were behind this collection. Everything from design, to fit, to PR, to marketing to modeling…. They pushed this forward at every part of the process,” McClure said. “We are proud to see them bring this collection to life for themselves and for women everywhere.”