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How young is too young to live your life in spandex? Athleta's thinking like 6.
The brand is launching Athleta Girl today, an activewear and lifestyle collection for girls ages 6 to 14 divided into sports categories just like the main womenswear line, from "yoga and studio" to "training," "run," and "swim."
A girl’s line is both a natural extension for Athleta and something customers asked for, according to Athleta president Nancy Green. "The girls’ category is a natural fit for Athleta as the brand has been active in empowering both women and girls through fitness since its founding in 1998," she told Racked via email.
A girls’ line is something our customers have been asking for – girls today want to dress sporty. They are living more active lives. We see Athleta Girl as an opportunity to offer her clothes that are comfortable, stylish, high-quality, built to move and will perform for her. We are also looking forward to inspiring her with amazing products and engaging experiences.
Athleta isn’t the only Gap Inc brand to sell activewear for kids — there’s a girl’s activewear section on Gap’s website for example. But Green says Athleta Girl has the same performance fabrics and design detail as the brand's main womenswear collection.
"For the launch of Athleta Girl, we tested our products and added pockets where girls wanted and needed them. For example, based on our testing, we added a cord to the waistband so girls’ can easily adjust the sizing, and we made sure that the pieces can be worn across multiple activities," she said. "Another example is our swim products – our swim line was designed leveraging our expertise in the swim business, but with young girls in mind. Our pieces were designed with comfort, coverage and the ability to be active."
Prices for elementary school aged Athleta athleisure run from $10 for a headband to $68 for a windbreaker. The pieces are bright and colorful, from a cute melon-colored sweatshirt to space-dyed leggings and graphic tees with slogans like "Dream crazy big" — which goes along with Athleta’s new female-centric "The Power of She" campaign.