Count Rhone as the latest brand to plunge into the competitive women’s activewear market.
Just over three years after dipping its toe in the water with a special capsule tied to Women’s History Month, the brand is introducing a tight collection of sport and lifestyle pieces for summer 2024. Rhone will debut the brand during the Chicago Collective women’s show this weekend to launch at retail next May.
The launch is neither a capsule nor a limited-edition collection, but represents a full-on expansion into the world of womenswear, the company said. The launch collection will include 14 styles, with expansion into other categories already in the hopper.
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Nate Checketts, chief executive officer and cofounder of Rhone, said the women’s capsule that launched in February 2020 sold out, prompting the company to start exploring a more aggressive move into the category. But the pandemic caused those conversations to be put on the back burner as Rhone concentrated on its core menswear, which ranges from true activewear to commuter collections.
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“Those early months were terrifying so we focused on our core business and did really well,” Checketts said. “And we took a pause on the women’s.”
But now is the right time to revisit the idea, he believes, thanks in part to the addition of Kelly Cooper, chief product officer, who joined Rhone in May 2022 after stints at Qor, Athleta and J.Jill Group.
“Kelly is quite brilliant,” Checketts said. “The way she thinks about building product from the fabric up is unparalleled.” From the moment Cooper joined the company, she pushed the team to get into womenswear, but Checketts wanted to wait until he believed Rhone had perfected the product.
“It’s a hyper-competitive business,” he acknowledged, adding that the launch collective will focus on offering fewer, better items.
It will include a Studio collection designed for low-impact workouts and comprised of soft, lightweight technical fabrics including a longline bra top for $68; a tank for $64; a solid bike short for $68 and $78 for prints; a 7/8-inch legging for $108 or $118 for a printed version, and a flare legging for $118.
A Course to Court collection, targeted to pickleball, tennis and golf enthusiasts, includes a sleeveless polo for $88; a short-sleeve polo for $98; a sleeveless zip mock for $78; a skort for $88; a sport dress for $118, and a quarter-zip for $108.
A Lifestyle collection features core layering pieces intended to complement the Studio and Course to Court lines and includes a full-zip hoodie for $118, a pullover for $118 and a vest for $128.
The fabrics are similar to those offered in the menswear and Rhone’s stitch logo is also included on each piece, along with some inspirational words printed on the inside: I Am Strong, I Am Radiant or I Am Everything.
Cooper said when conceiving the product, Rhone brought it to focus groups and found that women wanted similar fabrics and attributes offered in menswear, such as antiodor fabrics and internal media pockets.
Although Rhone joins such upstarts as Greatness Wins and Vuori along with the behemoths of Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and other sports brands in the competitive activewear arena, it believes it can carve out a successful niche.
Ben Checketts, cofounder and Nate Checketts’ brother, pointed out that 30 percent of Rhone’s current customers are women — along with 70 percent of its staff — so the company has received plenty of guidance on what should be offered in a women’s collection.
Cooper said that next year, there will be more Course to Court pieces added in July followed by commuter-wear in September and cozy outfits for the fall in October. “We want to capture her whole life,” she said.
Nate Checketts said that while athleisure and commuter pieces will be part of the collection — similar to what is offered in men’s — all of the pieces will be rooted in performance. “All our designs have a background in active, otherwise we’re just another clothing brand, and women’s will be the same.”
The womenswear will be sold at Rhone’s 16 stores as well as on its e-commerce site and it will also be offered to “a few select wholesale accounts,” he said.
The brand would not estimate how large women’s could eventually become for Rhone, but Ben Checketts said: “Our goal is to build this to become the perfect complement to our men’s line.”
But it’s not expected to dominate the company — at least not immediately.
Nate Checketts said: “We’ve seen brands lose their way [when they launch women’s], but our intention is to elevate both men’s and women’s.”
Rhone’s longstanding commitment to mental health will also be front and center on the womenswear and throughout the company. “We’re hyper-focused on mental wellness and building beautiful product,” Nate Checketts said. “Kelly brought a great line to the table as we work to continue to build a long-term commitment-focused brand.”
Rhone, which was founded in 2014, received an investment in 2017 from L Catterton, a partnership between Catterton Partners, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Groupe Arnault. While its competitor Vuori is rumored to be preparing an initial public offering, Nate Checketts said that’s not in the cards for Rhone right now.
“It’s not something we have aspirations for in the short- to mid-term,” he said. Instead, the team is focused on running a “very strong independent business.”