Alo Yoga is having a breakout year, transcending sports, technology and celebrity culture. In May, the yoga-wear brand even showed up in the NBA Playoffs, worn by one of the league’s most electric stars. Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat were in the Finals, and Butler was filmed sporting Alo gear throughout the run.
How Alo Yoga took sportswear to the streets
Alo, founded in 2007, made its mark as a wardrobe staple in paparazzi shots of LA celebs exiting the gym. Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin Bieber and Gigi Hadid all wore Alo’s leggings. The brand—whose name stands for air, land, ocean—has become more than form-fitting workout clothes. It has streetwear sensibilities, a devoted community, a knack for timely collabs and a digital marketing playbook.
Alo Yoga Chief Marketing Officer Angélic Vendette is steeped in Web3 lore, developing digital assets, virtual shopping and more technological hooks to promote sales. The brand uses its connection with a highly digitized community to foster loyalty and take on athleisure giant Lululemon. In February, Alo opened its first store that shoppers could access through virtual reality goggles, an experience that it paired with remote yoga classes and other content. Alo sales doubled in 2022 to more than $1 billion, its CEO recently told The Wall Street Journal.
Alo has stretched into new areas of apparel, as well. Last August, Alo introduced its first luxury line, The Aspen Collection, designed for snowy climes. The collection debuted at New York Fashion Week, and it included a limited-edition NFT. In May, Alo dropped its first sneaker, the Alo X 01 Classic, which it marketed as a vegan, unisex shoe, and it sold out within a half hour.