Consumers are progressively looking for brands that reverberate with their interests and tastes. For illustration, aesthetics labeled “eclectic grandpa” (the title speaks for itself) and “tomato girl” (Mediterranean-summer inspired) spark the interest of TikTokers who then find ways to integrate them into their lifestyles.

A lifestyle brand enables the same thing. Shoppers can showcase their interests by wearing gear from their favorite brands and connect with others who relate.

Nike, Under Armour, Lululemon, Columbia, and The North Face are five athletic clothing and gear brands that perfectly align with the on-the-go and health-conscious lifestyle many consumers want. Here’s a look at what these five lifestyle brands are doing right and how they use ecommerce strategies to create holistic brand experiences.

What Is a Lifestyle Brand?

A lifestyle brand endorses a certain way of life and promotes products and services that help people achieve it.

For example, Nike, Under Armour, Lululemon, Columbia, and The North Face are considered athleisure (a combination of athletic and leisure) lifestyle brands. These brands cater to workout enthusiasts who want to look and feel good while working out and those who desire comfortable gear for other everyday activities.

The high-end clothing brand Vineyard Vines is another example of a lifestyle brand. Vineyard Vine-wearers typically enjoy a marine, preppy lifestyle. They might spend summers on Martha’s Vineyard, go to the Kentucky Derby, or compete at the Head of the Charles Regatta.

Lifestyle brands are experts at building customer trust and loyalty through quality products and experiences, which is critical to the brand’s longevity. Salsify’s “2024 Consumer Research,” a study of 2,700 U.S. and U.K. respondents across generational groups, reports that product quality matters to 73% of consumers.

These five lifestyle brands are some of the top names shoppers associate with the athleisure lifestyle.

5 Examples of What Makes a Winning Lifestyle Brand

Nike, Under Armour, Lululemon, Columbia, and The North Face use similar strategies to promote themselves as lifestyle brands in the athletic apparel industry, but each company has a nuance to its community-building approach that sets it apart.

1. Nike Says Everyone’s an Athlete

You aren’t just told that you can be successful with Nike products—you feel like you accomplished something thanks to them.

Nike’s mission statement is:
“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

Nike continues to combine innovation with inspiration through its various mobile apps that allow users to sync their sneakers to their iPhones.

Its SNKRS app gives customers insider access to the latest, hottest, most exclusive Nike products.
Apps like the Nike Training Club and the Nike Run Club foster a community of users who all feel like part of a workout club.

On Nike’s website, customers have the opportunity to imitate outfits they love.

Nike is doubling down on its lifestyle apparel brand strategy by inspiring its customers to keep striving and is practicing innovative ways of doing so.

2. Under Armour Outfits Top Competitors

Often used to outfit athletes, Under Armour is known for its durability and quality.

Under Armour’s vision is:
“To inspire you with performance solutions you never knew you needed and can’t imagine living without.”

Under Armour’s app provides shoppers with personalized offerings, new gear alerts, and a seamless in-app checkout that syncs with your Under Armour account, offering Apple Pay.

Under Armour customers and sports fans can buy items from collections curated by some of their favorite athletes. The Curry Golf Collection promotes basketball player Stephen Curry’s selections, saying:
“Golf isn’t Stephen’s job — it’s his obsession. This collection takes some of our best innovations and adds in his style.”

Under Armour customers can buy into the athlete’s lifestyle on and off the field.

3. Lululemon Offers an Immersive Experience

Lululemon’s elevated workout gear commonly outfits all different types of athletes—from yogis to golfers to tennis players, and more.

Lululemon is the perfect example of an athletic brand that doubles as both workout gear and everyday clothing.

For example, it uses the tagline:
“From a moment to a mode. Play mode. Chill Mode. Flex Mode.”
to promote its pant styles.

Lululemon knows its audience and who influences those consumers, so it invests in its community.

The company supports brand ambassadors who embody Lululemon’s values and lifestyles.

It also offers programs like the Sweat Collective, which provides members with special benefits for teaching fitness classes and coaching in their community.

The Lululemon Collective is an affiliate program for content creators who want to inspire their followers while earning commissions.

It even offers experiential store experiences in certain locations, like Boston’s Newbury Street Lululemon store. It offers an opportunity to:
“Shop, workout, eat, lounge” saying:
“This is the space for you to be your best.”