The Lululemon-owned fitness fashion brand you may not know about

If you’re a woman in North America who’s ever stepped into a fitness or yoga studio (or onto a sidewalk), you’ve maybe, probably, definitely heard of Lululemon.

But have you heard of Ivivva, the Lululemon-owned fitness fashion brand with 31 stores in the US and 12 in Canada?

Started in 2009, Ivivva caters to young girls, with activewear in sizes six to 14 made from Lululemon fabrics, with styles and colorways specifically tailored to children (i.e. not much basic black Luon to see here). The company is now growing quickly, and just opened its first pop-up store in New York City, inside Lulu’s old space in Union Square.

Allison Forsyth is Ivivva’s director of brand and community and worked at Lululemon corporate while the company was creating Ivivva. “We wanted to create a brand and a space where girls can really play,” Forsyth says. “We have programming and events specific to girls, and the product is tailored to a girl’s form and tastes. It’s truly the girls’ own brand.”

In addition to the stores, Ivivva also now has close to 40 showrooms, which are smaller boutiques open a few days per week that are meant to introduce the brand to a community. (For instance, an Ivivva showroom on Manhattan’s Upper West Side opened before the Union Square store.)

In the showrooms and stores, which are largely located in California, the Chicago area, and Texas, in both malls and as street-front brick-and-mortars, Ivivva hosts workouts for girls in addition to various wellness workshops. “The ones we’re probably most known for are in-store yoga classes,” Forsyth says. “But our philosophy is to support girls in all of their activities. We also host dreams and goals workshops for girls, and community events like marshmallow roasting.”

As for the clothes, prices are surprisingly (almost) as steep as Lululemon, with tops running about $50 and leggings running about $70, and styles are made for a range of activities.

“Girls are really attuned to function, they’re very specific in what they love,” Forsyth says. Just imagine how excited your childhood self would have been if you didn’t have to wear basketball shorts and a baggy cotton t-shirt to PE class? —Jamie McKillop

For more intel on what Lululemon is up to, check out their biggest-ever store to date...

(Photos: Ivivva)