LSKD Makes Long-Awaited U.S. Debut With San Diego Store
First stop: California. LSKD opened its first retail location in the U.S. and has partnered with Life Time Fitness to outfit over 4,000 trainers
LSKD, an Australian-based activewear brand with a street aesthetic, has had a busy year so far, with a big move and a partnership with Life Time Fitness.
The brand has officially opened its first retail store in the States, selecting sunny San Diego as its home base. LSKD’s San Diego’s store, located at 1414 Garnet Ave., is now the official spot to #chasethevibe in the U.S.
The Aussie activewear brand grew from $1.7 million to $55 million in sales within just three years and has enjoyed a celebrity following, including Zac Efron, Hilary Duff and Lucy Hale.
LSKD shared a clip of its first day in San Diego, showing a long line of approximately 500 excited athleticwear customers waiting outside the brand’s fifth physical location.
The activewear brand currently has four retail locations in Australia with a fifth one set to open soon Down Under, and has said it plans to open other locations across New Zealand, Australia and the U.S.
To mark the opening of its first U.S. store, LSKD offered an exchange promotion, where the brand would accept used sportswear from any brand in exchange for a new pair. The used sportswear pieces were donated to San Diego’s Goodwill.
In addition to its good deed, the brand has continued to hit the ground running in the States, recently joining forces with SoCal Kettlebellz in Los Angeles for a special event and announcing an exclusive partnership with Life Time Fitness.
As a result of the partnership, 4,500 female trainers at Life Time Fitness, which has over 160 athletic country clubs in the U.S. and Canada, will now sport the co-branded apparel, which includes leggings and tops.
Last fall, Athletech News interviewed LSKD’s CEO and former motocross athlete Jason Daniel, where he discussed the brand’s evolution ahead of its stateside launch. The brand, an extension of Daniel’s original brand, Loose Kid Industries, is meant to inspire consumers to chase the vibe through sport, fitness and adventure.
As for his brand’s U.S. plans, Daniel was mindful of establishing an internal culture first before spreading it externally to communities.
“Mission first, and then how do we be the best in the world in creating sportswear for our community,” explained Daniel. It’s an approach that has worked, as LSKD, which grew from a team of 12 to over a hundred, has had a positive experience in the land Down Under.
“As we’ve grown really fast in Australia over the past four years, LSKD’s greatest accomplishment has been staying true to our mission and values while still growing exponentially. That’s been a big one,” said Daniel. “It’s been truly inspiring to watch our team come together and align everything back to our mission and values, right down to our growth as a company and onboarding new team members; we onboard with more than five different books.”
While other up-and-coming brands may head to LA, Daniel was lured to San Diego because he feels it aligns with the LSKD vibe and embraces the fitness community.
“We spent a lot of time out here; we know the area quite well. Fitness is really growing in San Diego, so it felt right,” Daniel told Business News Australia. “I suppose a lot of brands go to L.A., but we just decided to put our flag down in San Diego and localize ourselves there. Obviously, we’re growing throughout the U.S., but the main focus was to be there.”
