Vuori

Market position

Vuori is positioned as a challenger in an activewear market described as worth $171 billion and historically dominated by Lululemon. At the time of its SoftBank investment it was valued at $4 billion, described as the largest valuation for a non-public apparel company, and its 2024 round set a $5.5 billion valuation. Its 2021 SoftBank round was reported as the largest investment round raised by a private apparel brand, a mark the 2024 round doubled.

Vuori targeted men first in a category where competitors historically treated menswear as secondary, and positions its products as versatile enough to move between athletic use, work-from-home and everyday wear. Observers noted it scaled with comparatively little capital, advertising spend and store openings relative to peers, and the company emphasizes ethical manufacturing, sustainability practices and free returns.

Technology

The brand builds products around proprietary named fabrics and constructions, including DreamKnit, BlissBlend and AllTheFeels, used across collections such as Kore, Halo, Breathe and Sunday.

Go-to-market

Early growth came from grassroots marketing through yoga studios and gyms, followed by a pivot toward e-commerce and retail partnerships that placed the brand in national chains. Vuori later opened its own stores in locations chosen by where its customers were concentrated. Marketing spend is concentrated in streaming, broadcast and TV advertising, with additional investment in Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and out-of-home billboards; the brand also uses athlete and personality endorsements (for example curated picks from Livvy Dunne and Arch Manning), free returns and store events.

Active consumers, both men and women, seeking versatile apparel for the gym, yoga studio, tennis, travel, work-from-home and everyday wear; the brand initially targeted men before expanding to women.

Geography

Headquartered in the Encinitas/San Diego area of California, with retail including a roughly 5,000-square-foot New York City store, stores in Manhattan Beach and San Francisco, a first international flagship in London opened in early November 2024, and international expansion in Europe and Asia.

History

Vuori launched in 2015 and initially built awareness through grassroots marketing, selling via yoga studios and gyms. After customer surveys showed its buyers were less yoga-focused than assumed, Kudla shifted emphasis to e-commerce and broader activewear positioning, and recruited industry executives including Luis Alvarez (previously Asics and Nixon Watches) and Rebecca Bray (previously Rip Curl). In 2016 the brand joined REI's incubation program and became a leading brand in many REI stores. Wholesale partnerships with Nordstrom and REI brought distribution to more than 150 physical locations, and by the end of 2017 Vuori was sold in over 600 retail stores including Equinox and Paragon Sports. In 2018 it added stores in Manhattan Beach and San Francisco alongside its Encinitas location. Revenue tripled in 2021, the year it raised institutional capital from Norwest Venture Partners and SoftBank. An $825 million round led by General Atlantic and Stripes followed in November 2024, alongside the opening of its first international flagship in London.

Risks & controversies

Vuori competes in a crowded activewear market against larger incumbents such as Lululemon, and its growth plans depend on international expansion and a large planned store rollout. Reported IPO considerations remain unconfirmed and subject to change.