• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, September 18, 2024

Fabletics keeps looking for new ways to win with men and thinks it has a winner in a pair of pants called the Don. Developed with four-way stretch and classic styling, the pant, three years in the making, is intended to fill a big gap in men’s wardrobe: flexible enough for the gym, but looks polished enough for the office or going to a restaurant. Carly Gomez, senior vice president of brand marketing, who joined the company six months ago from Vans, tells Retail Insider about the product, the campaign and the in-store strategy.

Retail Insider: Tell us why this pair of pants is so important.

Carly Gomez: We came to men's business in April 2020 and kicked off with Kevin Hart. We had years of success with our subscription model for women and knew we needed to show up for men differently. Men tend to think about fitness through the lens of, 'This is what I wear to work out, this is what I wear to work, this is what I wear to dinner.’

But Fabletics had had such success with activewear, combining those things for women. That’s our ethos, and now that we’re four years into men’s and have built up a base of consumers, this new Don pant does all that. You can wear it to work out, to work, or to dinner.There’s a five-pocket and a trouser style, and both come in multiple lengths. And there's this living a classic fit. It works on all body types.

Retail Insider: Women have been in love with leggings and this idea of breezing from the yoga studio to the coffee shop for a long time. What are the most significant differences between marketing activewear for women versus men?

Gomez: For men, we've been thinking hard about the lens of versatility. We show our products in different settings – you’ll see them on a golfer, a chef, a skateboarder or a boxer. They’re breathable and flexible.

But we also think about fashion and what men want. That’s such a big part of who we are. We have2.4 million monthly subscribers, and the most significant value they see in our membership is newness.

Retail Insider: What role do stores play in the business model and attracting more men?

Gomez: We have more than 100 stores* now in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and we show both men's and women’s in our windows. People immediately get that we offer something for everywhere – all genders, all sizes, all styles. We use a lot of imagery within the stores, with plenty of messaging about benefits and features. And because people can touch the clothes, they understand how breathable they are. When consumers can touch and feel the product, it’s different than seeing an ad online. And they can ask themselves, 'Do I want to become a member?’

Retail Insider: I’m curious if there’s much crossover between genders. I stole my favorite sweatpants from my husband.

Gomez: Yes. When you go into our website, you are dropped into either men’s or women’s. But we do a lot of cross-shopping and cross-selling. You’ll see the Don pant marketed on the women's page and the Ginger collection on the men's. Same thing with our social channels. People want to wear what makes them feel comfortable. We also do that with our Scrubs line and Yitty shapewear.

Retail Insider: How did this ad campaign, with Hart, his son, and Druski, come about?

Gomez: Kevin is so funny and an amazing partner for Fabletics. The idea behind this pant is that it would give men confidence, and that came up again and again internally. People wore them and said, “I feel like the man. I feel like the Don.’ So that became the project’s nickname, then the actual name. We wanted to tell that story in a 'Goodfellas’ way with an iconic Don. And the story started to tell itself.

Retail Insider: Kevin plays the Don. Hendrix, his 16-year-old son, plays the kid looking to get made. There’s a guy in the meat locker with no pants. And then Druski, another comedian, steals the show. You made it in-house, right?

Gomez: Yes, and we are unbelievably proud of it. It’s the Hart’s first father-and-son commercial. I love how Fabletics uses humor in ways that resonate. People immediately get that sense of confidence, like, 'I’m the man. I’m the dude. These pants are that good.’

We’ve been pushing this content out on our social media, and it’s the highest engagement we’ve ever had with men.

*An earlier version of this story misstated the number of stores.