Lululemon in investment, partnership with cycling apparel startup

lululemon athletica is thinking outside its core athleisure category.



The retailer has acquired a minority stake in, and entered into a strategic partnership with, 7mesh Industries Inc., an emerging Canadian brand that sells higher-end cycling apparel for men and women. As part of the arrangement, 7mesh will collaborate and create product at Whitespace, Lululemon's research and development facility, which is located at its headquarters in Vancouver. Lululemon hopes to have initial line of product from the collaboration in stores by the middle of 2018, Fortune reported.



"We’re always open to unlock opportunities to fuel our innovation pipeline,” said lululemon CEO Laurent Potdevin. “In bringing together 7mesh’s extensive technical apparel expertise and performance-focused mindset with the capabilities of our industry disrupting R&D Whitespace team, we perfectly blend fashion and function to co-create transformational products for our guests.”



Based in Squamish, British Columbia, 7mesh is located to lululemon’s headquarters.



“Working in close partnership with lululemon’s Whitespace team is an incredible opportunity for us. We’re excited to push the state of the art together in co-creating the most advanced technical performance apparel available,” commented 7mesh CEO Tyler Jordan.