IF you’ve ever dreamed about replicating the soft, comfy feel of a Lululemon legging for your tired feet — you are in luck. After months of speculation, the Canadian activewear brand is officially unveiling the first drop of a fully-fleshed out athletic footwear collection. Cue the red, white, and black confetti.

As the products are now available online and in select markets, you can pair your Fast and Free tights and breezy Swiftly Tech tank with Lululemon’s debut running shoes, Blissfeel — and, in the coming months, three more styles will roll out to complete a tightly edited collection of performance shoes for every occasion. There’s Chargefeel (a cross-trainer for gym workouts that will come in a low and mid-ankle profile), Strongfeel (a more supportive training shoe designed for “multi-directional movement”) and Restfeel (an elevated slide sandal for post-workout relaxation). A men’s collection is forthcoming in 2023.

On Lululemon’s very active subreddit — where buzz surrounding the brand’s footwear launch has been building for weeks — users are already proudly posting images of the runners and sharing reviews that compare the kicks to similar styles from On, Adidas, and Nike. According to the brand, Lululemon footwear has been over four years in the making, and the positive accolades are already beginning to pile up. “I haven’t really put on a shoe that feels quite like this,” said track and field athlete and Lululemon ambassador Jasmine Blocker in a video announcing the launch. “It [feels] like an extension of yourself.” On the Blissfeel page — where the trainer has already racked up a 4.7-star rating — reviewers write that the shoe offers “lots of support for very long runs,” “super comfortable and comparable to my other running shoes,” and even boasted “a little bit of bounce.”

Unlike Lululemon’s highly select drops of new colorways, Blissfeel is being rolled out in ten options. Water Drop, Pale Linen, and Electric Lemon are among the tried-and-true colorways that have long existed in best-selling sports bra and legging form. All of Lululemon’s women’s shoes will be available in sizes 5-11 (including half sizes) and will range in price from US$58 for the Restfeel slides to US$148 for Blissfeel and the mid-height Chargefeel — pricing that’s comparable to premium runners from brands like Hoka and Allbirds.

(SD-Agencies)