Wellness Newsletter: Nike, Sweaty Betty, and Others Get Serious About Building Communities
Photo Credit: A group of people gather near the water. Wellness brands are going beyond creating products to build communities of fans and loyalists. Unsplash / @jens_johnsson
Skift Take
If one of the goals of wellness is to connect with others, well-being brands are wise to create communities that allow people to bond with one another and feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves.
For serious fashionistas, showing up to an event wearing the same outfit as someone else is almost seen as a sin. In wellness, however, this might be viewed as a step to building a strong community. Case in point: Sporting an identical pair of leggings as a fellow yogi is a good thing –– it creates a “tribe” culture, said Tamara Hill-Norton, founder of London-based athleisure brand Sweaty Betty, which is exactly what her brand has tried to foster.
Building Sweaty Betty’s community hasn’t just been about growing a digital fan base, but creating in-store opportunities, like free yoga classes and weekly guru-led wellness talks. The brand just celebrated its 20th anniversary, so you might say the plan is working out well.
Nike is also looking to strengthen its community by opening a new flagship store in New York City, where loyalists can engage with the brand by personalizing their footwear or meeting with on-staff experts to pick out their perfect pair of kicks — and
