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AYAMi works to make women beautiful
Asics running range offers women performance and style
Asics’ new women’s running range AYAMi has been developed to ‘redefine beauty’ and help retailers attract a new group of female customers into retail stores, the sports brand said.
Liz Austen, product manager at Asics, said AYAMi is a Japanese term that means femininity, colour and beauty, with the latter being a particularly important focus for the range.
“It is a performance driven yet fashion-orientated range that offers elements, such as technical fabrics that work with the runner and are easy to wear,” said Austen.
The AYAMi range includes various tops, shorts, jackets and other garments, all of which are available in a variety of bright colours, which Austen said is a growing trend in the market.
There are seamless garments, a top with hood that can be worn eight different ways and long tights with a woven waistband that offer tummy control. The range can also be worn in a variety of combinations thanks to a multilayering design ethos, which Austen said is another trend in the market.
She said: “It’s about redefining beauty and offering something to women who want to look good but need performance clothing. Multilayering is a concept that has been integrated into the AYAMi range. It is a fashion trend that we have responded to.”
AYAMi has been exclusively available in the Asics London store for around six months, and will go into selected Sweatshop stores in time for autumn/winter 2011. It will then become available to independent retailers in time for spring/summer 2012.
Austen said AYAMi will appeal to retailers’ existing customers and attract new business. It has been launched in partnership with Sweatshop as the retailer provided adequate merchandising space to help establish interest in AYAMi and boost its impact on the market.
“It will be sold into independent retailers that attract the right kind of customers, which will allow them to grow sales both to their existing base and to new female runners coming into their store.”
