The 3 Moves That Decide Who Wins Peak 2025

Styled Athletics

Here's what's happening this week in the world of styled athletics:
- Athleisure’s expansion slows as shoppers demand newness.
- Smartwool and icebreaker lock resort distribution across Alterra.
- Brain Dead drops a court-core capsule with adidas.
- Columbia’s ACCELERATE bets push spend amid tariff pressure.
- Studios become retail as Addison Bay links with SoulCycle.

⏱️The 3 Moves That Decide Who Wins Peak 2025

Every brand talks about “winning Peak.” Few actually do. In this short video, Fospha’s Aidan Gadd breaks down the 3 moves that decide who comes out on top in Peak 2025.

👉Watch the video to see the 3 moves

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

CATEGORY DYNAMICS
Will Shoppers Still Follow Where Athleisure Leads?

Retail Dive reports that Lululemon’s recent stumbles and slowing category growth reflect a maturing athleisure market where newness and differentiation drive conversion. With competition intensifying and consumers more price and novelty sensitive, brands must recalibrate cadence, silhouettes, and quality to sustain demand. Expect higher merchandising velocity and sharper positioning to win share.

CHANNEL PARTNERSHIPS
Smartwool And Icebreaker Announce Partnership With Alterra Mountain Company
Smartwool and icebreaker ink a four-year deal as official base and mid-layer partners across select Alterra resorts and heli-ski operators. The tie-up embeds both brands in on-mountain retail and activations, converting high-intent guests through trial and community experiences. For outdoor and winter brands, destination partnerships are emerging as efficient owned demand channels.

PRODUCT LAUNCHES
Brain Dead Ups Its Game With Adidas Barricade 13 & Tennis Capsule

Brain Dead and adidas released a tennis-centered capsule anchored by the Barricade 13 in two bold variants with Y2K styling. The drop rides the court-core wave, merging streetwear aesthetics with performance silhouettes to broaden entry into racket sports. Expect more fashion-led sport capsules to drive full-funnel attention and limited-run sell-through.

BRAND STRATEGY
Columbia Sportswear: Waiting To See How ACCELERATE Plays Out (COLM)

Columbia’s ACCELERATE plan targets younger consumers with bigger marketing bets, but recent results show revenue growth alongside operating and net losses due to higher SG&A and North America softness. Tariff headwinds and rising competition raise the bar for incremental ROI on brand and demand investments. Measurement rigor around incrementality and channel mix is critical as the strategy scales.

⚡QUICK READS

Addison Bay Taps SoulCycle For Nationwide Capsule: Studio retail puts Addison Bay in 45 SoulCycle locations, boosting trial with high-intent riders ahead of holiday.(More)

Brain Dead X Adidas Courts The Y2K Tennis Trend: Streetwear-tennis capsule opens style-led entry points for racket sports categories and content-led drops.(More)

Kim Kardashian’s NikeSkims Signals Celebrity Push Into Performance: High-profile tie-up intensifies celeb-led entries that blur lifestyle and sport, raising the bar on drop-driven demand.(More)

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