We previously presented a new product line introduction by McDonald’s (see “Breaking New Ground: McDonald’s Introduces a New Product Line”), called CosMc’s, a chain of space-themed restaurants with smaller menus than conventional outposts of the fast-food chain. It sought to fill a gap in the market, positioned in between coffee shops and traditional fast-casual restaurants, that would meet younger consumers’ desire for personalized options. But the experiment never took off, and within just a couple of years of opening its five pilot locations, CosMc’s has come to an end. It’s not all bad news though, for the company or consumers. McDonald’s is using the information it gathered to introduce some of the more successful CosMc’s menu items and preparation techniques into its regular stores. By leveraging this intense proving ground, McDonald’s thus gained an opportunity to experiment with different store concepts, without threatening or undermining its core business.
Sources: Jordan Valinsky, “McDonald’s Is Closing Down CosMc’s, Its Beverage-Focused Spinoff,” CNN, May 24, 2025; Amanda Mactas, “McDonald’s Is Closing All CosMc’s Locations—Here’s What You Need to Know,” Delish, May 27, 2025; Ashok Selvam, “CosMc’s Falls From Orbit as McDonald’s Will Close ‘Beverage-Focused’ Spin-Off,” Eater, May 27, 2025.
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Steve Jobs had his black turtlenecks. Mark Zuckerberg favors hoodies. These famous figures might not be known for their fashion sense, but their example seemingly is defining what young professionals consider to represent appropriate office attire. Especially as working from home continues to represent an appealing option, more companies—whether they allow work from home or hope to encourage employees to come back to the office—are lowering the strict standards for what is required for people to wear. In response, young, affluent executives have embraced work “uniforms” that provide just as much comfort as their casual and athletic gear. And in this broader environment, Vuori is enjoying remarkable growth.
The brand first came to fame for its tech pants, which were designed with a tapering, semi-formal design but produced with human-made, technical textiles, such as nylon and polyester. They offer breathability and moisture-wicking capacities, and they move and stretch far more than cotton, wool, and other conventional materials used to make pants. Therefore, while they look (at least from some distance) like conventional suit trousers, the pants offer comfort similar to that provided by athletic gear like sweatpants. Its offerings have created a new subcategory of apparel, involving active, casual gear that also looks professional.
Although athleisure has long been a meaningful industry sector, athletic styles of work wear are something different. Rather than just a different type or style of leggings, Vuori innovated a distinctive, unique design. When consumers try out this alternative, they also assign it high marks in terms of the fit it offers, its performance, and, particularly, its comfort level. Therefore, once they try it, they seemingly switch quickly away from other versions, like leggings, that also do not offer the same level of professionalism. For example, in 2018, only 1.2 percent of consumers who shopped at Lululemon also shopped at Vuori; by 2024, that rate had increased to 7.8 percent.
Noting Vuori’s consumer appeal and growing market share, investors contributed an estimated $825 million to its latest round of funding, prompting a late-2024 valuation of $5.5 billion. Thus, even if Vuori has not totally cornered the market for active wear, it can stake its claim for achieving one of the largest initial public offerings in the retail industry. In the meantime, it is working to spread its vision of office wear to global markets, through investments in expanded and aggressive marketing efforts. Already available in 18 countries, Vuori has indicated its plans to sell its products in more than 100 stores, throughout Europe and Asia, by the end of 2026.
Discussion Questions
Take a look at Vuori’s pants design. Does it represent a truly new design, or is it just another type of athleisure?
Is the active casual wear market a growing one, or does it offer limited share?
Sources: Max Berlinger, “How Vuori Became One of the Hottest Names in Fashion,” The New York Times, January 18, 2025; Daphne Howland, “With Latest Investment, Vuori’s Valuation Hits $5.5B,” Retail Dive, November 11, 2024; Gabrielle Fonrouge, “How Vuori Reached a $5.5 Billion Valuation By Taking Share From Lululemon,” CNBC, December 19, 2024;
