Champion launching women's clothing line with Todd Snyder

Champion is going after a piece of the luxury market pie. The sportswear company has tapped Todd Snyder to create a version of his Todd Snyder + Champion men's collection for women. The first women's product will be offered for spring 2016, and it will be a sexier more feminine take on the men's line.

Called the Boyfriend Collection, the line will feature 16 pieces including sweatshirts, t-shirts, and sweatpants. The collection actually marks the first time that Snyder will be diving into the world of women's wear. He originally studied women's wear design when he was in college, although his career has been in men's wear.

When the Todd Snyder + Champion men's collection was first released, many female customers were buying the pieces and customizing them to be more suitable for them. The market for the women's customer was definitely there, it was just a matter of developing the collection. With the growth of the athleisure movement in fashion, there couldn't be a better time to develop this collection.

The inaugural collection is kept small and very understated. Price points are 65 to 75 dollars for tanks and t-shirts, 118 dollars for short-sleeve sweatshirts, 138 dollars for long-sleeve sweatshirts, 105 to 128 dollars for sweatpants, 78 to 88 dollars for shorts, and 595 dollars for leather-tipped varsity jackets. Neutrals including grey, black, and white are prevalent throughout the collection, along with some hints of color like aqua and coral.

The line will be sold on the Todd Snyder and Spring websites beginning in February, and it will move into specialty stores beginning with the rollout of pre-fall 2015 collections. Ned Munroe, chief global design officer for Hanesbrands Inc., which owns Champion, was quoted saying to WWD that "This is not a collaboration, as in a one-time, in-and-out thing." He went on to add that, "It’s a collection that is important in the pillar of the Champion brand. Todd takes a sportswear mentality and higher-tier fabrics and puts a spin on it. We’ve built a real business and made some great product.”