What Happened with Outdoor Voices?

Table of Contents

• Quick Answer
• 1. How Outdoor Voices Rose So Fast
• 2. What Went Wrong Behind the Scenes
• 3. Why All Stores Closed
• 4. Is Outdoor Voices Still Alive?
• 5. What Brands Can Learn from OV
• Who Should Still Buy Outdoor Voices?
• FAQs
• Build a Smarter Activewear Brand with FuKi Yoga

Quick Answer

Outdoor Voices didn’t “vanish” overnight — but it collapsed in its original form.

The brand:

• Closed all physical stores
• Laid off large parts of its team
• Changed ownership
• Shifted to an online-only model

It’s no longer the fast-growing cult brand it once was. Today, Outdoor Voices exists in a restructured, scaled-down form, trying to reset after years of internal and financial strain.

1. How Outdoor Voices Rose So Fast

Outdoor Voices stood out because it rejected gym culture.

Instead of elite athletes, it celebrated:

• walking
• hiking
• casual movement
• “doing things” for fun

It felt relatable. That positioning helped it grow fast, attract venture capital, and open stores nationwide.

For a while, OV was mentioned alongside Lululemon and Athleta as a new force in activewear.

2. What Went Wrong Behind the Scenes

Growth came faster than structure.

Several problems emerged:

• leadership instability
• inconsistent brand direction
• high retail operating costs
• pressure to scale too quickly
• product identity drift

The company cycled through CEOs and strategies. Meanwhile, competitors like Vuori refined performance fabrics and Alo Yoga leaned into fashion-driven athleisure.

Outdoor Voices lost clarity.

It wasn’t “technical” enough for athletes, and no longer “simple” enough for casual users.

3. Why All Stores Closed

Retail is expensive. OV had:

• prime city locations
• high staffing costs
• inventory pressure
• declining foot traffic

When sales slowed and funding tightened, physical stores became unsustainable.

In 2024, Outdoor Voices shut every brick-and-mortar location and pivoted to e-commerce only.

That moment made the public believe the brand was “dead.”

It wasn’t — but it was no longer the same company.

4. Is Outdoor Voices Still Alive?

Yes — but in a different form.

The brand:

• continues selling online
• operates under new ownership
• runs with a much smaller team
• focuses on fewer core products

Think of it as a reset, not a comeback — at least not yet.

Whether Outdoor Voices becomes relevant again depends on:

• product clarity
• fabric innovation
• pricing discipline
• emotional connection with a new generation

5. What Brands Can Learn from OV

Outdoor Voices is a textbook case for modern DTC brands:

A brand can be loved — and still fail.

Who Should Still Buy Outdoor Voices?

Outdoor Voices still works for people who want:

• light activity wear
• relaxed silhouettes
• casual movement pieces
• simple everyday comfort

If you want high-performance training gear, brands like Lululemon or Gymshark may feel stronger.

OV is now more “lifestyle” than “performance.”

FAQs

Did Outdoor Voices go bankrupt?
The company went through restructuring and ownership changes but continues operating online.

Can I still buy OV products?
Yes, the brand still sells through its official website.

Will stores reopen?
There’s no confirmed plan. Any return to retail would likely be limited and experimental.

Is the brand still relevant?
It depends on how well it reinvents itself for a new audience.

Build a Smarter Activewear Brand with FuKi Yoga

Outdoor Voices shows that branding alone isn’t enough.

Real longevity comes from:

• fabric performance
• supply-chain stability
• cost control
• scalable production
• consistent product logic

👉 FuKi Yoga helps brands build future-proof activewear with:

• private label development
• technical fabric sourcing
• OEM / ODM manufacturing
• low-risk production scaling

If you’re building the next generation of yoga or activewear brands, don’t just look at success stories — learn from collapse too.

Start smarter with FuKi Yoga.