The news: Athleisure brands lululemon athletica and Vuori are expanding their presence overseas as the US market cools.

• Lululemon opened its first store in Italy in late July, marking a “significant step” in the brand’s international expansion.
• Vuori will open its first stores in Seoul and Beijing this fall, the company told Retail Dive, as part of a push to have 100 stores worldwide by year’s end.

The strategy: Expanding overseas offers clear benefits from a tariff perspective, since sales in international markets are—for the most part—not subject to duties.

For lululemon especially, new markets like Italy could offer a respite from the sluggishness the company is experiencing in the US. The brand is contending with weaker store traffic and higher markdowns for its core assortment in its largest market—not to mention tougher competition from the likes of Vuori and Alo Yoga.

• Lululemon’s Italy debut brings the company closer to achieving its goal of quadrupling international revenues by 2026.
• International stores will account for the majority of the brand’s 40 to 45 store openings this year, with launches in Denmark, Belgium, Turkey, and the Czech Republic also on the agenda.

While Vuori has a more modest pipeline of 15 international locations planned, it is similarly bullish about their potential. The brand is specifically targeting key markets in Asia and Europe with high growth potential—like China and South Korea—and using its ecommerce business to gauge demand.

Our take: With the US market looking increasingly uncertain, it’s no surprise that brands like lululemon and Vuori are looking to international markets to shift growth into a new gear. This trend will likely pick up among apparel brands this year, as they look for ways to mitigate the impact of tariffs and reduce their reliance on US shoppers.

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