Tricia Shumavon Leads Prana’s Reinvention with Lifestyle Focus

PetitePaulina – When Tricia Shumavon took over as president of Prana two years ago, she inherited a brand with strong heritage but declining momentum. After 16 years at top global companies including Gap, American Eagle, Nike, and Adidas, she was ready for the challenge of leading a brand for the first time.

“I hadn’t been in a president’s position before, and this was the opportunity to lead and reinvent a brand that had been struggling for years,” she explained.

Founded in 1992 in Carlsbad, California, as a sustainable yoga and active lifestyle label, Prana was acquired by Columbia Sportswear for $190 million in 2014. At that time, it was generating close to $100 million in sales. Yet, despite the acquisition, growth largely stalled. Sales in 2024 totaled $104 million, down 8 percent from the previous year. By the first two quarters of 2025, revenue was still sliding.

Rebalancing Sustainability with Style and Consumer Needs

Shumavon identified two main issues. First, the brand’s sustainability-first approach, while admirable, had overshadowed consumer needs. “Sustainability came first, and the consumer came second. Fit, materials, and style began to suffer,” she said.

Second, the focus on an activity-led strategy through yoga, climbing, and trail limited growth. Prana had boxed itself into a niche market. Her solution was to shift toward a broader lifestyle-driven strategy. Now, pants that were once designed only for hiking are versatile enough for travel, commuting, or casual city wear.

“We cut redundancies,” she said. “Instead of making three different pants for trail, walking, and climbing, we designed one versatile style that works for all.”

Expanding Beyond Yoga

While yoga remains part of Prana’s DNA, Shumavon has diversified the brand’s focus to include Pilates, hiking, walking, swimming, and surfing. This broader approach reflects modern consumers’ lifestyles and creates more opportunities for product innovation.

At the same time, she is expanding the brand’s demographic reach. The original Prana customer base has aged, but the brand had not been attracting enough Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Now, Prana targets a younger, 28-year-old outdoor and community-oriented consumer who values both performance and lifestyle versatility.

Refreshing the Brand Identity

To reach this new consumer, Prana is also revamping its marketing. The company partnered with an agency to refine its brand identity, introducing updated visuals, colors, and typography. A new campaign will launch in fall 2025, aiming squarely at younger consumers.

Currently, about 25 percent of the business comes from activewear, while the rest is lifestyle apparel. Unlike many brands that sell more tops, Prana sells four bottoms for every top — including denim, which debuted in fall 2025 to strong early demand.

Its most popular line remains Zion, a 25-year-old franchise that continues to evolve with hybrid, versatile product offerings. Other strong performers include DreamFleece, Luxara, Sculpt, and Heavana collections.

Women Lead Sales, but Men’s Offers Growth

At present, womenswear makes up 70 percent of sales, leaving men’s as a major growth opportunity. “I’d love to see a 50/50 split in the next two to three years,” Shumavon said.

But she knows competition is fierce. Lululemon, Alo, and Vuori all target similar consumers. Shumavon sees Prana’s opportunity in blending performance and lifestyle while avoiding the pitfalls of its rivals.

“Lulu is still tied to its performance roots and hasn’t scaled men’s well. Alo appeals to a trend-driven, coffee-shop customer, but lacks strong performance attributes. Vuori has done well expanding, but their challenge will be scaling globally,” she noted.

Prana, she argues, has space to grow as the “baby sister” in this competitive landscape, backed by Columbia but with room to define its own identity.

Wholesale Momentum and DTC Growth Plans

Since arriving, Shumavon has strengthened her leadership team across creative, marketing, e-commerce, product, operations, and finance. Fall 2025 marks the first season where her new vision takes full effect — and early signs are promising.

Wholesale bookings are up 30 percent, with orders from REI, Scheels, Nordstrom, Amazon, and independent specialty retailers. While wholesale and DTC are currently split evenly, Shumavon’s plan is to tilt the business to 70 percent direct-to-consumer.

Prana currently operates two full-price stores (in Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR) and three outlets. Both flagship stores will undergo renovations soon, while new stores are planned for California, Denver, Austin, and Nashville over the next three to five years.

E-commerce as the Next Frontier

Shumavon also sees huge potential in digital growth. E-commerce had been a challenge, but things are shifting. “Since August 1, our traffic is up 75 percent. Not everyone converts, but at least they’re engaging with the brand again,” she explained.

By sharpening its product strategy, updating its identity, and expanding its consumer base, Prana is poised for a new era of growth under Shumavon’s leadership. With a clear focus on versatility, lifestyle relevance, and strong distribution channels, the brand may finally be ready to scale beyond its long-standing plateau.