#Dick’s Sporting Goods is launching a Lululemon rival for men

Dick’s Sporting Goods is launching a new men’s apparel brand — and it will have more in common with Lululemon than Nike or Under Armour.

The new “athleisure” label, VRST, is the second proprietary brand — following Calia for women by Carry Underwood — to be sold exclusively at Dick’s stores. And like Calia, it won’t just be about high-performance, moisture-wicking fabrics, but also will include more comfortable, casual looks.

The line will be offered in 400 of Dick’s 728 stores in the U.S. in the coming weeks, and includes commuter pants, joggers and shorts along with tees, hooded sweatshirts and quarter-zips ranging in price from $30 to $120.

Chief Executive Lauren Hobart said VRST is “very different” from the products that Dick’s carries in its stores from its vendor partners, including Nike, Under Armour and Adidas, which are all launching their own proprietary brands.

“You can think of it sort of as the Calia version on the men’s side, in terms of filling a white space that we have, that our current partners are just not in,” Hobart said on a March 9 earnings call.

“VRST not only offers sophisticated performance apparel for running and training, but also comfortable, stylish pieces with premium fabrication that can be worn around town, out with friends or while working or working out at home,” said senior vice president of product development, Nina Barjesteh.