Is Urban Outfitters Phasing Out Its Indie Athleisure Brand?

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Urban Outfitters went all out with the launch of its athleisure brand Without Walls back in 2014, but BuzzFeed News noticed that the brand's web presence today is totally scaled back. Without Walls once had its own site, but now it redirects to the main Urban Outfitters site. The Without Walls Instagram account is gone, and so is its blog, and its Twitter account hasn't been active for months.

BuzzFeed's Sapna Maheshwari writes: "The retailer has added a dedicated Without Walls FAQ to its site that says Without Walls credit and merchandise can be used at UrbanOutfitters.com and that the label will still be sold online and in stores, suggesting it will continue in a watered down form." Urban Outfitters didn't comment on the BuzzFeed post.

When Without Walls launched both in stores and online, it sold athletic clothes from lines like Alo, Blue Life Fit, Michi, and Onzie in addition to its own in-house line. While the Without Walls site is gone, Urban Outfitters still has an activewear section on its site with a selection of Without Walls leggings, bras, jackets, and more available right now. There's 291 products in the activewear section currently, from brands like Adidas, New Balance, Onzie, Poler, Patagonia, and More.

Update: Urban Outfitters sent Racked the following statement:

Our Without Walls brand represents a significant part of our customers’ experience – an active, fully immersive lifestyle focused on living for the journey. Moving Without Walls products to Urban Outfitters’ Activewear page has helped us grow the brand and attract new customers both online and in stores. We look forward to continuing the Without Walls journey, and to supporting a lifestyle of fitness and exploration within the Urban Outfitters community.