Recorded live at Shoptalk Europe, Ashley Kechter sits down with Natalie Berg to break down how the California athleisure brand cracked the direct-to-consumer model, successfully transitioned into brick-and-mortar, and is now executing a "density within markets" international expansion strategy.
Ashley explains why Vuori's stores function as community hubs and customer acquisition engines — not just sales floors — and how international markets act as early-warning systems for product trends before they hit the US.
Key topics covered:
- Vuori's brand DNA: how does it stand out in a crowded market?
- The "density within markets" approach: clustering stores before diversifying geographically
- How e-commerce data in 30 countries pinpoints the next store location
- Why international markets are Vuori's trend-forecasting advantage
- Balancing global brand consistency with hyper-local community activations
- The role of stores in acquiring omnichannel customers who still value the opportunity to "touch and feel" the product
CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold Open: International Trend Spotting
0:46 The Vuori Growth Story
3:28 Fabric-First Mentality & Differentiation
5:42 International Expansion: Where & Why
7:52 Stores, Creators & Authenticity
10:03 Physical-Digital Convergence
11:12 The International Playbook: Density First
12:16 Global Learnings → US: Trend Spotting & Tourism
For retail leaders navigating the convergence of physical and digital — this is your strategy briefing.
This episode is sponsored by Manhattan Associates - the unified foundation for global supply chains and commerce.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
As Vuori’s Global President, Ashley Kechter is responsible for overseeing the brand’s global business strategy, driving the financial process, and overseeing retail, eCommerce, planning and wholesale internationally and domestically. With two decades of brand experience in omni-channel leadership across strategy, planning, inventory management, allocation, operations, supply chain and logistics for multi-billion-dollar retailers, Kechter brings a wealth of knowledge to her role as global president. Prior to joining Vuori, Kechter served as global president of eComm, retail, wholesale and International for Fabletics since 2023, where she delivered the brand’s P&L through overseeing marketing, product creation, inventory and financial management, and strategic operations across all business units and channels. Before her time at Fabletics, she served as Chief Business Officer and GM for Banana Republic, and Chief Merchandising Officer and GM of Merch, Planning, eCommerce, Sourcing, Inventory Management, and Product Development at Restoration Hardware.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
🎙️ Retail Disrupted is a Top 5% Global Podcast with the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail. Hosted by retail analyst Natalie Berg.
👉 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retaildisrupted
👉 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retail-disrupted/
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://retaildisrupted.substack.com
#RetailDisrupted #Vuori #DTCRetail #PhysicalRetail #Omnichannel #ShoptalkEurope #FutureOfShopping #RetailStrategy