Anthropologie Adds Nike as Sneaker Shoppers Surge 30%

Quick Facts

Sneaker-focused shoppers at Anthropologie increased nearly 30% over the past year, prompting the retailer to add Nike as its largest footwear brand.
Nine Nike styles will roll out between now and September 21, supported by a full digital campaign tied to outfit merchandising.
Anthropologie’s footwear-buying customer base grew 15% year over year, with one in five apparel buyers also purchasing shoes.

Anthropologie is bringing Nike onto its shelves, making the sportswear giant its largest footwear brand. The first of nine exclusive styles launched Monday, with the remaining styles dropping by September 21.

The move follows nearly 30% growth in the number of customers visiting Anthropologie specifically for sneakers over the past year, according to Jessica Irick Peek, GMM of footwear and accessories for Anthropologie. Overall footwear-buying customers grew 15% in the same period.

“We tend to have the most success with footwear when we’re tying it back to apparel,” Irick Peek said. “With Nike, we have a campaign planned that will touch on the full range of what we offer, and we have a campaign planned for September that will heavily feature Tecovas boots.”

Anthropologie’s strategy centers on full-outfit merchandising. The retailer positions shoes alongside apparel to drive cross-category purchases, and the Nike launch follows that same model. The company says 40% of its sneaker investment is exclusive to the U.S.

Other brands including Puma, New Balance, and Brooks have already created exclusive sneakers for Anthropologie. Nike is now the biggest name in that group.

The broader sneaker market supports the timing. According to Circana data released this month, U.S. sneaker and performance shoe sales rose 6% in the first half of 2026, against just 1% growth for overall footwear. Running shoes led the segment with 13% growth in both dollar and unit sales. The U.S. sneaker market is projected to reach $28.41 billion in 2026, up from $27.12 billion in 2025.

“Categories tied to daily use, activity, and casual comfort proved best positioned to capture consumer spending,” said Beth Goldstein, footwear and accessories industry advisor at Circana. “Brands and retailers must connect their merchandising and messaging to their customers’ key lifestyle priorities.”

Anthropologie’s owned footwear brands are also growing. Customers buying from owned labels increased 23% over the past year. Maeve, an Anthropologie brand being spun off as a standalone label, saw shoe sales climb 32%. Maeve has nearly 2 million customers and was the most-searched brand on Anthropologie.com over the past year, logging close to 3 million searches. Its first standalone store opens October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Footwear availability has expanded sharply across Anthropologie’s physical footprint. The category was once carried in just eight stores. It now appears in 200 of approximately 250 locations.

One in five Anthropologie apparel customers also bought shoes in the past year. One in ten new customers purchased shoes during their first year of shopping with the brand, reinforcing the category’s role in customer acquisition.

Anthropologie’s parent company, URBN, posted record first-quarter 2025 sales of $1.3 billion, up more than 10% year over year. Anthropologie led the group with 6.9% retail comps in its most recent quarter, its 10th consecutive quarter of growth. Annual revenue for Anthropologie now exceeds $2 billion.

Owned brands account for roughly 70% of Anthropologie’s revenue. The Nike partnership gives the retailer a high-profile third-party name to anchor its sneaker assortment while its private label business continues to scale.