Destination Maternity files for bankruptcy because, you know, Millennials and athleisure
What to expect when you're expecting bankruptcy... Destination Maternity just filed for it. Technically its 436 stores (including "A Pea In The Pod" and "Motherhood" brands) stay open while a judge decides what to do with this overly-indebted chain. Despite partnerships with Jessica Simpson and a hail mary promotion with the NFL, the pre-mom outfitter's sales still shrank 25% over the past 3 years.
Maternity clothing needs Lamaze breathing exercises... While ecommerce brings on the retail-pocalypse, maternity wear is especially primed for disruption. Here's what's blurred the line of whether you even need to buy a maternity wardrobe:
- Extended athleisure: Stretchy gear means postponing that maternity wear purchase another trimester because you've already got Lululemon.
- Digital stylers: Fashion subscription services like Stitch Fix already know your wardrobe, and their humans/algorithms suggest what you'll need pre/post-baby.
- Clothing rental: You'll only need that materni-romper for less than a year, making it perfect for rental businesses like Rent the Runway and Le Tote.
Adult milestones are hitting later... Marriage, babies, house-buying — all increasingly delayed by student loans, careers, and plenty of hefty cultural factors (we're tired of the “Millennials killed X” narrative, too). That social shift didn't just hit Destination Maternity — David's Bridal filed for bankruptcy this year and diaper sales in the US have dipped 0.3% annually from 2012 to 2017.