Lululemon has seen slower growth in recent years, and I believe that is because it is losing its connection to the consumer group that launched it in the first place.
This was so interesting! I wasn’t really in the first wave of Lululemon hype because I had no money back then, but I also gravitated more towards smaller brands like Girlfriend Collective.
Oo girlfriend collective is great! Really clear creative vision from the get go, not sure if you already read but their former VP of growth is a substack writer as well, i love her writing, she recently wrote about doing the full creative direction for her jewelry brand - https://open.substack.com/pub/meganalidastrachan?r=8og2u&utm_medium=ios
This was a really fun read! I’ve only ever thrifted Lululemon, but my husband is part of that small group of male fans. My bras, undies, and loungewear are exclusively Boody right now and for the past 5ish years.
I’ve been finding myself wondering the same thing about lulu but have found myself going back to by certain things because I like the predictability.
Side note, my favorite leggings I’ve bought in the last 3 yrs were PYT from Abercrombie. They had adorable stuff, great quality, and the fit was on point.
Yess culturally they are so problematic too. I think more and more shoppers are taking brand values much more seriously and more discerning about which are genuine and which are performative, which is a great place to start!!
Thanks Ryann for reading - i loved your piece on merchandising your own closet, so much fun haha
I don't think we can downplay Lululemon's poor reputation with diversity*. It's a huge reason why I, and many women of color I know, refuse to shop there. My observation is mostly anecdotal, but I have to wonder how the actual numbers play out!
Ah u know what Zoe you’re absolutely right - i didnt look too deep into their issues with diversity but that article IS wild. I wrote that lulu’s new leadership are not doing enough to change their reputation but truth is it’s not just surface level reputation that needs to change it’s so much deeper than that isn’t it. Thanks so much for reading and taking time to share your thoughts!! This is why i love this platform, i am always learning something
I used to love lululemon but I think part of the reason I lost interest was because they rarely created new pieces, just new colors. And then everyone would be wearing same clothes, so I started looking for similar but different iterations from alo and vuori. This was really thorough and interesting, and I loved the format.
Yes exactly!! I would have loved to continue buying from them but they were not giving much…. Love vouri tho their clothes feel so good :) thanks for your note Elle really glad you liked the flow - was worried it was getting a little too long.
So interesting! I am like you, a tried and true Lulu loyal for decades. I'm from Vancouver, so Lulu was around way back in the day before they went global. I was wearing (now vintage) Lulu pants in high school (which was 2004 to really date me!). Lately it's more of a store for my husband, we always find great stuff for him there. But me—I've been a little lost in the athleisure world lately. I would say Lulu still seems to be the most popular here on the West Coast (maybe because we've all known it for so long?), but I think you're onto something. They need to step up their game in regards to styles, colours, updated looks, etc. Thanks for the great read! xx
Hi Lauren, interesting perspective, thanks for sharing! So means they are doing well then re pivoting more towards male demographic, that’s good :) i think lulu is still popular here too in London.
Can i ask what you mean when you say you are a little lost in the world of athleisure? Do you feel there are too many players in the game these days?
Totally! There are so many options and it's hard to know where to find good quality (vs. being influenced by social media). A lot of athleisure brands don't have physical locations where I am, so it would require ordering online. Which is totally fine, but harder to get a good "experience" of the brand. I just need to put in the work to find what's right for me - thanks for the push lol. xx
You’re so right! Honestly, this wasn’t something I even thought about - I just haven’t chosen Lulu Lemon. Plus, it’s so expensive it’s absurd! Thanks for your take! I love learning more about the fashion world from you.
I think a key point that hasn’t been mentioned here yet is how disappointing the CEO’s xenophobic comments have been (on more than one occasion over the years)… I know this doesn’t always resonate with shopper values but it sure did for mine. I also think your notes on ‘fun/fresh/sexy’ brands like Alo or Adanola are spot on, especially with how quickly they’ve established NY and LA wellness influencers to follow
Hey i missed this comment Ryann, thanks for reading. I love your substack btw and saw you moved back home from London - hope you are settling in well 💗
I only own 2 Lululemon items and they are both oversized workout shirts. I absolutely love them and wear them weekly, but every time I walk into the store the customer service is off putting. So much so that I would rather drive 20 mins in the opposite direction to go to Vuori to find an alternative.
Ooh that’s the second comment now about poor customer service, it’s a shame. Thank you for reading Ofelia & for leaving a thought :) Ofelia is such a beautiful name btw!
I haven't done enough research on Lululemon to have a perspective on their financial outlook (maybe it'll be a future deep dive), but the article about diversity and inclusion is certainly concerning.
I personally still love the Lululemon staples that I have, but I haven't needed to do an "overhaul" of my workout clothing in a few years, so it's possible that quality may have changed.
I could not agree more! Just last week I was in the London Varley store and was so impressed. The pieces were what Lulu used to be - high quality fabrics, statement designs, functional and appropriately priced. The inconsistencies in sizing and odd proportions of pieces that I have gotten from Lulu recently have turned me off. Why pay so much money for something that you don’t feel good in? Thanks for this piece! Thought I was the only one feeling this way.
Ohh my goodness thanks for sharing your thoughts - i thought i was the only one as well! Hence going down a rabbit hole to try to find out what’s going on resulting in this substack haha. Varley are really good arent they! The set i bought from them feel so good as well buttery soft
Anytime I go into a store I feel icky. Stuck up entitled salespeople - at least in Marin County, CA! Not compelling. Feels like a weird clique. Who needs it?
Ah that’s sad, in person experience can make such a big impact on brand perception for the customer. Understand working in retail is prob not easy but no need to give us attitude either, just trying to buy some leggings u know :’)
This was so interesting! I wasn’t really in the first wave of Lululemon hype because I had no money back then, but I also gravitated more towards smaller brands like Girlfriend Collective.
Oo girlfriend collective is great! Really clear creative vision from the get go, not sure if you already read but their former VP of growth is a substack writer as well, i love her writing, she recently wrote about doing the full creative direction for her jewelry brand - https://open.substack.com/pub/meganalidastrachan?r=8og2u&utm_medium=ios
That's so cool! Thanks for sharing, I'll check that substack out!
Every single legging and sports bra I own is Girlfriend Collective! Great styles and fits and colors and prices.
This was a really fun read! I’ve only ever thrifted Lululemon, but my husband is part of that small group of male fans. My bras, undies, and loungewear are exclusively Boody right now and for the past 5ish years.
I’ve been finding myself wondering the same thing about lulu but have found myself going back to by certain things because I like the predictability.
Side note, my favorite leggings I’ve bought in the last 3 yrs were PYT from Abercrombie. They had adorable stuff, great quality, and the fit was on point.
Haha had no idea Abercrombie did sportswear! Thanks for sharing Katie :)
Yess culturally they are so problematic too. I think more and more shoppers are taking brand values much more seriously and more discerning about which are genuine and which are performative, which is a great place to start!!
Thanks Ryann for reading - i loved your piece on merchandising your own closet, so much fun haha
I don't think we can downplay Lululemon's poor reputation with diversity*. It's a huge reason why I, and many women of color I know, refuse to shop there. My observation is mostly anecdotal, but I have to wonder how the actual numbers play out!
*This article was a wild ride:
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/workplace-talent/lululemon-diversity-and-inclusion-2023/
Ah u know what Zoe you’re absolutely right - i didnt look too deep into their issues with diversity but that article IS wild. I wrote that lulu’s new leadership are not doing enough to change their reputation but truth is it’s not just surface level reputation that needs to change it’s so much deeper than that isn’t it. Thanks so much for reading and taking time to share your thoughts!! This is why i love this platform, i am always learning something
I used to love lululemon but I think part of the reason I lost interest was because they rarely created new pieces, just new colors. And then everyone would be wearing same clothes, so I started looking for similar but different iterations from alo and vuori. This was really thorough and interesting, and I loved the format.
Yes exactly!! I would have loved to continue buying from them but they were not giving much…. Love vouri tho their clothes feel so good :) thanks for your note Elle really glad you liked the flow - was worried it was getting a little too long.
So interesting! I am like you, a tried and true Lulu loyal for decades. I'm from Vancouver, so Lulu was around way back in the day before they went global. I was wearing (now vintage) Lulu pants in high school (which was 2004 to really date me!). Lately it's more of a store for my husband, we always find great stuff for him there. But me—I've been a little lost in the athleisure world lately. I would say Lulu still seems to be the most popular here on the West Coast (maybe because we've all known it for so long?), but I think you're onto something. They need to step up their game in regards to styles, colours, updated looks, etc. Thanks for the great read! xx
Hi Lauren, interesting perspective, thanks for sharing! So means they are doing well then re pivoting more towards male demographic, that’s good :) i think lulu is still popular here too in London.
Can i ask what you mean when you say you are a little lost in the world of athleisure? Do you feel there are too many players in the game these days?
Totally! There are so many options and it's hard to know where to find good quality (vs. being influenced by social media). A lot of athleisure brands don't have physical locations where I am, so it would require ordering online. Which is totally fine, but harder to get a good "experience" of the brand. I just need to put in the work to find what's right for me - thanks for the push lol. xx
You’re so right! Honestly, this wasn’t something I even thought about - I just haven’t chosen Lulu Lemon. Plus, it’s so expensive it’s absurd! Thanks for your take! I love learning more about the fashion world from you.
It’s so expensive 😩😩 seems prices went up but quality went down too according to some reddit thread reviews
I think a key point that hasn’t been mentioned here yet is how disappointing the CEO’s xenophobic comments have been (on more than one occasion over the years)… I know this doesn’t always resonate with shopper values but it sure did for mine. I also think your notes on ‘fun/fresh/sexy’ brands like Alo or Adanola are spot on, especially with how quickly they’ve established NY and LA wellness influencers to follow
Hey i missed this comment Ryann, thanks for reading. I love your substack btw and saw you moved back home from London - hope you are settling in well 💗
Thank you Danny! So kind of you, I’m feeling good!!
I only own 2 Lululemon items and they are both oversized workout shirts. I absolutely love them and wear them weekly, but every time I walk into the store the customer service is off putting. So much so that I would rather drive 20 mins in the opposite direction to go to Vuori to find an alternative.
Ooh that’s the second comment now about poor customer service, it’s a shame. Thank you for reading Ofelia & for leaving a thought :) Ofelia is such a beautiful name btw!
Thank you :)
Also wanted to add that it was such a fun and insightful read :)
I haven't done enough research on Lululemon to have a perspective on their financial outlook (maybe it'll be a future deep dive), but the article about diversity and inclusion is certainly concerning.
I personally still love the Lululemon staples that I have, but I haven't needed to do an "overhaul" of my workout clothing in a few years, so it's possible that quality may have changed.
I have worked in retail and it isn’t always fun, to say the least. But no reason to be a jerk to customers!!
I could not agree more! Just last week I was in the London Varley store and was so impressed. The pieces were what Lulu used to be - high quality fabrics, statement designs, functional and appropriately priced. The inconsistencies in sizing and odd proportions of pieces that I have gotten from Lulu recently have turned me off. Why pay so much money for something that you don’t feel good in? Thanks for this piece! Thought I was the only one feeling this way.
Ohh my goodness thanks for sharing your thoughts - i thought i was the only one as well! Hence going down a rabbit hole to try to find out what’s going on resulting in this substack haha. Varley are really good arent they! The set i bought from them feel so good as well buttery soft
Anytime I go into a store I feel icky. Stuck up entitled salespeople - at least in Marin County, CA! Not compelling. Feels like a weird clique. Who needs it?
Ah that’s sad, in person experience can make such a big impact on brand perception for the customer. Understand working in retail is prob not easy but no need to give us attitude either, just trying to buy some leggings u know :’)
Thank you for reading Leslie :)