An Overview Of Lululemon Athletica

Founded in Vancouver BC in 1998, the first Lululemon shared its retail space with a yoga studio. Lululemon Athletica inc. is a Canadian designer and vertical retailer of athletic apparel, which operates predominately in North America (“Lululemon Athletica Inc (LULU.O),” 2014). The Company’s garments are marketed under the brand name “Lululemon Athletica” (“Lululemon Athletica Inc (LULU.O),” 2014). Lululemon decided to go public in 2007, 7 years after opening their first store in 2000, raising $327.6 million (Urstadt, 2009).

Dennis Wilson, the founder of Lululemon, believed that the cotton fabric that was being used for yoga at the time, was unsuitable for the sweaty sport (“Lululemon Athletica: Our Company History.” 2014). As a result, Wilson decided to open a design studio in 1998, which would specialize in making yoga-wear from technical athletic fabrics. Wilson aimed to make active-wear that was not only durable, but could also be considered stylish.

The company name was chosen from a list of 20 brand names and logos, through a survey of 100 people. Although many believe that the logo consists of 2 L’s, it is actually an A that was made to represent the brand name “Athletically Hip”, which the company was previously named. (“Lululemon Athletica: Our Company History.” 2014)

The original mission that Wilson set out for the brand was to "elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness.” This brand mission has been modified to "create components for people to live long, healthy, and fun lives." (Shayon, 2012)

Currently, Lululemon has 254 stores in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. (“Lululemon Athletica Inc. announces fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2013 results,” 2014). They offer a range of performance apparel and ac...

... middle of paper ...

...n with Lululemon, even including a testimonial from a customer on their website which reads: "I have been a loyal lululemon addict and with recent changes with that company I am so ready to switch my loyalty. Thank you for providing such a fantastic product for the teachers and practitioners of the world!!!” Like Lululemon, Soybo is made from eco-friendly materials which include soy, organic cotton, bamboo, and recycled materials (Lutz, 2013). However, Soybo considered more affordable than its competitor (Lutz, 2013).

Finally, Lululemon also faces competition from active-wear giants, like Nike. Nike has introduced a yoga line, which they are in the process of expanding (Lutz, 2013). Nike proves to be a major rival because they have a greater reach to customers than Lululemon (Lutz, 2013). According to the Nike website, they are selling their yoga pants for $100.