And the latest Lululemon fashion revelation is…see-through yoga pants! It’s the new peekaboo line. Expensive yoga clothes maker and lifestyle dictator Lululemon had to recall a ton of yoga pants because they don’t provide enough “coverage.” And it’s not even April Fools yet. Woops.
In light of over exposure, the lulus scrambled over the weekend to pull yoga pants from stores, showrooms and their online shop, as well as stop production in Vietnam and Taiwan where the pants are made. Somehow the same magic Luon (which is the very unexciting combination of Lycra and nylon) suddenly went sheer. Wait, is that a metaphor? This is not the kind of transparency we were looking for.
Here’s what the lulus said:
“We have determined that certain shipments of product received from our factories and available in store from March 1, 2013 do not meet our technical specifications. The items affected are certain styles of women’s bottoms in our signature black Luon fabric. The ingredients, weight and longevity qualities of the pants remain the same but the coverage does not, resulting in a level of sheerness in some of our women’s black Luon bottoms that falls short of our very high standards.”
What’s that mean for them? Well the affected pants account for “approximately 17% of all women’s bottoms” so inventory will be down and they’ll have to work double time to get those pants back out on the racks. When will they be back? We don’t know!
What’s that mean for you? OMG! Yoga pants shortage! How can we practice yoga now? Will we have to ration? What will we even DO?!
What it means for the bottom line, though, is perhaps the biggest blow to the otherwise hot stock lulu has enjoyed for months, years even. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Lululemon stock fell 3.8% today and is down another 5.2% in after-hours trading.” Meaning shareholders and execs will make three quarters of a bazillion dollars instead of the full bazillion.
How could this have happened? You ask. I thought I could trust them! You cry. We know. Heartbreaking. Was it a problem at the plant? Disgruntled workers pulling a prank? We can only imagine. Can I return my defective luon?? We’ll let the lulu crisis FAQ answer that.
• This event is not the result of changing manufacturers or quality of ingredients. We are working closely with them to understand what happened during the period this fabric was made.
When did you know?
• We first began to understand the extent of the issue on Monday, March 11th as part of our weekly call with store managers.
• Some of our store managers expressed concern over the sheerness of some of our women’s black luon bottoms.How do guests return product they have purchased?
• Guests who purchased black luon women’s bottoms since March 1st, either online or in stores, and think they have affected product are welcome to return them for a full refund or exchange.
So as far as we know you can return your see-through pants, unless of course you prefer them that way, and no factory workers/children will be harmed in the process in rectifying the incident. Still it’s a sad, sad day. Lulu owners, we recommend you hide your treasures and wear your trusty no-name backup pants lest some yogi tear your luon right off of you in the street, or grocery store, or wherever you wear your yoga pants all the time. Stay safe everyone.
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Earlier…
- The Comfort and Sexualization of Yoga Pants
- Wanderlust Festival Announces Lineups, Lululemon Love, Stopgaps
- Lululemon vs. Calvin Klein Case Settled Thank Jesus of Yoga Pants
- Betsey Johnson Breaks Out Runway Yoga Performance at NY Fashion Week – Photos
The thickness of Luon has been on the decline; the first pair of Lululemon pants I bought (circa 2006) is about twice as thick as the last ones I purchased (circa 2011). Any idiot with both pairs of pants in his/her hands can tell this without prompting. Personally, I prefer the thicker fabric.
Especially at those prices…
First world problems!
‘Nuff said.
You can see your lulu through your lulus!
I too have seen the decline in quality over the past few years. This latest “snafu” found it’s way to the outside world. Truth has a way of doing that. I write reviews about their inferior fabric on Lululemon.com with no response. I wonder when yogis will wake up and smell the corporate greed. I’ve purchased my last pair because of the quality issue. Nike has my business now. Truthfully, I’d like to give my business to a company that manufactures here in the US but no one has been able to get the fabric right yet. Here’s hoping…
Kathi, I just ordered from KiraGrace.com … thick fabric and the company is run by women and is all made here in the US 🙂
beyondyoga is us based + has fantastic quality leggings.
I love beyondyoga tops, but I have been really disappointed with the pants. They don’t flatter my substantial booty, they give me camel toe, and they always feel like they are falling down.
Outlaw Yoga – http://www.outlawyoga.com – pants have SKULLS, cannot been seen through and are 90% organic cotton…..just sayin’
Hey Kathi here are 29 yoga styles all made in US. You can filter our products by country of origin! http://www.prana.com/women/featured/yoga-favorites.html?country_of_origin=25 Hope this helps…
Let the unsolicited marketing zoo begin!
You could just, like– you know, wear underwear. My teacher recently made such a strong case for wearing underwear that I started wearing them.
As a straight male yoga teacher, I am probably the last person who should be commenting on this, but here I go. The fact that yoga pants in general are form fitting and show every bump and curve of the body is no secret to anyone. I have never come across transparent yoga pants, but it is true that when stretched in some yoga poses many brands of yoga pants become more translucent. There is only like 10 microns of lycra there, what do you expect. It is not like you gals are putting it “all” out there. The crotches of most yoga pants are reinforced, and not see through at all. (Not that I am looking….) If you are modest, or if the thinness of material is of concern to you, do what many yoga gals do and wear spanks or other underwear under your yoga pants. Now to the yoga part of the comment. First, the yoga experience should bring us closer to a realization of acceptance of body and mind and a letting go of some of the body obsession that many are infatuated with. I say it all the time in yoga classes that: “you are not this body and mind that you possess. You are the underlying spiritual being that is having the experience of this life.” On a less philosophical level, if you have worked hard at you practice of yoga and fitness, go ahead and “ROCK” those translucent yoga pants with your awesome body. If you got it flaunt it. There are nude yoga classes, but for most of us, there is reason why we wear clothing in yoga. It is because it would be very uncomfortable (definitely for me, maybe for you) doing yoga poses like “happy baby”, “splits”, and “frog” without it. As far as Lululemon goes, I have always found their clothing to be of the highest quality (and price), and have never seen a rip, tear, or run in any of their clothing. Bottom line, In your yoga class, you should wear the clothing that you are comfortable practicing yoga in.
Scott Page
yoga Teacher
Scottsdale, AZ
I noticed Lululemon’s stock plummeted today. Appropriate karma for trying to sell out yoga. You are a fool if you spend $100 on yoga pants.
btw…that was a pretty creepy post Scott.
I’m not surprised to hear this unfortunately. I tried some purple pants on in my regular size around the new year, bent down to get my phone in the changeroom and saw a little more than I bargained for. I realise this recall was only for new product in black but still, it made me cautious to ‘try before I buy’ with Lulu, especially considering the cost involved.
Here’s an idea. If you don’t like Lululemon, don’t shop there. Honestly, what’s with all the hate? This post and the other one are distasteful and tacky. Thumbs down to a site that I generally like. Lulu has outfitted me through an entire transformation physically. Their clothes fit me, and I like that.
Way to keep monetizing on the hate in the world, though. I’ll be unsubscribing.
Thanks for the info, I did not know see through yoga pants existed. Fascinating.