Lululemon Athletica is an American-Canadian multinational athletic apparel retailer domiciled in Delaware and headquartered in Vancouver. It was founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and other yoga wear and has expanded to also sell athletic wear, lifestyle apparel, accessories, and personal care products. The company has 491 stores internationally and also sells online.
Lululemon sells athletic wear including tops, yoga pants, shorts, sweaters, jackets and undergarments, as well as hair accessories, bags, yoga mats, water bottles, and personal care products such as deodorant and dry shampoo. Lululemon trademarked its original fabric, Luon, which included a higher-than-average amount of nylon microfiber, in 2005. Since then, the company has produced several different types of fabrics, including compression and moisture-wicking designs. Lululemon is primarily known for its leggings, which first made the brand popular.
In 2017, Lululemon and Athletic Propulsion Labs began selling women’s and men’s shoes in 23 stores across North America. In 2019, the company launched a luxury streetwear brand called Lab in a few of its stores.
Lululemon maintains a research and development lab, “Whitespace”, within its headquarters. It has around 50 employees including scientists and physiologists.
In 2019, Lululemon plans to double its men’s business in the next five years beyond its women’s and accessory business for growth, competing against other athletic wear such as Nike and Under Armour. Within the last few years, to work to reduce their environmental impact, Lululemon has introduced the ‘Be Planet’ initiative, where they create more sustainable materials, reduce water waste, and decarbonise their supply chain.