Who Manufactures Lululemon?

Athleisure has gained a lot of popularity since its rise in the late 1970s and untouched rise in the 2000s. The clothing includes any type of clothes that can be worn to the gym. You can wear this type of clothing to any activities like sports, outdoor activities, or running. But they are also pretty stylish, which prompted people to use them in their daily lives as well. Today, it is a highly popular trend, which you can see even celebrities donning. 

Lululemon is one of the biggest game-changers when it comes to athleisure. This brand pushed these clothes towards a more stylish spectrum and made them more wearable outside the gym. The company is running big today, but this success does not come without curiosity about the Lululemon manufacturers and how the company has managed to make it big. So, where does Lululemon get its clothes, and how has it become such a big name? 

About Lululemon

Lululemon was founded in Vancouver, Canada, in 1998. The brand was founded by Chip Wilson. It started off as a design studio by day and a yoga studio by night. The apparel the brand offers is super comfortable and can be worn for yoga, gymming, running, and any other activity that you love. But, the best part about the clothes is that you can wear them for other daily activities as well. 

The brand had started as a single store in the year 2000 in Kitsilano. The brand aimed at making athletic clothes look more stylish, which in turn gave birth to athleisure. The brand initially worked on clothes that women could wear for yoga but slowly started making activewear in general. Wilson wanted the best quality for his customers and thus made the garments high quality and fashionable-looking. 

But to maintain the quality of their perfectly fitting leggings, hoodies, sweatshirts, and other loungewear, the prices are pretty high. However, that has done little to hamper its popularity. Today, the brand has several stores around the globe and caters to an audience in cities like Alaska, Illinois, Manitoba, and British Columbia. Chip Wilson was CEO for eight years and remained chairman till the year 2013. He had completely removed himself from the brand by the year 2015. 

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Lululemon has a range of products that one can wear to both outdoor and daily activities. They have shorts, leggings, tops, hoodies, sweatshirts, and jackets. These are standard clothes that people wear while gymming or working out. Earlier, the company only delved into yoga wear, but now it also has numerous accessories. These accessories include yoga mats, bags, and socks. Each product made by Lululemon, as discussed earlier, is high-quality and has high prices. The brand had opened a couple of stores for menswear as well. The two standalone stores in Toronto and New York City were opened in the year 2016 and 2014, respectively. But they were soon closed in the year 2019. But the brand aimed at fulfilling the needs of both men and women. Thus, it kept working to make clothing and accessories for men after that as well. 

Why Is Lululemon So Popular?

Some people are often left wondering how the leggings from Lululemon are famous because they have sky-high prices. But the truth is that the quality of these clothes is what lures most people into breaking their banks every once in a while for the apparel. The fit of Lululemon’s clothes is also another significant factor in pulling in people. The leggings hug the body perfectly without biting into the skin and give a flattering look. The premium quality also ensures that the clothing lasts longer than most of Lululemon’s competitors. 

Some of the most famous leggings from Lululemon include the Align high-rise pants. These are probably some of the softest leggings you will find in the market. The Lycra fabric makes these pants stretchable, and they come in several patterns, sizes, and colors. The Align high-rise crops are also among the brand’s famous pants. If you are one who is into running, you can opt for the Base Pace high-rise fleece running tight. They offer you a water-resilient material which is brushed from the inside, making them perfect for the cold weather. 

Lululemon’s fame has only grown over the years. The company has been under hot waters for former CEO Wilson’s comments and a couple of other controversies after his exit as well. But none of them have created much of a dent in the company’s reputation. The sense of community the brand has successfully created has kept it afloat over the years. Surprisingly, it has also been one of the few companies that have grown during the pandemic. The reason behind this success can be the undying need for activewear. The one thing people opted for when working from home was athleisure because while it is comfortable, it also looks professional. You can also wear them while working out at home, so it is a win-win situation for everyone!

Who Are the Lululemon Manufacturers?

Lululemon, pretty surprisingly, does not have any manufacturers of its own. The brand outsources each of its clothing pieces to gain the advantage of moderate cost. There are around 60 Lululemon suppliers that help the company meet its production needs. The most commonly used fabric at Lululemon is the Luon fabric, which is used for about 30% of the products. The brand gets this fabric from a single manufacturer. 

Lululemon manufacturers are distributed in over 26 countries worldwide. Some countries that help the brand meet its production needs are Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Haiti. South Asia makes up for a significant number of the manufacturers. Some of the production is also taken care of in China and North America. The North America Lululemon suppliers help the brand retain speed. The most important thing for any brand is to keep up with trends, and with this manufacturer, Lululemon achieves just that. 

For distribution, Lululemon has four distributors, one each in Vancouver, Summer, Melbourne, and Columbus. The latest one is in Columbus. This one allows the users to get their online delivery in a shorter time as compared to the time taken earlier. Based on the current production and manufacturing needs, the company believes that these manufacturers and distributors should be enough to let them work effortlessly for the next few years. 

Lululemon’s Marketing Scheme

Lululemon has successfully created a brand that markets not just a product but a lifestyle to its audience. The brand has marketed itself as a milestone that helps people reach an active lifestyle throughout the globe. Naturally, this has attracted the attention of numerous celebrities. Some celebrities seen wearing the brand are Selena Gomez, Meghan Markle, Kendall Jenner, and Addison Rae. Needless to say, this has boosted the brand’s reputation and drawn the attention of a large crowd. 

The brand also has a strong social media presence. Its Instagram account has over 3.5 million followers and has several types of posts. The brand has posts about product launches, brand advertising posts, and user reviews. Looking at the fluctuating likes, it seems that the brand invests money in engagement posts. It has also given their audience an excellent platform to share their reviews with the hashtag #thesweatlife. This allows the users to share content like videos or pictures of them working out while wearing the Lululemon clothing. Another account that Lululemon seems to handle well is their Tiktok account, where they are making use of trends that are relevant to the company. 

The clothes are targeted at women who are into health and working out. But the company has also invested in clothing for men. The brand, in the future, wants to be known for its dual-gender clothing. The company, as of 2021, runs 531 physical stores. The brand believes that stores help the audience connect with the brand and know their products better. Beyond that, Lululemon also has warehouse sales and showroom sales. The brand also caters to wholesale customers like fitness or yoga centers to enhance their reputation. 

Bottom Line

But there is no denying that Lululemon has opened a new gate for fashion lovers by merging athletic wear and loungewear and making clothes that one can wear to both occasions. The brand has a significant role in making athleisure fashionable and more accessible for the crowd by using a focused and select group of manufacturers and distributors. The brand has always believed in the power of quality over quantity, which works well for its target audience. The fact remains that Lululemon as a brand only gets bigger with each passing day, and this success does not seem to halt any time soon.