I had an excursion to the new Lululemon Lab store in Gastown Vancouver today! This was my first time going to the new location. I happened to have a Dr.'s appointment very nearby today and had caught wind yesterday from the groups that the Lab had a new pair of Nulux tights in so I thought it was the perfect opportunity. It turns out the pants where actually NULU (like the align pants) and not the NULUX I was hoping for, but I found something else I liked better. Good thing too because as I waited outside for the doors to open, I saw that the other tights where being purchased up by phone orders. By the time I got in at the 11am opening they had a stack of the NULU tights behind the counter and they where fielding phone calls like crazy. When I was chatting with the educator it was really funny to hear the ed refer to the lululemon groups as 'the arena'.
I got to the store at 10:30 but it turns out they didn't open until 11am.
Rubato Tight (NULU) $128
These where really nice and soft NULU but they felt like the original version of the align crops with the soft really fuzzy (and pill prone) aligns. They had really nice seam detailing across the front and a high rise but I decided that these aren't really very different at all from my much cheaper align pants so I passed on these.
You can sort of see here what I mean about the NULU. It's incredibly soft but lacks compression and I feel like these will pill a lot faster than the new Aligns in store.
Nootka Tight (Sculptec)
These Nootka tights where way better for me. The material is something called 'Sculptec' which is apparently only used at the Lulu Lab. It feels like a luxtreme that is a tighter more compressive knit, and a matter finish. The finish on these is matte in the way that raw silk is. I found these a lot more slimming on me with very similar seam details and very smoothing compression. I purchased these because I see myself wearing them a ton not only to work out in (lifting specifically, not metcon) but also because they are matte I like the look of them for outfits. The seam detail on these was very similar to the above tights.
**I just tried these on at home and they are quite sheer in a deep squat so if I keep these I can only wear them casually, not for workouts.
Here is a cute puppy playing with my kids while I was in the fitting room.
Really nice compressive and smoothing fit without feeling binding.
6 comments
If you are in town for Seawheeze (15 days away! OMG!), you may want to check out the Lulu Lab while you are here as they have come up with an exclusive line for Seawheeze called Whytecliff. The print is beautiful. I know I wont be attempting to snag an item because trying to get something that is exclusive in Vancouver is virtually impossible at the best of times. It will be stressful enough getting to the showcase store the day before the race and I know it's going to be an exhausting weekend. I don't want to set myself up for a miserable race by standing in tons of lineups the days leading up to it. For me the fun of this weekend is the experience of hanging out with friends and soaking up the excited energy and doing lots of lulu people watching so a little bit of shopping on expo day is good enough for me. I can't wait to tell you all about Seawheeze weekend!
Here is a link to images of Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver in Horseshoe Bay which is what the print comes from.
I ordered the Future Varsity Tank from the Lululemon Lab Colab on Monday night on a whim, with the plan that I would review it and then very likely return it. I'm a bit torn now that I've seen it because I really love the design and fit of it, and really love the texture of the smooth merino wool, however the price is very hard to swallow especially seeing the inside label which tells me its not made in Vancouver at the Lab but made in Sri Lanka. Do I really want to pay $71.86 for a tank that was made in Sri Lanka just because it was a limited run? In fact, the hang tag says 'Inspired by the Lululemon Lab' which is not the same as saying 'made at the Lululemon Lab' or 'Designed in Vancouver, Made in Canada'.
Is the Future Varsity Pullover any different from the Lululemon Rejuvenate Pullover which also had zippered sides and also made of cotton french terry jersey and sewn together in the same factory? Both designed by designers employed by Lululemon? How do you feel about luxury label offshoots within a brand?
You yourselves will have to decide what importance the distinction of 'lab inspired' vs. 'lab made' holds for you and how you feel about the exclusivity of the Lab branded designs. For myself, because I actually like the tank a lot I'm not sure the misrepresentation of the branding matters nearly as much as the inflated price matters. I need to mull this one over and decide if it would be a staple piece in my wardrobe that I will wear both casually and athletically, dressed up and dressed down, or if it will get hung up and possibly be worn once or twice.
Now onto the fit review: I opted to go with my TTS 10 and it is really nice and long with a subtly curved hem which is longer in the back. I much prefer this scalloped hem to the very exaggerated hems lulu has been up to recently. The tank is loose fitting but not exactly slouchy unless you pull it up so it sits higher. I really like that the bottom hem is finished off on the inside with a silky ribbon, and in the inside back of the neckline its finished off with a thick grossgrain ribbon. Also, all the rest of the seams in the underarm area are finished with a folded ribbon within the flatlock seam work which I think gives the seams really nice structure on such a soft woven material that may otherwise roll or stretch out. The wool itself is very smooth and for someone that is sensitive to most merino wool items, its only the tiniest bit scratchy.
Is the Future Varsity Pullover any different from the Lululemon Rejuvenate Pullover which also had zippered sides and also made of cotton french terry jersey and sewn together in the same factory? Both designed by designers employed by Lululemon? How do you feel about luxury label offshoots within a brand?
You yourselves will have to decide what importance the distinction of 'lab inspired' vs. 'lab made' holds for you and how you feel about the exclusivity of the Lab branded designs. For myself, because I actually like the tank a lot I'm not sure the misrepresentation of the branding matters nearly as much as the inflated price matters. I need to mull this one over and decide if it would be a staple piece in my wardrobe that I will wear both casually and athletically, dressed up and dressed down, or if it will get hung up and possibly be worn once or twice.
Now onto the fit review: I opted to go with my TTS 10 and it is really nice and long with a subtly curved hem which is longer in the back. I much prefer this scalloped hem to the very exaggerated hems lulu has been up to recently. The tank is loose fitting but not exactly slouchy unless you pull it up so it sits higher. I really like that the bottom hem is finished off on the inside with a silky ribbon, and in the inside back of the neckline its finished off with a thick grossgrain ribbon. Also, all the rest of the seams in the underarm area are finished with a folded ribbon within the flatlock seam work which I think gives the seams really nice structure on such a soft woven material that may otherwise roll or stretch out. The wool itself is very smooth and for someone that is sensitive to most merino wool items, its only the tiniest bit scratchy.
Here the tank is flipped inside out so you can see some of the trim detailing as well as the rip tag.
I love this series of photos of the new Lululemon Lab Colab Future Varsity lineup. The skirt is adorable! I ended up ordering the Future Varsity Tank in Merino Wool Last night and I'm still waiting to see if it ships. By this morning the tank was just about sold out by this morning so I am starting to worry a bit that my order wont complete.
Future Varsity Skirt
Future Varsity Jacket
Future Varsity Tank and Future Varsity Skirt
Future Varsity Tight
Future Varsity Jacket
Future Varsity Pullover and Future Varsity Tights
Future Varsity Skirt
Love this!
Future Varsity Jacket
I knew the Lulu Lab Colab pieces were coming to select stores but I had no idea they would be made available online. Nothing enticing me tonight. I was hoping for Zing Pink Apex Stripe CRB but it looks like instead we are getting the solid one with neck detailing. I'm a color lover and this month the only items I've gotten have been black or white which is highly unusual for me. Oh, I did get the Mint Moment CRB and I love it but even then, thats a pretty subdued color by my standards.
Did you order anything tonight? What about the Lab Colab pieces? I wonder if this colab was timed during a transition period with manufactures. Have you noticed how light the product offerings have been since mid December?
*Ended up ordering this to try on for a fit review. I was intrigued by the Merino Wool.
Somewhat tempted by these Groovy Runs but I'd probably just sock them away until Summer when crops are not an option.
Lab coat
I feel the need to clarify my post from yesterday since it seems that the intention is lost on a small few and I want to be very clear. First, I am saddened and disappointed to have to write about this because I have been a huge supporter of the Lululemon Brand. Most of my readership comes from outside of Vancouver and as such, many of you rely on the Angel Services of others. Particularly for Lab Items that are sold exclusively in Vancouver. I occasionally make posts about the Lulu Lab of items that catch my eye, or when there is news such as a new lab website with beautiful imagery of the newest items available for purchase. And as such those posts promote those items to readers which increases requests for angeling (favours from friends). I am partly responsible for the hype (which has always come from a genuine place) and I owe it to you, my readers to give you an explanation when these items are no longer available to you and why. It was a post letting you know that Angel Services for the Lab items has changed and that there are now strict limitations on 5 items per design per guest. It was also an explanation of the events that occurred.
Secondly, it was a post expressing my disappointment in how Nancy, my friend, was treated in regards to this policy. Nancy has made weekly visits to the lab for the past year and it has never been a secret that she does what she does. Some employees have been members of her facebook group. I don't understand why the issue wasn't discussed with her directly at an earlier time. To me, not addressing it or acknowledging it is an acceptance of it. But instead, all of a sudden there is a vibe when you go into the store, your followed around, you get grilled, you realize a file is kept about you and items are removed from your hands. Are those actions that need to be taken if your store policy is firm and transparent and clear to all? It seems to me that there is a bit of confusion and lack of commitment to the policy and a lack of decisiveness in the direction they want to take with the policy and who they want the labs client base to be. Currently the policy is (after a few edits yesterday it's still quite vague) that "limit is based solely on availability". If the item is still available after two weeks are we then allowed to make another purchase? Because the purchase in question was still fully stocked on store shelves when Nancy made her return visit a week later. You have a guaranteed sale here as apposed to having items sit on the shelf waiting for someone else that may or may not come. When there was a Lululemon ambassador retreat last month, the store was liquidated of inventory within a day, people were disappointed to show up at the lab and not see anything they wanted. The complaints of lack of inventory is an issue with supply and demand and Nancy simply represents the demand of these items and was unfortunately treated unfairly. I don't see a difference with Nancy purchasing 5 items or with 3 subsequent customers coming in and buying 15 and clearing out the shelves. The 4th customer is still disappointed with no circle scarf and it's not anyones fault. It's no secret that the regular Lululemon stores operate on the scarcity model and that stores are often sold out of items within hours of boxes being opened. The Lab continues to emphasise the point that they have limited runs and limited time. If the lab is trying to limit up selling on ebay then they should allow phone orders or charge holds were they can control the pricing, know the client they are serving to and not have to worry about implementing ecomm or deal with shipping. Local pickups. Nancy would then simply be doing what she is already doing, and Lululemon is still selling to individuals and the perception has changed. Seriously though, what a problem for a company to have. Yes there are growing pains with the expansion that is happening but don't allow the customer to be the collateral damage here. If the Lab is meant to be a museum experience then they need to clarify that and be forthcoming and clear with the policies and their statements.
Physically removing items from someones hands crosses personal boundaries and is degrading and embarrassing. The practice of limiting purchases or restricting shoppers is not illegal by any stretch and it is not the customers fault when the policy is vague and unclear. We are simply there to shop and go about our business in our merry way. In the end, it is Lululemon's prerogative how they chose to do business. Why post this part of the story publicly? because it is relevant to my readers and it holds the company we offer our money to accountable and opens up the discussion. Lululemon is a corporation and we shouldn't feel badly or shy away from offering feedback that may hurt their feelings or their image. I think sometimes we get clouded by the culture/mantra/manifest and need to remember we are still paying money for the items we purchase and we want to feel good about those purchases and not badly.
I have faith in Lululemon and know that in the end they will do right by their customers that enthusiastically purchase items eagerly on 'Upload Thursdays'. It's not a matter of ranting at Lululemon over not getting to purchase an item that I missed out on, it's the principle of how the customer is treated and valued. I expect them to be as great as I know they can be and great like they were when the client base was much smaller. Expand your policies and customer service to meet the large scale of customers you are now serving.
Lululemon has made a statement on the main facebook page that expresses there wishes to resolve this issue privately with this statement:
lululemon athletica
Secondly, it was a post expressing my disappointment in how Nancy, my friend, was treated in regards to this policy. Nancy has made weekly visits to the lab for the past year and it has never been a secret that she does what she does. Some employees have been members of her facebook group. I don't understand why the issue wasn't discussed with her directly at an earlier time. To me, not addressing it or acknowledging it is an acceptance of it. But instead, all of a sudden there is a vibe when you go into the store, your followed around, you get grilled, you realize a file is kept about you and items are removed from your hands. Are those actions that need to be taken if your store policy is firm and transparent and clear to all? It seems to me that there is a bit of confusion and lack of commitment to the policy and a lack of decisiveness in the direction they want to take with the policy and who they want the labs client base to be. Currently the policy is (after a few edits yesterday it's still quite vague) that "limit is based solely on availability". If the item is still available after two weeks are we then allowed to make another purchase? Because the purchase in question was still fully stocked on store shelves when Nancy made her return visit a week later. You have a guaranteed sale here as apposed to having items sit on the shelf waiting for someone else that may or may not come. When there was a Lululemon ambassador retreat last month, the store was liquidated of inventory within a day, people were disappointed to show up at the lab and not see anything they wanted. The complaints of lack of inventory is an issue with supply and demand and Nancy simply represents the demand of these items and was unfortunately treated unfairly. I don't see a difference with Nancy purchasing 5 items or with 3 subsequent customers coming in and buying 15 and clearing out the shelves. The 4th customer is still disappointed with no circle scarf and it's not anyones fault. It's no secret that the regular Lululemon stores operate on the scarcity model and that stores are often sold out of items within hours of boxes being opened. The Lab continues to emphasise the point that they have limited runs and limited time. If the lab is trying to limit up selling on ebay then they should allow phone orders or charge holds were they can control the pricing, know the client they are serving to and not have to worry about implementing ecomm or deal with shipping. Local pickups. Nancy would then simply be doing what she is already doing, and Lululemon is still selling to individuals and the perception has changed. Seriously though, what a problem for a company to have. Yes there are growing pains with the expansion that is happening but don't allow the customer to be the collateral damage here. If the Lab is meant to be a museum experience then they need to clarify that and be forthcoming and clear with the policies and their statements.
Physically removing items from someones hands crosses personal boundaries and is degrading and embarrassing. The practice of limiting purchases or restricting shoppers is not illegal by any stretch and it is not the customers fault when the policy is vague and unclear. We are simply there to shop and go about our business in our merry way. In the end, it is Lululemon's prerogative how they chose to do business. Why post this part of the story publicly? because it is relevant to my readers and it holds the company we offer our money to accountable and opens up the discussion. Lululemon is a corporation and we shouldn't feel badly or shy away from offering feedback that may hurt their feelings or their image. I think sometimes we get clouded by the culture/mantra/manifest and need to remember we are still paying money for the items we purchase and we want to feel good about those purchases and not badly.
I have faith in Lululemon and know that in the end they will do right by their customers that enthusiastically purchase items eagerly on 'Upload Thursdays'. It's not a matter of ranting at Lululemon over not getting to purchase an item that I missed out on, it's the principle of how the customer is treated and valued. I expect them to be as great as I know they can be and great like they were when the client base was much smaller. Expand your policies and customer service to meet the large scale of customers you are now serving.
"Listen, listen, listen and then ask strategic questions" Lululemon Manifesto.
lululemon athletica
Hi Ladies,
We appreciate all of you reaching out to share your feedback, and we're very disappointed to see so many of you upset. As mentioned previously, the lab is a much different concept from the rest of our stores in that everything is designed and created in store. They don't have the capacity to create in larger quantities than what they do now, and aren't able to order more stock if things sell out quickly.
To ensure a fair opportunity for everyone, a limit is placed on items purchased for all guests at the lab. The limit on items is not a new policy and one that we feel is fair based on the intent of the lab, as well as plain old product availability. The lab is happy to see their designs make their way across the world; the limit is based solely on availability and is not limited to just one person.
Anytime one of our guests has a negative experience at any one of our stores, we work with the store and with that guest to take his or her feedback and try to work with that guest to find a resolution. Since this is an issue about a particular experience with one of our guests, it will be handled privately between the guest and the lab. We ask that you please respect the lab while they deal with this issue with this particular guest privately. As always, we welcome your feedback, and if you wish to share details of your own personal experience, please feel free to share that feedback here: http://www.lululemon.com/f
We appreciate all of you reaching out to share your feedback, and we're very disappointed to see so many of you upset. As mentioned previously, the lab is a much different concept from the rest of our stores in that everything is designed and created in store. They don't have the capacity to create in larger quantities than what they do now, and aren't able to order more stock if things sell out quickly.
To ensure a fair opportunity for everyone, a limit is placed on items purchased for all guests at the lab. The limit on items is not a new policy and one that we feel is fair based on the intent of the lab, as well as plain old product availability. The lab is happy to see their designs make their way across the world; the limit is based solely on availability and is not limited to just one person.
Anytime one of our guests has a negative experience at any one of our stores, we work with the store and with that guest to take his or her feedback and try to work with that guest to find a resolution. Since this is an issue about a particular experience with one of our guests, it will be handled privately between the guest and the lab. We ask that you please respect the lab while they deal with this issue with this particular guest privately. As always, we welcome your feedback, and if you wish to share details of your own personal experience, please feel free to share that feedback here: http://www.lululemon.com/f
**The bone of contention in this post is the title "limit one per customer" which was meant as a catch phrase. The Lab now states that the policy limits buyers to 5 items from one design.**
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"We design and create innovative clothing. Our designs are based on feedback and current trends on the latest and most fashion forward runways. We collect feedback from our walk-in guests, community design meetings, local/international fashion and our social media outlets to create a line exclusively for the people of Vancouver."Many of you know Nancy of Your Personal Lulu Shopper and have used her services in the past to acquire items from the Lululemon Lab in Vancouver after seeing items the lab has promoted on Facebook, Twitter or the new Lulu Lab Blog. Sadly, Nancy is being severely limited in the items she may purchase for you despite the fact that Nancy offers this service to you free of charge as a hobby and a form of retail therapy for herself. I can understand the Lulu Lab having a policy across the board that prevents people from buying items to resell on ebay, however, those customers that do capitalize ARE NOT being limited. Nor are the customers that buy up inventory off the lululemon website in all size runs prevented from capitalizing on the lululemon 'scarcity model designed to frustrate the customer'. So those of you that are buying from as far away as Australia, Singapore, Japan etc. will now need to make your purchases on ebay at heavily marked up prices because Lulu Lab items are just for Vancouverites. Which is really a funny thing to me because the success of the Lululemon Lab has really exploded over the past year. I remember visiting the lab back in 2009 when it opened and it was a much different place from what it currently is and not the elite boutique it has become. Back then it was a few design desks and one rack of clothes with really, very avaunt guard pieces (heavy gauge wool cable knit shorts anyone?) and now you have a full accessories lineup with circle scarves galore. I don't often see Lulu Lab pieces worn around the city. In fact, I once saw a person wearing a circle scarf and she happened to be a lululemon educator at another store.
What irritates me the most is not the new limit in quantity guests are allowed to purchase but the manner in which this issue is being treated and specifically how guests are being treated. I dislike hearing that items are physically being taken out of Nancy's hands counted and put back on display if she's purchased those items on a past visit. How do they know what was purchased on her last visit? well they have a file started for her with a tally of what she buys. They grill her when she comes in and she's treated with suspicion and asked who she is buying for. Now if the powers that be are clever, they would take this (and other interactive guests) as an opportunity to learn and market test and understand the client they are serving better instead of shutting down and choosing to disregard the value of one guest that is really equal to thousands of guests. Why is the guest that is there to spend thousands of dollars weekly being treated like a shoplifter? The Polocross Pants of last year were a huge success with US clients (that have not set foot in the Lulu Lab) and we later saw that design taken into mainstream Lululemon stores. Why not start allowing phone sales with local pickups? Wouldn't that be the simple low cost solution instead of alienating your client base?
I really like the lab space and respect the artists that work there. As an artist myself I enjoy stepping back into creative worlds like that and learning about the processes and artists behind creations. Fashion is driven by commerce and without someone there to vote on your designs the space that was initially more of a gallery and is now a retail boutique space would not enjoy the success that has evolved, particularly not when guests are treated poorly. Art is for the people, not just for the elite few.
So managers this is your exercise of the day. A little math should get us all sweating:
What is your monthly store sales volume? What is the average life of a customer?
Lets say 3 years and they visit once per month and spend..I dunno...$200. That's $7,200 in 36 months (but we all know $200 is a very conservative number but lets pretend that's an averaged number). So each customer like this is worth $7,200 for you. But wait...what if that customer tells just one person about you or exposes your brand to more customers?? What if that customer tells 1000 people? or 15 000 people?? Then that customer is worth much much more. And what if you've upset that customer and they leave?? You can see how those variables can have an effect on the prosperity your business.
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