Just a quickie post on the latest items to hit the in-store/ online markdown rack at Lululemon. When the color ‘Midnight Iris’ first came out, I was pretty much disinterested because I already had some items in the color ‘Spring Has Sprung,’ but, since everything in the color ‘Midnight Iris’ has gone to Mark Down/ Loot/ We Made Too Much, I find myself unable to resist having at least a few items in this colorway for myself. I can never turn down a good deal!
For reference, here’s a photo of Midnight Iris next to Spring has Sprung!
Left: Midnight Iris Right: Spring Has Sprung
So, I bought a Flow Y bra for $29, a CRB for $29 and an NLT for $39. I got both the Flow Y & CRB at a 30.95% discount and the NLT at a 39.06% discount. [(X-Y)/X]
(Not sure what a CRB or NLT is? Check out my previous post about Lululemon Slang here.)
Caution: I think the main reason the colorway went on sale is because it’s mostly Polyester. (The CRB itself is 94% Polyester, but it’s pretty, so… I figure, why not?)
Note: I wouldn’t try my first Forme Jacket in this color if I were you. Even considering the discount, the inside is gray, and it’s just not very attractive. You can also see in the photos online that when you flip the cuffs over it’s gray as well. Not to mention that the discount is only 17%.
UPDATE!
This morning Lululemon put more things in Midnight Iris on “We Made Too Much.” I ordered a Pace Setter Skirt in that pattern. Did you buy anything on markdown?
UPDATE: Wore the CRB, super poly-feeling, but still pretty snazzy lookin’! I LOVE the NLT in this print & can’t wait to wear it again!
I have been getting hits on my blog based on search criteria like “Forme Jacket Review,” and this leaves me with two impressions. First, I feel badly, because I know that the person who entered that search criteria did not find what they were looking for. Second, this informs me that there is an audience out there looking for reviews. Many Lululemon addicts know that you can find pretty honest reviews on each individual products’ page. For example, I am about to review (contrast & compare) two Lululemon jackets, one being the Forme, the other being the Define Jacket. Lululemon does not currently produce the Define jacket, but the Forme Jacket can be found by clicking the link & that’s where you’ll find reviews as well!
I will admit: I don’t love the Forme jacket. I don’t own one, and I’ve only ever tried one on once. The shoulders didn’t fit me right, too high & loose. But, I’m going to try to best to compare the two using reviews for the website for the Forme & my personal experiences with the Define jacket. I love Define jackets. I own (Black/ Ikat and Beachy Floral Porcelain Blue). I used to own a few others, but I have since traded or sold them in exchange for other unicorns.
They’re certainly very similar. They bother have zipper garages & thumbholes; they’re both fitted and somewhat stretchy.
According to the reviews I read on the Lululemon website, the Forme Jacket has thinner fabric than the Define. Some people who like the Forme jacket said that they used the Forme when it was warmer out, and that they found the Define was better suited for cooler mornings. Others said the thinner fabric made the Forme feel cheap. The main complaint was about the sleeves being too long and the shoulders being boxy. However, recently, Lululemon has created the Forme Jacket *Cuffins, where the reviews confirm that these problems have been taken care of. Apparently, the shoulders are no longer boxy & the sleeves have been shortened by 1.5 inches. The Forme Jacket *Cuffins, has had the cuffins added as well as a hair tie zipper pull, like the Define jackets have. There were mixed reviews regarding the underarm mesh, and it has been removed in the new version of the Forme jacket. People who prefer the Forme over the Define say that the reason they like it is because it doesn’t have the vent in the back. I liked the vent at the back of the Define, I thought it was a cute detail, but others think the extra fabric distorts the shape of the back.
I hope you have found this helpful. You can still find used and NWT Define jackets on eBay, and of course, the Forme jacket and the Forme Jacket *Cuffins are currently still available on Lululemon’s website.
UPDATE:
Considering the popularity of the new Pique, BLDO Forme Jacket, I figured I’ll give it a try. It was sold out online very quickly, although they did do a re-stock of the website in the morning. I received it in the mail and while the fabric is gorgeous, and it fit well in the torso area through the hips, it was too big in the shoulders and I feel that the reviews of the Forme were correct overall. It is certainly not as well fitting as the Define, in my opinion. So, it did go back to the store. The Pique fabric however, is amazing, I just wish I could live in that! I hope this is helpful.
UPDATE Nov 20/ 2014:
Lululemon, much to my great surprise, re-released the Define Jackets! I talk about the fit and fabric content in my new post!
I recently posted about fakes, and I am passionately opposed to them. So, I want to take the time to talk about a few authentic Scubas I own and love.
“you are beautiful”With removable Fur added
These are photos of a Special Edition Scuba Hoodie in Paris Pink/ Black Swan Dip Dye. They were released in December of 2011, and retailed for $148. This one has removable fur trim, it zips on and off. It must be dry-cleaned separately, although the hoodie itself may be machine washed. I absolutely love this hoodie and I wear it very frequently. I have also taken a close-up photo of the pilling inside the hoodie to show how Scuba hoodies do pill over time. I’m also a bit of a sucker for the embroidered “you are beautiful” on the inside of the hood. It was one of the things that sold me on it, along with the fact that the fact that the fur is removable and the colors are unique. This Scuba has side panels & thumb holes, as well as a zipper garage, so you don’t hurt your chin!
Since this blog is about the resale market for Lululemon items, I will mention that these pop up on eBay often enough and usually sell but for how much is highly dependent on condition. New ones sell for upwards of $200, while used ones sell for around $100.
The next Scuba hoodies pictured are from the Cheer Gear collection that Lululemon released for the Vancouver Olympics.
I think it’s clever that Lululemon avoided paying royalties to the “Olympics” by avoiding using that word specifically. Instead of an “Olympic Cheer Gear” Scuba Hoodie, Lululemon created “Cool Sporting Event that takes place in British Columbia between 2009 & 2011 Edition” Hoodies. How clever. Well, sort of. VANOC, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, found the collection “disappointing.” That’s too bad- I find it adorable! Here’s an article about it!
The Scubas above had zipper garages but no side panels or thumbholes.
I hope you like these pieces from my collection. I hope to add more later!
UPDATE
I think it’s time to add a couple more Scubas to this post!
The first one is a Scuba Hoodie *Limited Edition in Coal Black Orbit Lace Print with removable fur trim on both hood and wrists. This one came out around the same time as the above Paris Pink dip dye one. In fact, I think I purchased both of them at the same time. This one retailed for $198. I can’t give an estimate on how much this one would sell for, but there were only 5,500 made. (I’m not sure if that’s a lot of a little in the Lululemon world) But I can tell you this: There was recently a used one on eBay (size 6) that sold for $250. This one also has a zipper garage, side panels and thumbholes.
Scuba Hoodie Limited Edition in Coal Black Orbit Lace Print with removable fur trim on both hood and wrists.
Up close of Orbit Lace print.Fur has been reattached to this versatile Scuba hoodie.Limited Edition Tag sewn inside the hoodie.
While I do love Scuba Hoodies, I don’t own too many of them. Here are some photos of a new one I bought recently.
The color of this one is called Blue Moon/ Hyper Stripe Blue Moon. It retailed for $108 and was released in August 2013. It has thumbholes, but no side panels. It’s hood is lined in Blue Moon Hyperstripe and it has the words “Shhhh… I’m meditating” embroidered on the outside of the hood. Again, I’m a sucker for embroidered words.
It says “Shhhh… I’m meditating”
So, I think that these are the only Scuba hoodies I own. Like I said, I don’t buy too many. For me, August was a pretty boring up-load month. So, I kind of just wanted to buy something one week and ended up with this. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but if there had been anything else I liked that upload, I probably would not have gotten this.
The reason I don’t buy (too many) Scuba Hoodies: They don’t hold their value very well. The olympic ones, sometimes still sell on eBay for close-to retail. The Special Edition ones tend to do well, because they’re special edition. But on average, you’ll lose half your investment. The reasons Scuba hoodies don’t hold their value very well are: the French Terry degrades rather rapidly, and almost inevitably. The pilling shown above is nearly (if not totally) impossible to prevent. The cost to ship a Scuba Hoodie makes them difficult to sell. No one wants to pay $90 for a $70 hoodie, but in reality, especially in Canada, Scuba hoodies are expensive to ship.
That said, there are some especially gorgeous Scuba hoodies out there that deserve to be owned and loved on their own merits, regardless of resale value, March WAFS comes to mind.
These are very soft & silky, and super comfortable on. These tend to maintain their value fairly well, but they also pill very easily and especially in the gusset. I’ve seen some in terrible condition and they’re not worth anything once the condition has begun to deteriorate. I own one pair, and, in the interest of preservation, I mostly only wear them around the house.
Here is a handy chart for you! I hope this update helps! If you want some additional examples and/or explanations, please scroll down!
Original post, 2013 below-
It seems to me that, no matter what I do, there will always be someone who undermines the community and sells fake Lululemon items. They might call them “replicas,” but they’re fakes. They are NOT the same Lululemon, nor are they ever the same quality. Many sellers on eBay will sell a combination of authentic and phoney Lululemon items in order to avoid getting caught and unfortunately, many consumers have difficulty distinguishing between authentic and counterfeit Lululemon. They make all sorts of claims regarding authenticity and quality, but they infringe on copyright laws and international intellectual property laws, preying on unsuspecting consumers and earning a hefty profit.
Here are a couple of examples of a fake/replica/counterfeit Scuba Hoodie.
Note the fact that “Designed” is spelled incorrectly as “Designde” and the shape is the “OM” on the top of the Hoodie is questionable, to say the least.
I intend to continue to add examples of fakes as I encounter them. Please be aware, and if it seems too good to be true, it may very well be.
UPDATE:
While the danger of buying fakes exists on eBay, there are also many websites dedicated to selling fake Lululemon items. Their web pages are convincing and they tout excellent exchange policies and guarantee authenticity, but the truth is, that once they have your money, they won’t care about how satisfied you are with their product. The worst offender, in my opinion is Ali Express. They steal stock photos from Lululemon’s website and advertise that they sell wholesale Lululemon at discount prices. Lululemon states that it ONLY sells in its stores, on its websites (which are listed) and in select studio partners. This information is located HERE. Oh, and all those positive reviews on Ali Express? They’re fake too! For real information and reviews on Ali Express, check here or you can look here. You can also look here. Ali Express is not the only seller of fake Lululemon, but they are the first google link for searches like “cheap Lululemon,” so I’m sure they get a lot of web traffic. By the way, the fakes do not look like they do in the pictures on the website, and the fabric isn’t the same quality either.
UPDATE:
Scuba Hoodies aren’t the only fakes circulating! There are Fake Stride Jackets too! Here is an example of a fake Stride Jacket:
For three reasons, this is obviously a fake Lululemon Stride jacket. The first reason being the shape of the “OM” symbol on the jacket. It is not the same as the authentic Stride Jacket pictured Below:
Authentic Lululemon Stride Jacket
The second reason being the tag. If you zoom in, you can see the words “made in china.” The “c” in China is not capitalized, but if you compare an authentic Lululemon tag, you’ll see that the “c” IS capitalized, which is grammatically correct. The third reason that this is an obvious fake is because Lululemon never made a brown & pink Stride jacket like this. Sometimes the colors of fakes are so similar to the real ones it is difficult to discern simply from a photo whether it is a fake or not, but not this time.
I hope to continue to add more as I encounter them.
UPDATE: I found a few photos of a fake Forme jacket.
Look at the seams on this Forme jacket.
One of the ways you can tell this jacket is fake is that Lululemon never attaches hang tags to rip-out tags. If you see it done this way, it’s a fake.
Now, take a look at the seams on the authentic Forme Jacket below:
I also found fake Wunder Unders with the tag attached on the rip-out tag, as well as another fake Scuba Hoodie.
You can tell that they’re fake because Lululemon does not attach tags onto the rip-out tag. If you see this, that means it’s fake.
While the give-away here is obviously the hang tag attachment point, I will also encourage you to consider again, the shape of the Lululemon Logo, and while they can correctly copy it onto tags, it is rarely sewn properly onto the garment. The shape is once again, incorrect.
I hope to continue to add more examples of fakes to this post.
UPDATE
I want to add that there are multiple websites that sell fake Lululemon. Not just Ali Express. This isn’t real: CHEAP LULULEMON, This isn’t real: LULU @ LOW PRICES!!! [2020 update note: I removed the links, because the websites no longer exist, and just give you a 404 error, but they used to sell fake Lululemon] There are tons of fake Lululemon websites with very convincing fronts. Their photos are stolen from Lululemon’s website and the product you see will not be the product you receive. Please remember that the ONLY websites that Lululemon sells their products on are listed HERE.
UPDATE
Found another fake on eBay.
Fake Wunder Unders
As you can see, the HANG tag is attached at the RIP-OUT tag, which, again, Lululemon never does. Can you imagine trying on pants with the tags attached there? Yikes! And what’s with that weird bag that says: LU- W06?
Another Fake from another seller with zero feedback
UPDATE:
I found more pictures of a fake Stride Jacket on ebay, from a seller with ample feedback.
Have you ever received Lululemon items in a plastic bag like this? I haven’t.Notice how the stripes don’t even line up in the logo? That’s not Lulu quality.Again, the tags are attached like this, onto the rip out tag. Can you imagine trying something on like this?
UPDATE: The same seller who sold the Stride last week is now selling a fake Lululemon Scoop Neck tank.
Fake Scoop Neck tank with tags attached onto rip-out tagSometimes the rip-out tags have everything spelled correctly, like in this example.However, sometimes the product information tags are completely ridiculous. Particularly when there’s a suggestion that I can wear a bra under a top that has a built-in-bra, as seen in this picture.
So much wrong with that product tag. I hope all of these examples are useful.
UPDATE:
Fake Scuba Hoodie
Two major things are wrong with this one. One: Lululemon never made a Scuba Hoodie in this print. They made a Grey version called Blazer Fossil. But there was never a red version of anything in this print. Two: See the “Luon” tag (again, mistakenly attached to the rip-out tag), Scuba Hoodies are NOT made of Luon!! They’re made of Cotton Fleece, according to Lululemon’s website.
UPDATE:
Found this fake on eBay
Fake Stride Rip-out TagFake Stride
Again, the rip-out tag has a Lower-Case “c” in ‘China.’
UPDATE:
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY BUY A FAKE
First you want to make sure it’s actually fake. If you’re convinced it’s a fake you’ll want to consider the payment method you used. If you payed cash or EMT, you’re probably not going to get a refund. If you paid EMT however, you might be able to find a name & report the person to the authorities for fraud. If you paid with PayPal as goods, you’re totally covered and can get your money back. Just consult with the seller & make your complaint. If the seller is unresponsive, open a case with PayPal & they’ll return your money once they’ve confirmed via tracked shipping that the parcel has been returned to the seller. If you paid with PayPal as gift, you may still be able to contact PayPal and they may grant you a courtesy refund, but I wouldn’t recommend paying as gift ever. It doesn’t protect you to pay as gift. If you did pay as gift, and the money went through your credit card, you can also call your credit card company to see if they’ll refund your money. Other than that & calling the authorities there’s really not much else you can do.
UPDATE:
I recently saw these and I chose to post them because they are a unique type of fake. This pattern WAS made by Lululemon but these are obviously fakes. A few reasons: the plastic covering over the size dot, the existence of a “I belong to” tag and finally, a small misspelling in the rip-out tag.
The reason these might be deceiving is because this print was in fact made by Lululemon in 2009 and is called Mix A Lot. These Wunder Unders, however, are fake.The hallmark of fake Lululemon articles is the obvious plastic film over the “I Belong To” tag and size dot. I don’t believe these Wunder Unders ever came with an “I belong to” tag, but in any case, Lululemon never has plastic film over their size dots.Finally, the rip out tag. Here featuring correctly spelled “designed” and “China” has a capital “C” but wait! There’s more! “Athletica” has an accent on it, a minor spelling error. Fantastic
UPDATE: I found these on eBay, from a seller that has a decent amount of positive feedback. Unfortunately, this tag has a ridiculous description, in addition to being attached at the wrong place. It says “smooth, soft waistband that can be worn up for a higher rise or down for a lower rise,” which is completely false. These are not “roll down” wunder under crops, and they’re also not HBLK (the color code it says at the bottom), which is “Heathered Black,” nor are they DEW, or Dewberry, which they also claim to be on the product tag.
Here, the product tag is attached to the rip-out tag (again) but also, as is often the case, the description is wrong.
UPDATE:
I decided that it would be a good idea to add an update to this post about where you will most likely find Fake Lululemon items for sale. Locally, you’ll find it on websites like Kijiji or Craigslist. I would be cautious, overall, inspecting the product closely, in person, before the exchange. I don’t necessarily want to discourage anyone from buying locally, the local deals can be the best deals! BUT If someone is selling the same item in multiple sizes, I’d pass. Online there are many places you’ll find fakes. It’s actually quite rare to find a fake in the Lululemon based Facebook groups because many of the ladies who love Lululemon as much as I do can quickly spot a fake. However, there are many places online that sell fake Lululemon. I’m going to start writing and maintaining a list, much in the way I’ve been periodically adding photos to this post. I will also remind you that Lululemon does not sell wholesale and that they have posted a list of official sites where they sell their clothing in their FAQ section. (Update 2023- Link removed- They no longer list where they sell their clothes, but long story short, just buy things off their official site.)
Notice the lack of color code, and also, Lululemon punches through the seam when attaching tags. This tag loops around the headbandIt’s hard to tell that this is fake. BUT… it isOn ebay, you can buy a “”Fly Away Tamer”” for $11, 3 whole dollars less than at Lululemon.
At the end of the year, WordPress tells you which of your posts is bringing the most traffic to your blog. This post topped that list. I want to express my appreciation for those of you who are as concerned as I am about the existence of fakes and replicas of Lululemon clothing. WordPress also suggested that I write more about this topic, considering the popularity. I have one idea for a post, and I’m interested in hearing any ideas you have that might help others, in general, but also if there’s anything you think I should write about. I am not going to do a new “fakes” post, even though, I think that would bring more traffic to my blog. I prefer to write useful posts that have the potential to help people. Please let me know what you’d like to see me write about. Thanks, as always, for reading!
Update:
Hello again! I recently received a comment on another post that inspired this update:
How to avoid accidentally buying fake Lululemon on eBay First, if the listing is for a common item (think Wunder Unders, Scuba Hoodies or Groove pants), I always keep my guard up especially for common colors (like black). Anything New With Tags listed significantly under retail should be an immediate red flag. A few dollars under retail, to encourage bidding, I can see, but a “Buy It Now” under retail or a starting bid of a dollar on a 3 day auction would set off an alarm especially if it were a common item that is often faked.
Secondly, the listing should include photos of the actual product. If there are only stock photos that is a red flag. In some cases it could mean that the seller doesn’t possess the item and in others, it means that the seller knows that they’re selling a fake and that the fake may be obvious to a skilled buyer and that the seller is afraid of being reported to eBay for selling fakes.
If you check your seller’s detailed feedback, which I always do before I make a purchase, you should be able to see everything they’ve sold for the past little while. If they’re selling only items new with tags and they’re of varied sizes, this should also be a red flag especially if these items are going for significantly under retail.
I hope the above tips help! Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see on this topic!
Update:
October 21, 2015
Today, while perusing eBay, I discovered a fake Define. I took a couple of screen captures, and thought it would be good to share them here.
The first photo of this fake Define jacket, shows the hang tag incorrectly attached at the top of the neck. The second photo, shows shoddy stitching on the left wrist/ thumb hole area.
Update: Jan 16/ 2016
Found these on eBay. They’re particularly concerning because Lululemon actually did make this “Beaming Blue/ Laceoflage” color, so I was almost duped until I saw the tags. Again, the tags are attached to the rip out tag, so that’s wrong. Next the tags themselves are not correct. Finally, a lot of the stitching appears to be of poor quality.
UPDATE:
January 26, 2016
I realised just a moment ago that I haven’t mentioned the “rip out” tags themselves in terms of feel. The fake ones tend to feel silkier than the authentic ones, but most of all the real ones will rip out easily. They are designed to do so. If you can’t easily rip out the tag, there’s a chance your item is not authentic. Alternatively it is very old. Some very old items either have the tag printed right on the garment, and other very old items will have a short tag that is not designed to be ripped out. Again, always be cautious about “New With Tags” items. I hope this adds value to this article, and as always, thanks for visiting!
I also recently found this fake Bang Buster. This made me especially sad because I absolutely love the Band Busters. But this is an obvious fake. Begin by noticing the attachment area/ method of the price tag, and then notice that the writing is incorrect. Second, this color was never manufactured by Lululemon. The one part that might fool a potential buyer, in my opinion is the effective duplication of the signature Lululemon metal logo on the side. I hope no one is fooled by this fake Lululemon Bang Buster!
UPDATE February 24, 2016
Fake Define on eBay
Again, just notice the attachment of the tag. Also: the seller did not provide very good photos.
UPDATE: JULY 2, 2016
From a reader, thanks to Ms. R for these photos. Unfortunately, this is a fake Stride. First off, notice the “OM,” is not like other Strides. The tag, although correctly written, is attached too high, and does not “Tear out” like other Lulu tags. There is a “mesh” in the hood, which I’ve never seen before. Then, of course, the tell-tale sign of fakes, the plastic film over the name tag and size dot.
UPDATE (Oct. 2016): Hello again everyone! It’s time for another update!
Here, again there are some signs. First thing I immediately notice is the strange font on the tag. Also, number 4 on the tag is hilarious. There is no gusset in a tank top.
UPDATE: April 2019
Thanks to reader, Jennifer, for sending me a couple of other examples. As you can see, there is a significant misspelling on the tag “Switly” and the hang tag is attached at the tear out tag, rather than near the armpit, or side seam, where it is typically located.
Example of Lululemon Pique Fabric. To the left, Beaming Blue/Polar Cream Mini Check Pique Vinyassa Scarf. To the right, Wunder Under Pants in Black/ Deep Charcoal Pique
If you’re thinking about entering the world of after market Lululemon sales, you must be versed in the vernacular of the indigenous population of Lulu collectors, lest you become lost in the Swirl of Peri-manifesto print.
Quickly, let’s go over some of the most common abbreviations and terms.
General terms:
Unicorn: An item that the party has been searching for for a long time, that is both rare and highly desirable. Many people’s unicorns are also the unicorns of others as well.
GEC: Guest Education Centre, basically, Lululemon’s Customer Service
ISO: In search of. People will post ads stating that they are in search of an item in hopes that someone will reply to that ad with the item that they are looking for, and hopefully a fair asking price.
DISO: Desperately in search of
FS: For sale
NWT: New with tags
NWOT: New without tags
VEUC: Very excellent used condition (I use this for items when I’m not actually sure whether I wore them even once or not)
EUC: Excellent used condition
VGUC/ GUC: Very/ good used condition
EMT: Email Money Transfer, a Payment method available to Canadians
TTS: True to Size, indicating that the buyer bought their normal size in the item
Bump: A bump is when someone comments on their own post (usually just saying “bump,” sometimes using a *) which moves it to the top of the page until someone else posts or bumps their post.
IMO: In my opinion
MD: Mark down, indicates something is on sale, or was purchased for the sale price.
PM: Private message
MSG: Message
Angel: An angel is a community member who will purchase an item for you at a location convenient to them, accept payment for the item- including postage, and often a tip- and mail the item to you.
PP: When in regards to a purchase it means, “payment pending.” ie: Someone may comment on their own post stating, “sold, pp.”
CAN: Canada
US: United States
OOTD: Outfit of the day
UPLOAD!!! : Once a week, Lululemon adds new items to the website. Sometimes during the holiday season Lululemon will upload extra items at random..
UPDATE ON UPLOAD TIME: As of February 6th, 2016, uploads have been occurring no later than 5pm EST on Tuesday afternoons. Times do vary slightly.
LOOT or WMTM or MD: We Made Too Much, formerly called “loot” is generally uploaded on Thursday mornings, very early. It is filled with items that are on Mark Down (reduced in price). Sometimes, over the holiday season, WMTM doesn’t get uploaded as often, but then normal uploads come more often.
Colours:
PP: Paris Pink
LR: Love Red
Articles of Clothing:
PO: Pullover
WUPs/ WUCs: Wunder Under Pants, Wunder Under Crops
