Vancouver-based Lululemon Athletica has temporarily pulled its new Get Low workout line from its North American website after customers complained the leggings were see-through when bending or squatting and fit poorly. The collection remains on sale in stores while the company reviews the feedback.
Pulled days after launch
Lululemon said online sales of the Get Low collection — leggings, tights and tank tops designed to give wearers a sculpted look and a weightless feel while training — have been temporarily paused so the company can better understand some initial customer feedback.
The company did not specify what the feedback contained, but social media commenters were blunt: shoppers posting on Reddit said the tights were not “squat proof,” turning transparent when stretched during squats and bends, in every colourway. The Get Low high-rise training tight, priced at US$108, drew a product rating of about two stars out of five.
Analysts noticed the speed of the reversal. JPMorgan analyst Matthew Boss told clients the line was removed from the company’s website just three days after its debut, with complaints centred on the tights. Lululemon’s shares fell about 6.5 per cent on Tuesday, the day the pause became public.
“The Get Low line has officially been pulled,” one widely shared post on the r/lululemon subreddit said, adding that customers could exchange the leggings in stores even if worn.
Back online, with instructions
The pause lasted two days. On Jan. 22, Lululemon resumed online sales of the line — without changing the leggings themselves. Instead, it updated its product guidance: shoppers are now advised to size up for the best performance during hinge movements and deep squats, and to wear seamless, skin-toned underwear beneath the tights.
“We have updated our product education information to incorporate new guidance on fit, sizing and features to better support guest purchase decisions,” a company spokesperson said.
That explanation did not satisfy everyone. Internally, chief brand and product activation officer Nikki Neuburger was reported to have told employees much the same thing — that customers who sized up and wore seamless, skin-toned underwear would not have transparency issues — a message widely read online as blaming the customer.
A familiar problem
This is not Lululemon’s first transparency crisis. In 2013, the company was forced to recall large quantities of its black yoga pants after customers complained they were see-through, a fiasco that contributed to executive departures. More recently, in 2024, it withdrew its Breezethrough leggings shortly after launch over similar complaints.
Analysts were unsparing about the quality-control lapse. Morningstar analyst David Swartz flagged “issues with product development,” and the episode invited unfavourable comparisons to rivals who market their own testing regimes. For a premium brand that charges premium prices on the promise of technical performance, fit failures are especially damaging.
The Get Low episode also landed in the middle of corporate turmoil. Chief executive Calvin McDonald was set to step down on Jan. 31, activist investors were circling, and founder Chip Wilson — one of the company’s largest individual shareholders, who is pushing to shake up the board — seized on the incident. “I’ve believed that Lululemon has lost its cool for some time, but it is now evident to me that the company has completely lost its way as a leader in technical apparel,” Wilson said.
