Under Armour vs Lululemon Case Study- Which Is The Better Buy?

Introduction

How about wearing your yoga pants to work or styling your running sneakers to school? That is the aesthetic athleisure wear can give you. Yes, they offer a soothing feel that you sure would want to try out. They have also become a trend in daily fashion for a few years now. Interesting right?

What is more interesting is that celebrities have joined in on the athleisure fashion. From Jennifer Lopez to Selena Gomez and Khloé Kardashian, who was spotted styling a fitted shirt with pants, Nike cropped zip-up, and sneakers in 2017. Apart from its beauty, the trend is one of the most comfortable in the fashion industry. No one can deny its simplicity. More so, adding athleisure wear to your collection gives your wardrobe some versatility and style.

Gladly enough, this fashion trend accommodates almost every ones fashion sense and perception. What does this mean? It means that whether you are a fast fashion lover or you prefer to stick to old designs, you are not left out of the styling niches of athleisure wear. It is as simple as putting on a top on a pair of pants, and some sneakers. And you are set.  You can choose to add other accessories like a scarf, necklace, wristwatch, etc. 

Athleisure brands like Nike Sportswear, The Upside, Beyond Yoga, Lululemon, Olivers, Alala, and Under Armour have met the need for athleisure wear. They have continuously thrived and satisfied their customers for years. This article analyzes Under Armour vs Lululemon and identifies the better buy between them.

  • Under Armour
  • Lululemon
  • Which Is The Better Buy?

Under Armour

Kevin Plank created Under Armour on the 25th of September, 1996. He had headed the Maryland University’s football team at that time. Plank was concerned about the way players were sweating in their shirts. In a bid to curb the sweats, he designed clothes that would keep athletes dry and comfortable during their sports activities. They were also stretchable and fitting.

He started selling the outfits to his ex-Maryland teammates who had joined the NFL. He made his debut team sale of 17,000 US Dollars towards the end of 1996. Then, it gained popularity, made bigger deals with the NFL, and became the official outfit supplier for the National Hockey League. In 2005, the brand spread its tentacles to other forms of sports outfits. After its first full-line-full-price retail spot in Annapolis, it set up specialty outlets and factory spots in other American states and China. Under Armour has over 15,000 retail stores worldwide with more than 10,000 workers across 16 different locales. Also, most of their sales come from their online outlet. Today, the brand produces t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, jackets, and sporting outfits and accessories. 

Lululemon

Chip Wilson created Lululemon in 1998 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The brand’s debut stand-alone store began in late 2000. Wilson named the brand with multiple L’s to give a western impression to Japanese customers. The brand came to the limelight through its production of leggings. Lululemon produces athletic outfits like yoga pants, sweaters, jackets, shorts, hair accessories, bags, skin and hair products, and yoga mats. Lululemon has a trademark of fitting a more-than-usual level of nylon microfiber in its outfits. It began this design system in 2005. The brand also produces various kinds of outfits. Some of them have a water-resistant design.

It is interesting to note that the company controls a research and development laboratory called “Whitespace.” This laboratory is located at its headquarters. Lululemon has about 50 employees, comprising physiologists and scientists in the lab. According to Statista, Lululemon operates over 520 stores globally and retails its products online. The brand is ardently developing new outfits to give its customers ultimate comfort and user experience. 

An average Lululemon high-rise pant costs between $98 to $118, while its sleeve shirts cost $68 to $78. In 2019, the Athleisure brand had a net income of over $645 million, giving it a net revenue of $3.98 billion. However, in 2020, it had an income drop to over $588 million. Still, its net revenue increased to over $4.4 billion.

Which Is A Better Buy?

Under Armour and Lululemon are big athleisure brands that have served their customers for years. They have good levels of quality attached to their products, hence, the high patronage from their customers. However, every prospective customer has aspects they look into when weighing options between similar brands. This section points out which brand is a better buy between Under Armour vs Lululemon.

Under Armour vs Lululemon – Product Quality and Design 

Under Armour

This brand offers a unique design technique in its products. Its items’ quality is unmatched. Under Armour’s products are reliable and a go-to among athletes because they give them much better performance. Its outfits use a no-sweat technique. This technique aids in the easy evaporation of sweat from the user’s body. Speaking of its products, Under Armour has a signature design known as compression technology in its shoes. It provides a “speedform” shoe with very little stitching and without an in-sole.

This speedform feature makes the shoe lightweight and more like a leg extension. More so, these shoes are designed in clothing factories. Some of the brand’s shoes, known as “smart shoes,” are designed with gyroscopes, accelerometers, and Bluetooth devices. The shoe sensors are built to remain active as long as the shoe is in use. The estimated lifetime for a 25-mile weekly usage for a shoe is three months.

Lululemon

On the other hand, Lululemon has fixed its prominence and prices on quality yoga outfits known as Luon. Its leggings incorporate sweatless designs. They quickly dry off sweat so that the user can remain comfortable even in hot conditions. The brand’s yoga fabric provides a cotton and cozy feel when it touches the skin. It also has a stretch and recovery design. Lululemon’s products come with spandex that ensures the clothes do not overstretch or stay out of shape, and the nylon gives them coverage.

The brand has Luon variations on its products. The full-on Luon ensures the material has a tight and secure feel when worn. Therefore, the light Luon is suitable for hot weather and sports exercises. In addition, the athleisure brand also produces long-lasting and water-resistant bags made of polypropylene. The quality of the bags gives them multiple uses. The bags can be recycled and are produced from different materials like bamboo, FSC-certified Kraft paper, cotton, recycled PET, etc. 

Under Armour vs Lululemon – Cost

For Under Armour, its men’s collection costs between $35 to $150. A regular short sleeve is sold for $35, while a hoodie sells for $75. Its curry joggers are sold for $80 while its cargo pants go for $100. Its women’s collection ranges between $30 to $150. A regular short-sleeved shirt goes for $30, while ankle leggings are tagged at $90. 

Lululemon’s men’s outfits cost between $50 to $250. Under the men’s section, an average lululemon jogger costs about $130, while its long sleeve shirts cost between $67 to $90. Lulu lemon sells its hoodies for $100 to $150. Its women’s section has clothes ranging from $50 to $300. A regular female tank top goes for about $73, while its high-rise joggers go for $118. 

Under Armour vs Lululemon – Fashion and Target Market

The athleisure brand, Under Armour, targets the active population. In the United States, about 70% of Under Armour’s customers are males between 18 and 24 years. This implies that its target audience is the Generation Z population. Its customers are mostly amateur or professional sportsmen. Their fancy for the brand is its product performance and its alignment with their ethics and perceptions.

However, Lululemon positions itself as a luxury brand with fair product costs. Since it is not a fast-fashion brand, it focuses on quality, pays attention to details, and gives its products stylish packaging. Almost 100% of Lululemon’s styles are self-made. Also, the brand targets men and women in the higher middle class. These people are between 18 and 35 years old. They often have the mindset to keep fit. Interestingly, people within this age range make up about 41% of the globe’s population. 

Under Armour vs Lululemon – Customer Service and Return Policy

Every customer wants excellent and accessible customer service. There might not be a do-it-all brand, but one should have stand-out qualities and favorable return policies. Under Armour’s customer agents are available via live chats, email, phone calls, or any of its offline retail stores. It also has an FAQ section to guide customers and visitors. Under Armour has a 60-day free exchange or return policy on its products. During busy periods of the year, it extends its allowable return days.

Lululemon also offers customer service through live chats, phone, email, FAQ, and offline retail outlets. In addition, it has an iMessage service option. Lululemon offers a free 30-day return or exchange policy on its products, excluding face masks, gift cards, and “We Made Too Much” items. 

Conclusion

Under Armour and Lululemon have established themselves as quality athleisure brands. Despite their achievements, they have varying remarks in different aspects. Hence, the Under Armour vs Lululemon survey. From the details of each brand outlined above, it is evident that Under Armour pays a lot of attention to its shoes while Lululemon pays much attention to its clothes, especially its leggings. Also, in terms of cost, Lululemon’s products are more expensive than Under Armour’s, while the latter targets a broader audience. With both brands, when looking for fashionability and comfort, you can’t go wrong.

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Under Armour vs Lululemon Case Study- Which Is The Better Buy? The Under Armour vs Lululemon brand comparison. Do you want to know which is the better buy? Read on to find out which one is.
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