Brand identity of LuluLemon

Brand Identity of LuluLemon

LuluLemon is a Canadian athletic clothes retailer. The company was established in 1998 by Chip Wilson. In its early stage, it sold yoga wear, and now, it is not only an athletic apparel company but also a designer. It makes different types of athletic wears and sells them all over the world. LuluLemon is one of the fastest growing companies in the apparel space.

Firstly, the LuluLemon’s manifesto is a representation of the brand. “Friends are more important than money” and “Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life,” can be seen in their stores and on their recyclable bags. The manifesto illustrates the lifestyle they participate with and share, coupled with the positivity they exude.

Now, more and more people participate in sports. Why can’t sports be neat and bright at the same time? People need health, but also appearance. This brand is designed and positioned for the new age. They understand their core customers---middle-aged women, and notice that urban white-collar women have started to maintain exercise habits and still want to look good. The brand is built on high-quality, high-styled and high-performance products suitable for most active sports.

Furthermore, because of the commodified culture of yoga and spirituality, LuluLemon’s brand not only shows the product quality and the durable promise, but also the yogic lifestyle. They want to show their consumers the background of yoga history and the rich Indian spirituality, which would further inspire and excite their consumers to participate and develop a long lasting identity. In a word, LuluLemon wants to highlight and emphasize the yoga culture and spirituality and combine with its own culture and identity. The LuluLemon store employees are called “Educators” instead of “salesmen” as they’re required to embody the yogic lifestyle. The customers will have faith, and they feel “This is what I really need.”

Different from other sports brands, LuluLemon positions itself as a community. Nearly all LuluLemon stores offer free yoga classes once a week. LuluLemon does not choose a superstar like David Beckham, but an ambassador—the most popular local yoga teacher or a fitness coach, who will meet regularly with managers and provide feedback on the products in exchange for free clothing. They directly affect their students, and more people will go to the store. At the same time, more people will get to know the fitness coach, and that will get him more students, a virtuous cycle of a win-win situation.

LuluLemon is also successful in social media program. With major followings in Facebook and Instagram, they created the hashtag #thesweatlife allowing consumers to share their ideas and yoga experiences. They do the same thing on their website. Their customer can get inspiration and tips from the social media program, and would be interested and want to engage with.

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