Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s “Get Low” leggings, derided for being see-through, are available for sale again online. Shoppers just have to make sure to read the disclaimers first.
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Potential buyers in the United States and Canada are now advised to size up, and pair the leggings with skin-tone, seamless underwear. Sales of the product on Lululemon’s North America sites were temporarily halted last week amid complaints that the fabric was sheer and the leggings weren’t “squat-proof.”
Shares of the company rose as much as 3.4 per cent, helping pare some of the losses they took earlier this week when news of the sales suspension broke. The drama over the leggings also sparked a lashing from founder Chip Wilson, who called the fiasco a “total operational failure” that he blamed on the company’s board.
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“We take our guests’ feedback seriously,” Lululemon said in a statement Thursday. “We have updated our product education information to incorporate new guidance on fit, sizing, and features to better support guest purchase decisions.”
The new guidance doesn’t appear on product pages in Europe, where the leggings weren’t pulled online.
Complaints about the “Get Low” pants emerged just days after the company launched the collection. This is far from the first time a product snafu has landed Lululemon in hot water. About 18 months ago, Lululemon pulled its Breezethrough line after customers reported unflattering fits and in 2013, Lululemon recalled many of its black yoga pants after concerns that the leggings were see-through.
The attention adds to growing pressure for Lululemon, which is facing slowing growth and a stock that has lost nearly half its value over the past 12 months. The company is also in the middle of two activist battles. Wilson, one of the largest shareholders, took out a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal criticizing the company last fall and later nominated three new board members. Meanwhile, Elliott Investment Management has built a stake of more than US$1 billion in Lululemon and is reportedly pushing retail executive Jane Nielsen as a potential candidate to take over as chief executive.
Outgoing chief executive Calvin McDonald is about a week away from his final day at the company, which will leave Lululemon with two interim CEOs.
With assistance from Dina Katgara.