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Lululemon ditches tags touting health benefits

MARINA STRAUSS AND PAUL WALDIE

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 6:43 PM EST 18/11/07

Retailer agrees to remove tags from line of clothing made with seaweed fibre ...Read the full article

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  1. David Simon from Canada writes: How come I've never heard of a men's clothing company claiming you can get nutrients from what you wear?
  2. M. R. from Canada writes: Hmmmm well from the picture accompanying this story, I would say the sales staff have more to do with LuLu's success than a bunch of seaweed! ;-)
  3. Job of the book from Canada writes: ok... first of all. That's really stupid. The human body just doesn't absorb things like that. That's why we have an epidermal layer. So that our body DOESN'T just absorb everything we come into contact with. You're not going to absorb amino acids that way.

    Now I can understand that maybe a lot of people don't know that. Ok, fine. But don't the vast majority of people wash their clothes? Wouldn't that remove any health benefit? unless of course you just kept wearing the clothes as they got dirty... but then wouldn't that eventually raise some health concerns? you'd certainly smell bad in your expensive threads.

    I never cease to be amazed...
  4. martha stewart from Canada writes: Why was this snake oil claim EVER allowed?
  5. Paul B from Canada writes: Whaaaat?! You've got to be kidding. I can't believe that women are being fooled to buy these products. Lulu might as well advertise that these clothes will make them look thin and beautiful, even when you are overweighty.
  6. Pat Gesner from Canada writes: I must admit hype and knowing what chemicals like DDT can do does make one susceptible to odd claims. I was suspicious of that fabric purely because not much information could be had, but I must admit to a certain susceptibility to claims on bamboo fibre. I know in the right environment Bamboo does not need the growth practices of cotton - but the environmental pros and cons of processing into fabric is a deep mystery. Lululemon's stuff is pricy. But any sewer will tell you stretchy fabric is tricky to work with, and if one does not have access to the range of colours and fabrics, their price is not too outrageously expensive. Some tops are NOT expensive, just not cheap, given the workmanship. Some may have religious objections,(some a family who cannot accept that style),some just not have the right body, some with problem joints, and as a result find no use for Lululemon. But any dancer, acrobat will tell you if one wants movement yet have to be covered, Lululemon has wonderful designs. If you love colour and clever design, Lululemon is the only one with that wide a range of the "right" clothing that you can try on right there and then, checking that the tops that look identical are of an actual good fit, cut. A mistake in tension can cause uneven stretching that cannot be noticed if quality controlled just by eye instead of fit. Often women do have no matching breasts- why accentuate that with uneven stitching bringing on unmatched wrinkles. at the store one can try out 4 or five identical looking sizes to find the perfect fit - much easier than a home sewer continuously restiching to eliminate a flaw. In that sense, one could think of Lululemon's price as the price one pays for a perfectly tailored suit or shirt.
  7. X. T. from Canada writes: Pat Gesner:
    I don't know if bamboo fibre can make clothes, but one thing I know is that Chinese have been using paper made from for at least 1000 years. As a matter of fact, that paper is priced for its quality.
  8. Vic Vegas from Vancouver, Canada writes: Any chance that my alien-produced "spaceship" shoes don't really channel anti-gravity antitoxins? I mean, I paid $88 for these to a cult-member who insisted they'd been custom-made by Zardoz, Dark Overlord of the Universe. Anyone want to go shopping?
  9. Matt . from Canada writes: Amazingly, a person, who has a vested interest in seeing the stock price drop, is able to get a story published based on his 'independent' research. The share price then drops, he makes a bundle, life goes on.
  10. Steven Parks from Vancouver, Canada writes: Thank you Matt. Reading through these posts I am dismayed that everyone is focused on Lululemon. The true culprit is the person who shorted the stock then attempted to bring the company down. But we are so worried about the tags on the clothing that this persons motives go unchecked.
    Lululemon is a success, and it is sure nice to see a company do well. This is a 'growing-pain' issue, the company is now competing in a larger marketplace and what they may have been able to say in the past is no longer the case.
  11. Vern McPherson from writes: Good. Now if we could just do something about those cancer and diabetes curing preachers on TV with their green prayer cloths and little vials of prayer fluids we'd accomplish something.

    There is no bigger scam going and they are pulling in hundreds of millions with it yearly. Talk about Enron !!!
  12. Fugget About It from Victoria, Canada writes: Reminds of the piece that CBC's Marketplace did last Wednesday on the Q-Ray wrist bracelet. Just Google these scammers and what they are touting.

    These scammers were touting the affects of the Q-Ray bracelet for people with pain and arthritis and it was all bs. They were taken to court by the exact same organization that is looking into Lululemon's health claims on their products in the USA for unethical marketing practices and were fined $84M dollars. Yes, $84 million dollars. So what did they do? Sonny boy of Q-Ray asks daddy for $4M to start up in Canada because our laws are more lax.

    CBC got onto them and straightened them out.

    You scam and get caught and you're in trouble. Lululemon needs to tread very very carefully on this stuff.
  13. Craig Cooper from writes: Never trust a hippy!
  14. Vic Vegas from Vancouver, Canada writes: You're right guys. It's not the blatant snake oil fraud that's the problem, it's the guy who pointed it out. What was I thinking?!?! Time for me to get back into the reprogramming class for an attitude adjustment. Lock the doors so cannot get out.
  15. Geoff Wilson from Revelstoke, Canada writes: Hey man, nobody believed it anyway. And as a graduate of UVic, I will always keep a special place in my heart for Lululemon Pants. God bless those things that looked so good on the girls. Keep up the good work!
  16. Angry West Coast Canuck from Canada writes: "Concerns"?? Why weren't they fined for false and misleading advertising? Oh, right, I forgot - Canada doesn't HAVE real consumer protection. After all, it might interfere with profit.
  17. The Newfie Bullet from Stock-Attack-Central, Canada writes: OK..so let me get this straight.If I can find something wrong with a publicly traded company or its products and independently verify it,newpapers will publish this information after I short the stock or buy puts on the options,and make me rich?tisk tisk tisk......How original!Let's all put on our sleuthing outfits and make a fortune the easy way.Any suggestions?Thanks!LOL!
  18. Peter Simpson from Vancouver, Canada writes: So long as they make average butts look great they will do well.
  19. usually write from Canada writes: It is the same women that buy "organic" food that buy seaweed clothing-they are scientific illiterates...Why are these Lululemon clothes not at least regulated under the Natural Health Products Legislation?
  20. Richard Pearson from North Vancouver, Canada writes: Are they also going to drop their 56$ price for their phony sea-weed T-Shirts? People who shop there deserve to treated as the suckers they are.

    By the way, shopping at Lululemon won't increase your karmic harmonic balance with the Universe - that's just another erroneous claim Chip Wilson has made ;-)

    God bless the professional shorter for exposing Lululemon's snake oil marketing. I wish I was that smart.
  21. Angus S Miskers from Victoria, Canada writes: This company is the Starbucks of sweat pants built on a new age self-help theme. They started off with higher quality deisgns and some savvy marketing on the BC coast. I think their items do look good, but cannot bring myself to wear it ... they does NOT look good or feel good on men (yes, they make men's models). Then the stores seemed to drift off into a never-never land of fruitcake new age baloney .. not as an honest to goodness religion, but as a malignant marketing tactic. Up until a few months ago, their products were made exclusively by well-paid Canadians in Vancouver ... now they are also importing from poor countries. Just as Starbucks has devolved to commiting economic terrorism, Lululemon is now just selling the lies of religion to fuel global infestation and humungous profits. I just have to giggle with disdain whenever my wife drags me in and I am bombarded by all the parotting of holier-than-thou econazi propaganda! (Oh, and they used to keep the premises at Bikrams-hot temperatures = unbearable ... bwahaha ... seems they've stopped because that marketing tactic just drove off potential sales? Can't see a non-air-conditioned store going over very well down in Texas - hehe)
  22. Vern McPherson from writes: The video game generation will buy $hi! on a stick.
  23. C. H. Oakley from Canada writes: Don't blame video games for credulous yoga practitioners.
  24. Lee Turner from Canada writes: I have to state some known facts in this case, before comments get out of hand:

    1) Health Canada DOES regulate anything that claims to have a health benefit, and this is why Lululemon is removing the tags suggesting a health benefit.

    2) Lululemon was NOT able to furnish any scientific reports, either their own or the sea weed fibre's German maker, suggesting that there is some health benefits to wearing this clothing when asked for them by Health Canada. The NY Times, however, was able to come up with a report refuting Lululemon's claims.
  25. b mac from Canada writes: A fool and his money are soon parted.
  26. M K from Canada writes: Vern you are such an idiot that you actually bend the fabric of space-time. You're a black hole completely unaware of how far you reduce the average IQ in this country. I have never, ever read a thoughtful post from you.

    That felt great. Anyway, back on topic.

    " Angry West Coast Canuck from Canada writes: "Concerns"?? Why weren't they fined for false and misleading advertising? Oh, right, I forgot - Canada doesn't HAVE real consumer protection. After all, it might interfere with profit."

    Must we go "hand of God" on everyone that missteps? I bet you're the type of person that warrants jail time for parking tickets. Anyway nobody here was really harmed that much, so for now I don't see why they can't get off with a wrist-slap and a fine.
  27. Vern McPherson from writes: M K from Canada writes: Vern you are such an idiot that you actually bend the fabric of space-time. You're a black hole completely unaware of how far you reduce the average IQ in this country. I have never, ever read a thoughtful post from you. ------------------------------------------------------------- Truth be known the current generation and by that I mean anyone under late 30's or so are so full of bull$hi! I can't stand to be around one of them longer than it takes to fart. Listerning to 2 or more of them talk is akin to the a$$ pain resulting from a bad case of E-bola. And I'll guarantee you a lot of thought went into that remark. I can tell you this with authority, somewhere in Marketing 201 someone bit off your brand driven generation and has it firmly by the short and curlies. Now you have no choice but to react to all fads and all brands everytime something hits the virtual cyber-marketplace or is thrown at you as a "freebe" you just have to have and will part with stupid quantities of money to suddenly own and display the new loOk. Just like TV eh ............. as if not to have it was a social disaster. I can ALSO ASSURE you in time it won't make the slightest diff if your clothing cured genital herpes or acne or anything else. Too bad someone wouldn't come up with a scheme or a piece of clothing to reverse all this sillifying mindbending CRAP.......... turning perfectly new minds into lime jello....... There, ... I feel better too............... Can you say "FOOTBALL" THERE, ..... I KNEW YOU COULD............
  28. M K from Canada writes: Apparently you're not just an idiot, but a raving lunatic as well.

    Anyone under their mid-30's eh? That would mean me. Well I hate to break it to you, but what you're describing isn't genetic but good 'ol fashioned socialization. Who did the socializing? Baby boomers! The baby boomer generation created this monster of obsessive-compulsive consumerism, so if you are looking to blame someone for the vapid state of our society, you need only look in the mirror.

    Touchdown!
  29. Vern McPherson from writes: M K from Canada writes

    -------------------------------------------------------

    I had you figured form the getgo. Your shallowness shines.
  30. martha stewart from Canada writes: Vern McPherson writes: "The video game generation will buy $hi! on a stick."

    Only if its packaged appropriately with a logo, a celebrity endorsement, and some Green wrapping.

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