"Wear nude-colored underwear" – how sheer are these controversial leggings?

[The Financial News] Sportswear brand Lululemon Athletica has rolled out a response after customers complained about sheerness in one of its new leggings. The company is understood to have added a warning to the product information, advising customers to wear nude-colored underwear.
According to major foreign media on the 22nd (local time), Lululemon Athletica launched a new collection called "Get Low" earlier this year. On the product page, the company described the leggings as being "seamlessly designed for weight training" and said they "feature four-way stretch to hug your thighs and glutes through every high-intensity move and create a sculpted silhouette."

However, buyers soon began to complain that the fabric was so thin that parts of their body were visible. On the lululemon North America Online Store, reviews criticized the product, saying, "My underwear lines are way too obvious" and "Everything shows through the butt area." Other comments included, "The moment you bend over, everything shows," and "They're too revealing to wear comfortably." In response, Lululemon Athletica halted sales of the leggings on the North American online store just three days after launch.

Lululemon Athletica resumed online sales on the 21st. The product itself was not changed; instead, the company added guidance on its United States and Canada online stores advising customers to "order one size up and wear with seamless underwear in a skin tone." This wording did not appear on the European online store, where sales had not been suspended.
In a statement that day, Lululemon Athletica said, "We take our guests' feedback seriously." The company added, "To better support guests in making purchase decisions, we have updated our product education information with new guidelines on fit, sizing, and function."

This is not the first time a new product launch by Lululemon Athletica has sparked controversy. In July 2024, its new "Breezethrough leggings" were pulled from sale shortly after release amid complaints about how they felt when worn. Back in 2013, leggings made with its core Luon fabric were found to be too sheer, forcing the company to recall 17% of the total inventory.


hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter