Alo Yoga vs Lululemon – which one is worthy of its hype and your attention? Are you in need of a new gym outfit and debating which brand is best and more affordable? The good news is that you are not alone. We all want trendy and affordable gym outfits, but most importantly, good quality pieces. To help you decide between Alo Yoga and Lululemon, we brought you a full comparison between these two brands so you can understand the pros and cons of each store.
The times of grueling workouts and chasing unhealthy beauty standards are far behind. Today physical activity is an essential part of self-care. We work out to feel good and naturally want to be comfortable and stay stylish while running another mile, mastering a new asana, or hitting the weight goal.
It explains the booming popularity of activewear brands and why their designers burn midnight oil to come up with practical designs, innovative materials, and stylish silhouettes.
Alo Yoga and Lululemon are the two brands we all know, love and consider high-quality athleisurewear manufacturers. They are particularly famous for their well-made clothing, yoga mats, accessories, and… above-average prices.
Naturally, if you will pay around $100 for a pair of yoga pants, you want to know whether the two most famous gym brands are worth the hype. And which one is better for you? That is why in this article, we decided to compare Alo Yoga and Lululemon by several most discussed criteria to make it easier for you to pick hopefully.
Alo Yoga vs Lululemon – which one is worthy of its hype and your attention?
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links which means we might receive a commission if you decide to buy something at no extra cost to you.
Alo Yoga – the fashion star of athleisurewear
Alo Yoga is a relatively young brand. It was founded in 2007 by tho yoga enthusiasts and best friends Harris and Marco. It is a pretty standard story – they wanted to spread the joy of yoga, mindful living, and active lifestyle and built an international activewear empire.
This controversy between all the tricky interception between yoga as an ancient practice, a cornerstone of a mindful lifestyle, and a ruthless multi-billion industry seem to chase Alo Yoga throughout the brand`s history.
The latest story that made big waves in the wellness community was the scandal that involved yoga influencers Dana Falsetti and Kino MacGregor and Alo Yoga, which acquired CODY. This wellness platform contained content created by the aforementioned yoga influencers and started actively monetizing it.
This story is extremely complicated, and the lawsuit drags for many years. Still, the main idea is that “it is all about the money,” no matter what glimmering origin story brands` PR departments release to the public.
On a serious note, Alo Yoga does have something that favorably distinguishes the brand from its competitors. It is known for its fashionable, streetwear-inspired style that makes you look and feel like a real fashionista or an Instagram influencer, whether breaking a sweat at the gym or running errands in their clothes.
They also became mega-popular because of all the celebrities that appear wearing Alo Yoga leggings and tops here and there. The most eye-catching example is probably that the world`s favorite reality family, the Kardashian-Jenners, has many Alo Yoga items in their massive and closely-monitored wardrobes.
In other words, Alo Yoga has a reputation for chic and even bougie activewear. By the way, except for the world-famous yoga sets and leggings, they offer bodysuits, sweats, skirts, swimsuits, dresses, yoga gear, and even wellness products.
So, it is certainly fair to say that Alo Yoga is a lifestyle brand ready to help you look and feel your best on the way to the better version of yourself.
Best sellers at Alo Yoga
Lululemon – the flagship of activewear
Lululemon was founded in the late 1990s. This brand is older than Alo Yoga and therefore has a much richer history and more opinions from both fans and haters of the Canadian activewear giant.
Today we know and love Lululemon, a brand offering quality athleisure clothes. Their legendary yoga sets and stunning color palettes make it easy to create stylish and chic outfits. Their social media seems to be an embodiment of an inclusive, socially conscious branding that celebrates all body types, colors, and genders.
Indeed, Lululemon has many devoted fans among athletes, wellness bloggers, celebrities, and stay-at-home parents. It is because their clothes are stylish and functional, high-quality and trendy. However, it would also be fair to say that Lululemon does have some controversial history and associations, mainly due to its founder and former CEO Chip Wilson and his questionable statements.
He was accused of racism after an interview with Canada National Post Business Magazine when he said that he had named the brand “Lululemon” because Japanese are struggling to pronounce the sound “L” and “It’s funny to watch them try and say it.”
Lululemon was associated with body shaming when in the interview with Bloomberg, Chip Wilson responded to customers` concerns over the fabric used for some garments that some women’s bodies “don’t work” for their pants.
Later he, of course, came up with explanations that the first claim was nothing but a silly joke and Lululemon`s manufacturing policy is explained by economic reasons as “to make athletic pants that are larger than size 12 costs 30% more”, but, as you may guess it made the matter even worse and in 2018 Chip Wilson had to eventually step down as chief executive of Lululemon.
Why do we dig up this “ancient history,” and why would you care when you want another pair of cute leggings? Probably because if we are comparing the two brands that dare to charge $90 + for a pair of yoga pants, you have the right to know all their ins and outs to make an informed decision as a conscious consumer.
Lululemon best sellers
That said, let`s start comparing Alo Yoga and Lululemon according to the most important and objective criteria, such as pricing, discount opportunities, size range, etc.
Prices
As we have already mentioned, Alo Yoga and Lululemon stand in the above-average price range. Some may seriously feel weird sweating through a $70 sports bra or casually throwing $120 shorts into a hamper after a workout.
However, Both Alo Yoga and Lululemon`s prices are perfectly justified by the quality of their products. You may be surprised how much better you may feel during a workout and how faster you can reach your goals when your athleticwear is made from advanced breathing materials such as Alo`s Vapor & Airlift or Lululemon`s LUXTREME.
However, if we compare Lululemon and Alo Yoga`s prices, the latter is a bit more affordable, with its sports bras starting at $40 and leggings for $80+. Lululemon, at the same time, starts its pricing at $50 for sports bras and tops and $90 for leggings.
The good news, both brands hold seasonal and pop-up sales and have discount sections on their websites. By the way, in both cases, you will get a discount on your first order shopping online.
Sizes
Out of all fashion brands, athleisurewear manufacturers are always under the closest scrutiny regarding size and body type inclusivity. It is all because we are all tired of the stereotype that gyms are fairly photoshoot locations for fitness models, and we, curvy or thin mere mortals, feel out of place there.
Gladly, both Lululemon and Alo Yoga offer pretty inclusive size ranges today from XXS (US 00) to XXL (US 20). From this point, both brands are pretty alike.
Sometimes both Alo and Lululemon add or take out sizes for particular models judging on demand. Also, both sometimes launch special “curvy” or “petite” collections meeting public requests for inclusivity.
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Sustainability claims and efforts
Sustainability is often a sore point of sportswear brands as they understandably use mainly synthetic materials, which are often petroleum-based and take decades (if not centuries) to decompose.
From that point, Alo Yoga and Lululemon`s higher pricing may be considered a sustainability effort as it is very unlikely that you will just toss away a $100+ pair of leggings.
On a more serious note, both Lululemon and Alo Yoga have been doing pretty serious sustainability claims recently and seem to live up to them. For example, Alo Yoga has a “Sustainability” page on its website, where you can find that the brand holds the platinum WRAP certification.
WRAP is the world’s largest independent certification program focused on the apparel, footwear, and sewn products sectors. Its certification shows brands and consumers worldwide that a facility meets internationally recognized social compliance standards.
The platinum WRAP certificate means that Alo Yoga offers fair pay, stable working hours, as well as safe working conditions.
The brand also claims to be “100% sweatshop free”. It means that all people who work for the brand do it willingly and in safe conditions. The workers are also free to form unions, get fair wages, and are treated according to all the standards of local labor legislation.
Lululemon seems to be more focused on the sustainability of their materials. For example, they recently released a statement that by 2023 at least 75% of the materials in their collections will be sustainable or recycled.
Today they managed to cut the freshwater use of their manufacturers by 50%. They also plan to establish a sort of thrift program where you can re-sell your pre-loved Lululemon items.
Lululemon is also a part of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). It is an international network of brands that stand for sustainable and ethical practices in their manufacture and trade, exchange experience in these fields, and help each other implement eco-friendly solutions.
The overall image
Although not all of us are social media influencers and celebrities who are always in sight and on the covers, for most people it is extremely important what kind of brand they are associating with and who they give their hard-earned money.
That is why brands` overall images and aesthetics are an important part of informed purchasing decisions, whether you are a professional athlete or someone looking for a comfy pair of leggings for everyday wear.
Alo Yoga positions itself as a modern, streetwear-inspired, and even bold, edgy brand. Indeed, their collections often translate the latest fashion trends and reinvent them for athleisure wear. In other words, if you want to look fashionable and sophisticated and look for activewear that will also be appropriate in the city when you are shopping or meeting your friends for coffee, Alo is probably the best choice.
Fashionable silhouettes are combined with neutral earthy colors in their pieces. It is a perfect fool-proof system that makes it easy to combine different items into cute, trendy, and functional outfits for any purpose.
Lululemon rarely experiments with silhouettes and designs, but the brand is much more generous when it comes to color options. Some best-selling Lululemon leggings and tops can come out in 20 colors. Here you can find everything from classic black and all nude shades to bright neon colors that will make you visible in any crowd. They also often launch limited edition colors dedicated to certain seasons and holidays.
In other words, Alo Yoga positions itself as a brand for fashionable people with a claim on sophistication—those who like the idea of capsule wardrobes, combinable items, and timeless yet trendy designs.
Lululemon mainly highlights the fun aspect of modern activewear. They are all for self-expression, standing out in the crowd without sticking to a certain aesthetic, trend, or color scheme.
So which brand is better, Lululemon or Alo?
As always, the choice is entirely up to you. Like all fashion brands, both Alo Yoga and Lululemon have their pros and cons, so you have to weigh all of these to come to a conclusion.
One thing you can know for sure is that both brands offer high-quality materials and items designed and manufactured according to modern standards. Their innovative fabrics and original models have the expertise of professional athletes and scientists behind them. So, if you were asking whether the prices of these higher-end activewear brands are justified, they probably are.
The rest is entirely up to you. Some may keep in mind Lululemon’s controversial past and questionable claims of its executive. Therefore they take the brand’s new claims and attempt to become more inclusive with the grain of salt.
Others are concerned with the inevitable materialism of all fashion brands, including Alo Yoga, and feel that the brand`s materialistic policies don’t really reflect the values of the ancient practices and what they stand for. But those controversies are inevitable in the modern world, and at the end of the day, the right choice is the one that fits you, makes you feel comfortable and confident, inspires, and enables you to hit your goals.
Conclusion
Did we answer all your questions in this article? Have you made up your mind about which brand to choose, or you aren’t decided yet? Whatever you choose, ensure that the brand you choose has the standards that you align with. Remember, the quality of the gym wear is one of the most important factor that shouldn’t be overlooked. Happy shopping!
