Lululemon Athletica said on Tuesday that it has paused online sales of a new workout line called “Get Low” after user complaints. Users on Reddit complained that the leggings from the new launch are “see‑through” while bending or squatting. The new product line on Lululemon’s site appeared inaccessible and showed “something went wrong” when clicking the page link.

“The collection remains available in our stores in North America, but we have temporarily paused sales online in the market to better understand some initial guest feedback and support with product education,” said a Lululemon spokesperson.

Total Retail’s Take:

This latest issue comes at a precarious time for Lululemon. The athletic‑wear brand is currently in the midst of a proxy fight with founder Chip Wilson, as well as under activist pressure from Elliott Management, which took a roughly $1 billion stake in the retailer in December and has been working with former Ralph Lauren executive Jane Nielsen as a potential candidate for its CEO role.

The incident also harkens back to previous challenges and customer complaints about product quality that Lululemon has had to overcome. One of the most widely reported occurred in 2013, when Lululemon pulled a large batch of its black yoga pants from stores because the fabric was unintentionally too sheer when worn. Customers believed the pants fell short of expectations for a premium active‑wear brand, leading to a major recall and reputational damage. That controversy also triggered litigation and executive changes at the time.

More recently, in 2024, Lululemon had to pull its “Breezethrough” leggings from stores and its website within weeks of the launch as customers complained about the fit, material and seams.

As Lululemon works through these internal challenges, the positive news is that the brand remains in demand from consumers. The company said last week it expected its fourth‑quarter revenue and profit to be toward the high end of its forecast range due to strong demand during the holiday season. However, solving its product‑quality issues will be critical for Lululemon as it seeks to retain existing customers, acquire new ones, and grow overall sales and profits.

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Joe Keenan

Joe Keenan is the editor‑in‑chief of Total Retail. He has nearly 20 years of experience covering the retail industry and enjoys profiling innovative companies and people in the space.