Lululemon, the Brand That Invented Athleisure, Plans Its Second Act
The Canadian activewear giant made yoga pants a status symbol. Here’s how the brand is planning for a post-athleisure industry drowning in activewear
By Elizabeth Segran
I’m deep in the recesses of Lululemon’s secretive innovation lab, Whitespace, in the basement of its cavernous headquarters in Vancouver.
Everywhere I look, there are fascinating–and occasionally bizarre–scientific experiments at work. There’s a “sensory immersion lab” where human subjects are attached to monitors measuring brain activity, while neuroscientists project changing landscapes on the walls and alter the temperature, humidity, and sounds in the room. In another part of the lab, a computer scientist captures 3D images of a woman walking, tracking in microscopic detail how her movements interact with the fabric. “We’ve created this place to understand how you move, and how you feel when you move,” says Tom Waller, a sports technology scientist and the lab’s SVP.
As for me, I’ve let myself become a guinea pig of sorts. I’m on a treadmill with sensors attached to my neck and chest. Chantelle Murnaghan, a neuromechanics research scientist and one of Lululemon’s innovation managers…
