BYU and Lululemon collaborated to launch new merchandise for BYU fans on Aug. 15.
Lululemon is a multibillion-dollar Canadian athletic apparel brand with a global fan base. Customers can be seen wearing a variety of clothing items, including pants, leggings, jackets, and tank tops.
The company has partnered with several organizations, with college campuses being the most common.
“They actually reached out to us initially and said, 'Hey, we’re really interested in having BYU carry the Lululemon brand,'” said Mark Clegg, BYU managing director of retail services. “It took about six to eight months of us going back and forth ... before we ultimately got to a point where we were like, 'Yeah, we’re going to do this.'”
The BYU store is selling an assortment of items, including shirts, hoodies, crew necks, shorts, skirts, sweatpants, leggings, hats, backpacks and belt bags. Many products, such as Lululemon's yoga mats and water bottles, are not offered at this time.
“It's been very popular and really well received. We bought every last royal blue piece of apparel that Lulu had … and we sold out within days,” Clegg said. “The biggest negative our customers tell me is, 'You just don’t have what I want.' And it’s true, we don’t ... not yet.”
The new display has attracted many customers.
“They are very excited and curious,” said Hannah Willardson, a BYU Store employee. “Lots of people, young and old, come and buy Lululemon."
BYU and Lululemon have marketed the collaboration in a variety of ways, including BYU Store posts on social media, local Lululemon advertisements, shipments to BYU alumni and launch parties.
BYU held launch parties on Aug. 14 and 15. The first party was a VIP event aimed at informing influential people about the collaboration, and the latter was for the general public.
Clegg shared details about the variety of things that students participated in on Aug. 15.
“We randomly selected 10 people who got to choose any Lululemon item of their choice for free. We gave away red light therapy, anything related to the health and wellness industry, spa prizes and obviously treats,” Clegg said. “We’ll bring in new brands fairly often, but their launches aren’t like this. This was planned as a fairly significant launch.”
Henry Smith, a mechanical engineering major, said he would be interested in buying clothes from the collection.
“I have a bunch of Lululemon pants … I took some on my mission,” Smith said.
Other students said that the price is what’s holding them back.
“It’s so expensive. If I could afford it, I probably would,” said Abby Russ, an exercise science major.
Although many students are concerned about the price, Clegg said he was surprised by how many students said it was worth it.
“Students are naturally a little bit more price sensitive to our product line up than, say, someone else, but I personally was shocked at how many students came to me and said, 'I am so excited about Lululemon,'" Clegg said.
Although BYU sells expensive brands at its stores, it also prioritizes selling inexpensive brands.
“The goal is to provide a really broad selection of products that allow any fan, whether they’re more budget-minded or more brand-minded, an option that they can feel really good about,” Clegg said.
BYU and Lululemon are not a limited-time offer; their partnership will last for the foreseeable future.
“We’re working right now on a winter offering," Clegg said. "And then there will be a spring offering and a summer offering."
The BYU store also offers many other collaborations, such as Nike and Albion Fit, that students, alumni and everyday fans can pick from. For more information on its collaboration with Lululemon, visit the BYU Store website.