You’ve probably seen the little silver logo on a pair of black leggings at the grocery store today. It’s everywhere. But if you're wondering when did lululemon start, the answer isn't just a date on a calendar. It's a weird, specific moment in 1998 that changed how we dress for basically everything.
Chip Wilson. That’s the guy who started it all in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He wasn't a yoga guru. Honestly, he was a surf and skate guy who happened to take a yoga class and realized everyone was wearing cotton. Cotton is terrible for sweating. It gets heavy, it stays wet, and it chafes. Wilson saw an opportunity to bring technical athletic fabrics—the kind used in high-end mountain climbing or cycling gear—to the yoga mat.
The 1998 "Design Studio" Vibe
In the beginning, Lululemon wasn't even a store. Not really.
It was a design studio by day and a yoga studio by night. Think about that for a second. You’d go in to do your downward dog, and you’d be surrounded by sewing machines and fabric scraps. It was a grassroots, community-focused experiment. The first actual standalone store didn't open its doors until the year 2000 in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver.
Kitsilano was the perfect incubator. It was full of active, health-conscious people who had money to spend but wanted stuff that actually functioned well.
Why the name sounds so strange
There is a bit of a controversial backstory regarding the name itself. Chip Wilson has admitted in past interviews—specifically a 2004 interview with National Post Business Magazine—that he chose a name with many "L" sounds because he thought it would be difficult for Japanese speakers to pronounce. He essentially thought the "L" sound was an exotic marker of Western brands that would appeal to Japanese consumers. It’s a detail that hasn't aged particularly well, but it's part of the brand's DNA.
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The Invention of the Boogie Pant
If you want to know when did lululemon start to really take over the world, you have to look at the "Boogie Pant."
Before the Boogie Pant, yoga clothes were basically just baggy sweats or thin, see-through leggings. Wilson’s design used a fabric called Luon. It was thick. It was stretchy. Most importantly, it was flattering. It gave people what the fashion world eventually called the "Lululemon butt."
Suddenly, women weren't just wearing these pants to the gym. They were wearing them to get coffee. They were wearing them to pick up their kids from school.
This was the birth of "athleisure."
Lululemon didn't just start a clothing line; they started a shift in social norms. Before 1998, wearing gym clothes to a nice lunch was considered sloppy. After Lululemon, it was a status symbol. It said, "I have the time and money to prioritize my wellness."
Growing Pains and Cultural Shifts
The company didn't stay a small Vancouver shop for long. By 2007, they went public. That’s when things got corporate, and with that came some serious friction.
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- 2013: The Great Sheer Legging Recall. This was a disaster. About 17% of their black Luon leggings were found to be too sheer. You could see everything.
- The Chip Wilson Comments. During the sheer legging controversy, Wilson told Bloomberg TV that "frankly, some women’s bodies just actually don’t work" for the pants. He blamed pilling and sheerness on the size of the wearer's thighs rubbing together.
- The Fallout. The backlash was instant. Wilson eventually stepped down from the board in 2015.
Despite these massive PR nightmares, the brand kept growing. Why? Because the product was actually good. They used flat-locked seams so the thread wouldn't irritate your skin. They added "gussets"—that little diamond of fabric in the crotch—so you wouldn't rip your pants mid-stretch. These were small engineering wins that created massive brand loyalty.
It wasn't just about the pants
When Lululemon started, they leaned heavily into "The Manifesto."
You’ve seen it printed on their red reusable bags. "Do one thing a day that scares you." "Breathe deeply." It was a mix of self-help advice and hustle culture. Some people found it inspiring; others found it a bit cult-like. But it worked. It turned a retail transaction into a lifestyle choice. They weren't just selling you $100 leggings; they were selling you a better version of yourself.
The Men’s Market and Beyond
For a long time, Lululemon was seen strictly as a "girl brand."
That changed. Around 2014, they really started pushing into the men’s market. They realized guys wanted the same thing: comfortable clothes that didn't look like pajamas. The "ABC Pant" (Anti-Ball Crushing) became a massive hit. It proved that the technical fabric approach worked just as well for office-casual chinos as it did for yoga gear.
Today, the company is a multi-billion dollar behemoth. They’ve expanded into running, hiking, and even professional tennis. They bought Mirror (the home workout tech company) for $500 million in 2020, though that didn't quite pan out as expected and they eventually pivoted to a partnership with Peloton.
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How to spot the real history
A lot of people think Lululemon is an American company. It's not.
It is deeply Canadian. That’s why you’ll often see special editions for the Canadian Olympic team. The "West Coast" vibe of Vancouver—rainy, active, outdoorsy—is baked into the aesthetic. When they started in '98, the goal wasn't global domination. It was solving the problem of "sweaty cotton."
What you can learn from the Lululemon story
If you’re looking at this from a business or lifestyle perspective, the takeaway is pretty clear.
- Solve a tiny problem perfectly. Wilson didn't try to reinvent fashion. He just wanted pants that didn't suck during yoga.
- Community first. Those early yoga classes in the design studio created "evangelists" for the brand.
- Quality over everything. Even when the founder said things he shouldn't have, people stayed because the leggings lasted for years.
The brand has survived competition from Nike, Under Armour, and newcomers like Alo Yoga and Vuori. They've done it by staying weirdly obsessed with fabric feel and "the science of feel."
So, while when did lululemon start is officially 1998, the brand as we know it—the cultural phenomenon—really took flight in the early 2000s when they realized people wanted to feel athletic even when they were just sitting on the couch.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're thinking about diving into the brand or just want to get the most out of what you have, here is how to handle it:
- Check the rip-tag. Lululemon uses long, removable tags. Don't cut them with scissors; they are designed to be pulled off cleanly. But keep the tag if you think you might ever want to resell the item—the "style code" is usually on it.
- Wash cold, hang dry. If you want your gear to last as long as the company has been around, stay away from the dryer. Heat destroys the Lycra that gives the pants their shape.
- Use the complimentary hemming. Most Lululemon stores will hem your pants for free, even if you bought them years ago or got them second-hand. You don't need a receipt. Just bring them in clean.
- Explore the "We Made Too Much" section. Lululemon rarely has "sales" in the traditional sense, but their website has a permanent markdown section updated every Thursday morning. It's the best way to get the tech without the full triple-digit price tag.
Lululemon transformed from a tiny Vancouver basement project into a global standard for how we dress. It’s a mix of high-tech engineering and savvy, sometimes controversial, marketing. Whether you love the "Manifesto" or just like the way the fabric feels, there's no denying that 1998 was a turning point for the garment industry.