tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post2273611503736200224..comments2024-03-25T16:24:52.850-03:00Comments on Eco Yogini: Thoughts on Lululemon and Their 'Bottom Line'Eco Yoginihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10693080137196812405noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-57385825708212691102011-09-17T03:12:07.502-03:002011-09-17T03:12:07.502-03:00joI have similar conflicted feelings towards lulu....joI have similar conflicted feelings towards lulu. I too own their stuff - it's durable and functional. But of late I have been tending towards the indie and ethical again. And that good old eco-stnadby, buying less. I am pretty sure it's going to be YEARS before I honestly need another pair of yoga pants :)<br />Want, well, that's another story...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-12718583990089908072011-09-15T11:08:32.689-03:002011-09-15T11:08:32.689-03:00Hi Eco - thanks for your response - just to clarif...Hi Eco - thanks for your response - just to clarify - my comment about "the discussion about pants" was not actually in reference to your post - rather, as you pointed out, how the general discussion always seems to go to that whenever this issue comes up. While it's good to be conscious about what clothing you buy and why, most definitely, it's important to try to keep the other, less tangible issues in mind as well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06954595575931726418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-68033886303341378192011-09-14T10:55:34.927-03:002011-09-14T10:55:34.927-03:00Glad to see anyone see through Lululemon. I have n...Glad to see anyone see through Lululemon. I have never bought, nor will I ever buy, one item of their clothing. I have managed to practice yoga for a number of years without them. I'm one who doesn't need special "yoga clothing" anyway but on those rare occasions when I've bought any, it's been American/Canadian made organic cotton. Otherwise I'll wear my husband's old sweat pants. Yes, I am anti-Lulu for a whole slew of reasons. If they managed to do just one of the things you listed, I might soften a bit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-12334841112781012072011-09-14T09:21:24.079-03:002011-09-14T09:21:24.079-03:00@EcoGrrl: This is a fantastic point: 'Otherwis...@EcoGrrl: This is a fantastic point: 'Otherwise they'd be nonprofit'.<br />Exactly!!Eco Yoginihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10693080137196812405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-12639498252795980812011-09-14T09:19:53.474-03:002011-09-14T09:19:53.474-03:00@It's a Yoga Thang: *bows* :)
@Becca: yep- I ...@It's a Yoga Thang: *bows* :)<br /><br />@Becca: yep- I think it's important to keep that in mind.<br /><br />@Carol: thank you for your comment- I agree wholeheartedly. I also agree that comments and observations re: clothing preference etc, misses the point. I'm not sure about 'the discussion about pants'- as I didn't see one (the title's post was a complete fluke honestly, I truly was referring their actual 'bottom line' and not 'bottoms'...).<br /><br />It is frustrating though to hear yogis say things like 'But I just love their top/pants/shirts- they fit so well!' in response to any criticism with regards to how the company functions. I also love their top/pants/shirts, but I think it's important to recognize that this company is just that- a company aimed at making money. <br /><br />And there are other companies who do this in a much more responsibly and transparent manner.Eco Yoginihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10693080137196812405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-43578662943703897242011-09-14T00:44:00.381-03:002011-09-14T00:44:00.381-03:00i'm glad you brought this up - no matter what,...i'm glad you brought this up - no matter what, it's retail and it's a business, otherwise they'd be a nonprofit. i worked for one of the biggest sports apparel companies in the world and they would go on and on about how they were all for kids but beyond sponsoring teams, they did very little for the communities - only one person in the entire country to cover all community outreach efforts which included sustainability? and, as with lululemon, no interest in getting out of using cheap foreign labor, and i finally just fell out of love learning about how they really do business, very deflating.EcoGrrlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04856550147714231721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-83802729215561260622011-09-14T00:40:32.128-03:002011-09-14T00:40:32.128-03:00I resent Lululemon because they are so good at get...I resent Lululemon because they are so good at getting into people's heads and creating an incredibly corporate, pseudo-spiritual brand of yoga. The classes in stores, the big "community" (really marketing) events, the ambassadors (co-opting local teachers), the "inspirational" messages, the friendly young women offering to help me "set goals" at a yoga conference, the requirement that employees do Landmark Forum trainings after one year (which I find the most objectionable of all), the touting of "The Secret" - all in all a fiendishly clever marketing campaign. <br /><br />The discussion over the pants misses the larger point, which is how this full-scale, incredibly sophisticated and well-financed corporate blitzkreig impacts the culture of contemporary yoga. I think that it's having a big effect, and don't like it at all.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06954595575931726418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-41871787547558523072011-09-13T18:09:56.206-03:002011-09-13T18:09:56.206-03:00I am in total agreement. I have also attended a fe...I am in total agreement. I have also attended a few of the lululemon sponsored yoga events and they have been wonderful, but at the end of the day they are still a for-profit company.Becca @ Peace, Love & Bagelshttp://www.peacelovebagels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-69034304555041245682011-09-13T11:46:25.966-03:002011-09-13T11:46:25.966-03:00{claps}{claps}It's A Yoga Thanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161028629073261226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-52350338283557602972011-09-13T08:14:55.832-03:002011-09-13T08:14:55.832-03:00@Simply Authentic: i think lulu sold out so long a...@Simply Authentic: i think lulu sold out so long ago it's barely a blip in their history. That said- you're right- it was a fun experience that day :)<br /><br />@LucyD: that's very cool that they did that!<br /><br />@Nathan: exactly. I agree with you 100%. Building community requires so much more.<br /><br />@Nicole: PERFECT- symbol on your 'bottom line'. love it! you got it exactly :)Eco Yoginihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10693080137196812405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-39908039011612285622011-09-13T07:47:20.710-03:002011-09-13T07:47:20.710-03:00I admit, I love lululemon clothes. And they make ...I admit, I love lululemon clothes. And they make my middle-aged bottom line look great (I'm not proud that that's important to me either). But I totally agree with you, their bottom-line involves corporate $$$, not community. On the plus side, they have helped bring yoga to people who may never have discovered it otherwise, their free classes get people moving, even if it does serve to get them into the store. <br /><br />They are a business, and the best that we can do is be cognizant of that fact, and promote other community building events.<br /><br />I love that the teacher was accepting of your decision to meditate in a seated position rather than savasana--that is good yoga, no matter whose symbol is on your bottom-line :)Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06450443439870553260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-21575643259652676932011-09-12T13:04:22.026-03:002011-09-12T13:04:22.026-03:00This is an excellent post. One of the problems wit...This is an excellent post. One of the problems with large corporations like this is that they do "just enough," give "just enough," to look good enough to those who aren't willing to consider things more closely. <br /><br />Consider that in one financial quarter (3 months), they took in $33 million in profits. <br /><br />http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/06/10/lululemon-earnings.html<br /><br />So, if this were really a company dedicated to the community, you'd expect a significant amount of giving back - something I don't think can be said. <br /><br />Another thing to consider is the nature of these free gatherings. As Eco-yogini points out, it's as much a pepfest for the company as a chance to practice together. Furthermore, community-building is much more than getting people to practice together for an hour or two. <br /><br />Forgive me, but the feel good nature of corporate charity tends to grate on me. And I haven't seen a lot from Lulu that demonstrates moving beyond feel good, or small gestures that might help a few, but really don't balance out the piles of money being raked in.Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-55364497259240147342011-09-12T00:59:07.450-03:002011-09-12T00:59:07.450-03:00This is so true- and I will say my first connectio...This is so true- and I will say my first connection to Lulu was when they donated all the mats used at the non-profit karma yoga studio that I went to/ trained with in Seattle- The Samarya Center. They helped Samarya to do amazing things in the community. This may be an exception but worth noting.Lucy Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16463859167750264580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2965370542440002490.post-44756052882164203402011-09-11T17:58:08.629-03:002011-09-11T17:58:08.629-03:00Definitely can see your points for contention---bi...Definitely can see your points for contention---big business sometimes have the best of intentions but it's still big business and incredibly easy to sell out. Glad to hear they are doing some great community building events though and that it was a wonderful opportunity for you to practice with such a large community of other yogis! :)Simply Authentichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10149087342124493037noreply@blogger.com