As far as we know, lululemon isn’t actually suing birddogs. But maybe they should.
Both birddogs and lululemon say their pants combine the comfort of athleisure with the professional look of regular khakis. lululemon has the comfort piece covered, but the look of their pants leaves a lot to be desired. Do they look fine? Sure. But do they look like real khaki pants? Not so much.
When we tested birddogs stretch khakis and lululemon ABC pants, we found that birddogs are just as comfortable as lululemons. The main difference is that birddogs are made from a premium cotton blend infused with stretch fibers. This special fabric ditches the shiny, athletic look of lululemon’s polyester blend without sacrificing any of the comfort.
Simply put, birddogs kept what everyone loves about lululemon pants (the comfort) and got rid of what they didn’t (the fabric). This isn’t anything lululemon couldn’t have done themselves… birddogs just did it first.
We’re pretty sure you can’t sue someone for having a good idea before you did, but birddogs has put lululemon in a tough spot. They’re selling a superior, functionally differentiated product at a lower price point than lululemon ($118 vs. $128).
If we were lululemon, we’d watch birddogs closely and maybe even keep our lawyers on speed dial. birddogs might be newer to the pants game, but they’re onto something with the stretch khakis.
