The Truth Behind Lululemon Plus Size: Did the Brand Fix Its Fit Issues?
Lululemon's relationship with athletic apparel sizing carries historical baggage. In 2013, founder Chip Wilson sparked public backlash by suggesting on Bloomberg Television that the company's trademark pants simply do not work for some women's bodies, pointing directly to rubbing thighs. Wilson resigned shortly afterward, but the brand spent years untangling its cultural image from those comments.
The transition into inclusive activewear gained operational momentum between 2020 and 2021. The brand introduced sizes 14, 16, 18, and 20 across staple franchises, accompanied by promises of dedicated fit models and re-engineered silhouettes. Testing conducted by reviewers across publications like Reviewed and Yahoo Lifestyle Canada revealed a complicated picture. A size 18 reviewer testing the expanded lineup observed that while the garments slipped on comfortably, subtle construction oversights, such as narrow ankle openings that choke the calf or front rises that slip below the navel during squats, proved that scaling patterns proportionally requires more than simply adding inches across the seams.
