One of [Lululemon's] lines is called VitaSea, and the company says it is made with seaweed. The fabric, according to product tags, “releases marine amino acids, minerals and vitamins into the skin upon contact with moisture.” Lululemon, which has received positive media coverage for its fabrics, also says the VitaSea clothing, made from seaweed fiber supplied by a company called SeaCell, reduces stress and provides anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, hydrating and detoxifying benefits.
There is one problem with its VitaSea claims, however. Some of them may not be true.
The New York Times commissioned a laboratory test of a Lululemon shirt made of VitaSea, and reviewed a similar test performed at another lab, and both came to the same conclusion: there was no significant difference in mineral levels between the VitaSea fabric and cotton T-shirts.
In other words, the labs found no evidence of seaweed in the Lululemon clothing.
Even better than that is the wide-eyed blundering response from Lululemon when confronted with the issue:
Lululemon executives said that they had not independently tested the VitaSea material to see whether it lived up to the claims on Lululemon’s tags. Instead, it trusted the claims of its suppliers, executives said.
Mr. Wilson added that the company probably did not have enough money to test the material back when it started using it 18 months ago. When asked about Lululemon’s product tags and the claims about vitamins and minerals, he said, “That’s coming from the manufacturer. If you feel the fabric, it feels a lot different.”
Analysts said it is the responsibility of the companies to test all of their products.
When in doubt, deny, blame, and lay responsibility on someone else. So much for being a different, progressive kind of company. Then again, we saw hints of Lululemon's ostrich-like abilities during their minor child labor foofrah a couple of years ago.
*hat tip to Dealbreaker's Opening Bell for the link to the story.
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