Lululemon To Give Away Free Leggings When You Trade in Your Fakes

Lululemon leggings are arguably the iPhones of athletic wear. You know this as many have tried to fill a void by rocking more affordable “dupes” of the gear.

Aware of the rampant copycats in the market, the sportswear label is now presenting budget-seekers with an offer they likely can’t refuse. This month, Lululemon is hosting the Align Legging Dupe Swap in Los Angeles, where shoppers can exchange their cheaper Lululemon lookalikes for a pair of authentic Align leggings at no cost at all.

The event counters “dupe culture,” in which consumers share alternatives of oftentimes expensive it-items. On TikTok, the #dupe hashtag has been viewed nearly four billion times, while #lululemondupe alone has drawn 184.4 million views.

The leggings are crafted from Lululemon’s “buttery-soft and weightless” proprietary material, ‘Nulu’, with prices ranging between a rather steep US$98 and US$118. So you can imagine why younger shoppers have been keeping an eye out for exercise pants with a quality that’s almost up-to-par with the originals.

While Align tights come in a variety of colorways, shoppers will only be able to exchange their dupes for the black variant.

You might be wondering: Where will my ‘Lululimes’ go? As it seems, turned-in leggings will be sent to Lululemon’s reclaimed textile processing partner Debrand, which will recycle the non-branded tights.

The event will be held only at Westfield Century City Mall on May 6 and 7.

[via Fashionista and WWD, images via various sources]