Lululemon swap old leggings for new

Turning 'dupe culture' to their advantage.

'Dupe culture' - (dupe meaning 'duplicate') is a the Gen Z term for knock-off clothing.

Finding dupes (cheaper products that look and feel almost like the real thing) and sharing your scores is very big on TikTok. It's a trend that brands have largely ignored up till now.

Turning the trend in its favour however, Lululemon have decided to host a 'dupe swap'. The brand are inviting customers to swap their cheap dupes for a genuine pair of Lululemon Align leggings (worth nearly $100) for free.

“We’re well aware of the rise of ‘dupe culture’ on social media and beyond, but we believe that our Align leggings can never truly be replicated — there is no comparison between a Lululemon product and a dupe,” says Lululemon chief product officer, Sun Choe. - via Vogue Business

Everyone is trying to get a better understanding of the Gen Z mindset and how to court them as new customers. A lot of money is being spent on techniques that for the most part are not really yielding the ROI that was hoped for.

Lululemon are taking a different kind of stab at it - embracing the culture, building a relationship and standing by the quality of their product.

It's certainly a very effective way of creating a ton of PR buzz around the brand.


More:

Lululemon offers free Align leggings at first ‘dupe swap’
Lululemon is one of the most duped brands on TikTok. This weekend, the brand will launch a dupe swap in LA, giving customers branded Align leggings for free in return for dupes to prove the value of the real thing.
How ‘Dupe’ Culture Took Over Online Fashion
TikTok has sped up fashion cycles — and helped push inexpensive knockoffs onto the market in record time