Lose the Lululemon: A review on Lululemon knock-offs and how they compare to the real thing

I’ve always been a big fan of the versatility Lululemon has to offer. If I’m wanting to not look like I rolled out of bed for the fourth day in a row, but I’m too lazy to wear jeans, easy: just throw on a pair of black align leggings. If I need a top for that last-minute workout class? I’ll throw on my favorite, sweat-absorbing swiftly tech short sleeve.

Even though I reload the page over and over to try and snag the newest products during a restock, I’ve come to realize that Lululemon has tons of flaws. For example, they sell out really quickly and they never seem to have the items you’re looking for. Often times if I want an item in a certain color, they don’t have any of the sizes I’m looking for, leaving me to spend a whole paycheck on a single pair of leggings I’m not completely in love with.

I decided it was time to see what other options were out there. Scrolling through TikTok, I saw a post about a pair of shorts on Amazon that were “identical to Lululemon hotty hots.” After seeing the drastic difference in price, I figured I would stop breaking my bank account for a pair of Pow Pink shorts and give the dupes a try. Hopefully, they would become my new staple.

I was shocked to see that I could get a pair of shorts that look identical to the real pair from Lululemon for way cheaper. After discovering how amazing these shorts were, I decided to see what other knock-offs Amazon had to offer. Here’s a comparison of Lululemon products and their cheaper counterparts.

Leggings
Lululemon’s high quality leggings are pretty unbeatable. I’ve owned the same pairs of Lulu leggings for years now so it’s about time to treat myself to a new pair — one that won’t cost me so much. But why buy one pair of leggings for $98 when you can buy three Lulu dupes for the same price?

I came across Lavento women’s workout leggings, priced at $20. I loved how these leggings had a variety of colors — all in stock.

The leggings felt identical to a pair of Lululemons. From the quality, to the way they looked while they were on, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference — besides the absent Lululemon logo.

I loved how both pairs of leggings were high-waisted, but the waistband on the Amazon leggings wasn’t as stretchy as the Lululemon one. With Lululemon’s leggings, the stretchy waist-band allows you to have some wiggle room with sizing, however the Amazon leggings weren’t as flexible within sizing. Unlike Lululemon, you really can’t get away with going a size up or down with the tighter waistband.

Besides the waistband, the pants felt identical to a pair of Lulus, without being nearly as expensive. I could undoubtedly see myself reducing the $98 deduction in my bank account to only $20 by buying a pair of these leggings instead.

Shorts
Out of all of Lululemon’s products, shorts are absolutely the ones that I struggle with finding my desired size and color.

The metallic logo on the back of my shorts are starting to fade due to the regular usage of them — two times a week for three years. Needless to say it’s an ideal time for an upgrade, and CRZ Yoga’s shorts for $28 seemed like the closest match to my $56 pair from Lululemon.

I could barely tell the difference between these shorts and the pair I owned from Luluemon, even the faux Lululemon logo on the back looked similar. I loved the tie on the front, allowing me to adjust the shorts to my preferred fit. I also loved the way they looked on. They weren’t too short, they didn’t stick to my thighs like my traditional pair of Lulus and I was a big fan of the pocket in the back.

These shorts also come in 2.5 and 4 inch inseam options, just like the ones from Lululemon. However, the color selection wasn’t great, and I experienced the same issues that I saw on the Lululemon site because they had nothing in my size.

Align Tanks
Lululemon align tanks have taken the internet by storm. And while I wasn’t able to score one in Sonic Pink, they have recently become my go-to workout tank top. From their tight fit, to the semi-thick straps and stretchy material, these cropped shirts are perfect for hard first hour cheer practices and casual lunch trips with my friends. I would buy one in every color — if it weren’t for the price.

Finding knockoff align tanks on Amazon was easy. Tons of different brands had them, and each brand had about six different color options, no two brands were alike with their color varieties. I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of in-stock color options, especially compared to Lululemon’s variety of colors — none of which are regularly in stock.

This align tank I got from Amazon wasn’t identical to the Lululemon one in looks, it wasn’t as low cut and the straps were wider. The top itself wasn’t as form fitting as the Lululemon product, the bottom of it sticks out and isn’t like an align tank at all. However, I still loved it. I wouldn’t consider this a carbon copy of the Lululemon version like the other products I bought, but it fit very well.

I also wasn’t used to the fit of this shirt, as it fit more like a tank top. It was tight on top and loose on the bottom. This was unlike any other workout shirt I’ve ever owned, because normally they’re either tight or loose — not both. However, this was probably the fault of the vague Amazon sizing. With Lululemon, it’s pretty difficult to be in between sizes due to their wide range. But the Amazon product only had small, medium and large, and I was in between sizes. I probably could’ve gotten away with getting a smaller size, but I still enjoyed this top.

If I wanted a carbon copy of an align tank, I would make sure to purchase from a different brand. But the $25 price compared to the $54 price was an excellent money saver.