About Lululemon
We are a purpose-driven brand and our values guide us in all that we do – from our business strategy and innovation, to how we connect and build our strong culture. Helping our collective be well in every aspect of their lives – physically, mentally, and socially – is at the core of how we create our products and experiences.
We are passionate about creating industry-shifting innovations to support our people, communities, and planet. Our growth is fueled by an ecosystem of innovation that is embedded throughout our business, from product and materials to technologies for our guests.
We are partnering with a number of leading sustainable materials innovators, including LanzaTech, Genomatica, and the Mylo™ Consortium, to create low-impact alternatives to be used in our products, helping us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and lessen carbon emissions to create a healthier world.
We are committed to leading the way with breakthrough materials to create durable, beautiful, and sustainable products with long-lasting performance.
We use life-cycle impact assessment as a tool to assess carbon emissions, chemical use, and water impact improvements or trade-offs. This requires a collective effort within our industry that enables solutions in new fibers and materials and evolving manufacturing processes.
Overview of Lululemon
We are uniquely positioned and differentiated in the market. Our guests want to live a healthy and active lifestyle, wear products that perform, and be part of a community. These consumer behaviors fuel our momentum, today and into the future.
“We are in the early innings of our growth, as we continue to expand across geographies, categories, and channels. Our success over multiple years demonstrates the ongoing strength of lululemon and the tremendous growth potential of the business.”
In 2020, we introduced our Impact Agenda with three pillars to focus our sustainability and social impact efforts. It is central to our overall business strategy and embedded into our day-to-day practices to catalyze innovation and progress, both across our entire organization and within the communities we serve.
We are a growing global company, extending our reach to people around the world who are pursuing an active, mindful, and balanced life, and athletic apparel that combines performance, style, and sensation.
We continue to expand across North America, Europe, Mainland China, and Asia Pacific. We take a decentralized strategic approach to our stores and operations across markets, allowing for local community insight and consumer preference in each region.
Designed with female runners in mind, Lululemon’s first running shoe is a versatile everyday trainer
Pros
- Comfortable
- Available in 10 colours
- Lululemon offers a 30-day trial in the UK
Cons
- Comes up small
- More cushioned alternatives available
- Design fails to impress
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When a lifestyle brand releases a running shoe it’s always a gamble, especially when entering a crowded market, but the Lululemon Blissfeel was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting it to be a bit “meh” but, in fact, the brand behind some of the most popular yoga leggings in the world has created an everyday running shoe that’ll cope with easy miles.
It’s tricky to compare it with the best running shoes on the market because at the moment it’s only for female runners. Lululemon designed the Blissfeel as a “women-first” shoe, based on more than a million scans of the female foot (a men’s version will be available in 2023). For now, the brand is competing with models such as the Adidas Ultraboost 22, also designed for women. I’ve tested the Lululemon Blissfeel on long, easy miles and in a 5K race, and while it’s not designed for races, I’d say this is a comfortable workhorse for steady miles.
The Lululemon Blissfeel costs £138, which is about average for an everyday running shoe. It’s more expensive than the Nike Pegasus 38 (£110) and cheaper than the On Cloudmonster (£150) or the Brooks Glycerin 19 (£140).
The shoe is available in 10 colours and in sizes US 5 to US 11, which converts to UK 2-8, including half sizes. The shoe went on sale online and in stores on 5th April 2022.
Buy from Lululemon US
Heather Pieraldi, who previously worked as head of running development for Salomon, designed this shoe especially for women, with her approach informed by scans of more than a million women’s feet. The angle of the heel, for example, has been positioned to cope with a woman’s heelstrike, and the angles of the shoe are constructed to support a woman’s stride. There are all the elements of a great everyday running shoe here: it supports the foot, it’s flexible and it’s responsive.
Lululemon hasn’t gone into detail about the foam used in the Blissfeel, but it’s on the firmer side, similar to Nike’s React or Brooks’ DNA Loft Foam. It’s not overly plush underfoot and, fresh out of the box, it feels firm – not necessarily a bad thing.
A design element sees plastic rails run along the sides of the shoe. While this is a neutral running shoe, Lululemon says it has added a heel clip to provide additional support and a locked-in feel. The shoe feels stable underfoot, even at the end of a run when your stride begins to get sloppy.
The upper is plush, with extra support in areas that take a battering when you’re running. The tongue is thick and soft, and the heel collar has enough cushioning to keep you comfortable. Out of the box, I had no issue with chafing, rubbing or hotspots.
Fit-wise, it’s worth sizing up. I wear a UK 4.5 in my everyday trainers and run in a UK 5 in most running shoes. I had to go up to a UK 5.5 in the Blissfeel and Lululemon suggests that if you have a wide foot, or are usually between sizes, you should size up.
I used the Lululemon Blissfeel for a number of sessions both in warm weather and in the snow (the joys of the British climate). I wore the shoe for a fast 5K race, an easy eight-mile run and a couple of shorter runs, completing around 20 miles in the shoe over a week of testing. I also wore them to walk the dog and travel to and from the office to see if extended time wearing them led to blisters, rubbing or pinching.
I admit that I judged the book by its cover. On first impressions the design left me unimpressed and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the run test. On slower, easy miles, however, this shoe surprised me. It’s on the flatter, firmer side, but it was comfortable, had appreciable arch support for my high arches and provided the right amount of responsiveness for easy runs.
That said, compared with the likes of the Nike Invincible Run or the Hoka Bondi 7, the Blissfeel doesn’t give an awful lot of bounce and doesn’t feel cushioned underfoot. You certainly don’t sink into a thick wedge of plush foam, but whether this is a positive or negative depends on your running style and preferences.
I was able to pick up the pace in the 5K race, but I’m a relatively stompy runner and my hips and lower back felt the impact the next day, so I’d opt for something more cushioned in future. In a world of carbon-fibre plates and advanced midsole foams, this shoe doesn’t stand out but, equally, it doesn’t pretend to be a player in the world of racing shoes. It’s not a flashy shoe you’ll set PBs in; instead, it’s designed for those slower, easy, everyday miles around the park or to and from the workplace.
More experienced runners will find the shoe lacks the versatility they’ve come to expect from everyday running shoes like the Nike Pegasus or the Adidas Ultraboost. However, for beginners, or runners who are just looking for a shoe to get them around a parkrun or to wear on the treadmill a couple of times a week, it’s a solid choice.
The Lululemon Blissfeel is a pleasant surprise and a decent first shoe from the brand. As an everyday running shoe it’ll work for anything up to a 10K, but for more serious distances you’d probably want more cushioning underfoot. Available in a variety of colours, it’s stylish enough to wear day to day, as well as on the run, which is always a selling point.
While I was impressed by the Blissfeel, if I had £140 to spend I’d opt for the Pegasus or the Nike Infinity Run 2, which have more cushioning and greater snap when picking up the pace.
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Jane McGuire is a fitness enthusiast, with years of experience writing about running shoes, sports bras, and just about everything in between. When she’s not training for a marathon, you’ll find her walking the dog (and documenting it on Instagram).
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