Lululemon’s tech ambitions, explained

Most of us know Lululemon for making yoga pants a thing.

Which is why the $45B athleisure brand turned some heads last June when it plunked $500m for Mirror, a fitness startup that sells a… large wall mirror that lets users do a variety of on-demand workouts.

The acquisition clearly capitalized on…

… the whole “people literally have nowhere else to work out but at home” movement. But Mirror may just be the tip of Lululemon’s tech ambitions, according to Retail Dive.

The company recently filed patents for a:

• Wellness metric: A way to measure someone’s stress and mood levels using biosensors, and providing activity recommendations.
• Sensor belt: A strap worn around the waist that measures heart rate and skin temperature.

All of this tech…

… will help Lululemon graduate from yoga to general health and wellness (a much bigger market).

Lululemon is trending up: its Q1 2021 sales hit $1.2B, +88% YoY from last year’s quarantine-affected business. Mirror itself is expected to bring in $250m+ by year-end.

And for all the yoga-heads out there, Lululemon hasn’t forgotten about you: One of its patents is for a 3D-textured yoga mat that provides better support, more grip, and easier folding.