Not Enough Seaweed

Tests Question Materials In Lululemon Clothing Line -NYT

8:11 AM ET - Dow Jones News

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Lululemon Athletica Inc. (LLL.T), which makes costly athletic wear made from such unusual materials as bamboo, silver, charcoal, coconut and soybeans, may be misleading consumers on the content of its VitaSea fabric, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The newspaper said it commissioned a laboratory test of a Lululemon shirt made of VitaSea, and reviewed a similar test performed at another lab, and both came to the same conclusion: there was no significant difference in mineral levels between the VitaSea fabric and cotton T-shirts.
The company claims the VitaSea clothing, made from seaweed fiber supplied by a company called SeaCell, reduces stress and provides anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, hydrating and detoxifying benefits, the Times reported. But the labs found no evidence of seaweed in the Lululemon clothing.
When told about the findings, Lululemon's founder said he could not dispute them, the Times said. "If you actually put it on and wear it, it is different from cotton," said Dennis Wilson, Lululemon's founder, chief product designer and board chairman.
The shirt tested by the Times was labeled as being made of 70% cotton, 6% spandex and 24% of the seaweed fiber.
Lululemon executives said that they had not independently tested the VitaSea material to see whether it lived up to the claims on Lululemon's tags. Instead, it trusted the claims of its suppliers, executives said.
Lululemon, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has more than 40 stores and showrooms in the U.S. The company calls its store clerks "educators," its customers "guests," and prints the company's "manifesto" on its red shopping bags.
SeaCell uses seaweed from the coast of Ireland to create its fibers, said Gerhard Neudorfer, sales and marketing director for SeaCell, the Times reported. He said the company stands behind its scientific studies. A spokeswoman for Lululemon would not name the companies that it has hired to use SeaCell in making its VitaSea fabric.

Dow Jones Newswires
11-14-07 0811ET
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