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Do Lululemon Pants Shrink? (Read This First!)

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The apparel company that was first started as a yoga studio soon became a technical athletic apparel company that now holds over $45 billion of market cap as of 2022.

Yes, it is Lulumenon! You heard it right, baby. But as an outdoor activist and yoga practitioner, I want to know whether Lulumenon pants shrink or not. So keep reading this interesting discussion if you have the same doubt.

Let’s see whether lululemon pants shrink? (Men & Women)

In Short, Lululemon pants do not shrink, and it is due to the nature of synthetic materials used in the making of pants – polyester, nylon, and elastane. Yes, a very few also contains over 55% cotton-like City Sweat Joggers, and At Ease Joggers can shrink up to 2-3% on washing in warm water. But the rest of the collection of lulu pants is shrinking resistant though highly stretchable.

Also, according to lululemon, none of the pants are preshrunk, but their materials are naturally durable enough to hold the pant’s shape without shrinking.

Our one-way answer is based on my research and knowledge, but my quest didn’t end here; I wanted more clarity on the topic, so I went the extra mile and talked to lululemon to see what they had to say. And trust me, this chat itself answers the matter 100% clearly without leaving a gap; however if the discussion still confuses you can continue to read on for my detailed analysis of some lululemon pants.

Chatting with Lululemon about shrinking their pants:

VA
Virtual Agent 5/19/2022 08:09 AM

Hi Michael! I’m your lululemon Virtual Educator and my favourite way to move is through circuit training.

08:09 AM

What can I help you with today?

C
Customer 08:09 AM

Chat customer

VA
Virtual Agent 08:09 AM

You’ve got it. Let me see if an Educator is available.

08:09 AM

Hang tight, an Educator is on their way.

C
Customer 08:10 AM

are pants preshrunk

C
Collin 09:11 AM

Hi there, my name is Collin with the Guest Education Centre. Can you confirm your first and last name along with an email please?

C
Customer 09:11 AM

Michael K

09:11 AM
09:11 AM
C
Collin 09:12 AM

Hi there, Michael! I do see you were asking about items coming preshrunk. We do not preshrink anything however the durability of our materials that we do use allows for the sizing of the item to hold naturally without shrinking.

C
Customer 09:13 AM

As i see that nearlly all of the pants are made up of nylon or polyester with combine elastane.

09:14 AM

so they in their own nature don’t shrink

C
Collin 09:14 AM

Correct.

C
Customer 09:14 AM

will they if I wash my lulu abc pants in little hot water in winter as it becomes too cold to wash in cold water when temperatures goes down

C
Collin 09:15 AM

So the best recommendation I have would be to hang dry them over a shower rod or something like that.

09:15 AM

Hot water is not recommended as we recommend a cold wash

09:15 AM

Sorry I read dry not wash.

C
Customer 09:16 AM

What will happen at worst if washed in hot water

C
Collin 09:16 AM

There is a chance the product could become damage or actually stretch out causing them not to shrink but to lose their shape.

C
Customer 09:17 AM

Oh! You answered my question so intelligently.

C
Collin 09:18 AM

Thank you.

C
Customer 09:18 AM

Are there any pants that are made up of majority cotton for any other natural fiber

C
Collin 09:19 AM

We tend not to use a lot of cotton due to being not as durable of a fabric and it does not mix well with the softness that we try to maintain most of our products with. Cotton eventually gets loose and scratchy after a few washes.

C
Customer 09:19 AM

Great to know

09:20 AM

Thanks for answering my question with so honesty

C
Collin 09:20 AM

You are welcome. Can I assist with anything else?


Lululemon Pant’s Shrinkage By Gender

It may be so that shrinkage varies in lululemon men’s and women’s pants, so the best bet is to discuss both genders of pants separately.

Men Lulu Pants

Answering whether Men Lulu Pants shrink is not wordplay; we need to look at the materials used in these pants and what procedures they are gone through. In the Men genre, Lulu offers five categories of pants – joggers, sweatpants, tights, track pants, and trousers. Let’s look at the most prominent material used in making most of them via this table.

Lulu Men’s Pant TypeProminent Materiale
JoggersPolyester, nylon, Lycra elastane, elastomultiester, and in some joggers <70% cotton
SweatpantsPolyester, elastane, nylon, and cotton
Track PantsThe majority is polyester and nylon
TightsPolyester nylong and elastane
TrousersPolyester and elastomultiester

As you can see from the above table, no matter which Lulu men category you opt for, most of their content is synthetic – polyester and nylon. Both are tough to shrink even if you wash them in hot water. The stretchiness of these pants further makes them shrink-resistant.

However, the company recommends washing these in cold water, but I am sure that they won’t shrink quickly in warm to hot water but may lose color, so still washing in the cold is advised if losing color is one of your main problems.

Also, suppose the temperatures reach a specific high. It may also result in melting elastane, making your clothes shrink at best, or resulting in loose clothing from unwearable places.

To give you a reference, I looked at 11 men’s lululemon pants personally, but it would be too dull to discuss all of them, so let me give you some specs of the popular ones.

Lulu’s License to train joggers is abrasion resistant (resist wear and tear) and comes under the category of swift fabric, implying 91% recycled polyester, 9% elastane, and in contrast, 43% elastomultiester. In a sense, such specs are very hard to shrink under normal conditions.

ABC joggers or pants offered by the Lululemon for men are also very hard to shrink cause 100% polyester is used in the lining, 88% nylon in ribs, and 53% elastomultiester with 47% recycled polyester in the body will resist the shrinkage.

Although I also found an easy shrink men’s pants from lulu – city sweat joggers and At ease joggers. Both are more than 55% cotton, making it easier to shrink these two lulu pants.

Related: Do Running Shorts Shrink?

Women Lulu Pants

For women, lululemon offers a different category of pants, that is, Capris, but still, in my research, I found that most Lululemon pants geared towards women are made up of polyester and nylon combined with elastane fibers to make them more stretch. You can assume that even the women’s lulu pants are tough to shrink.

For example, Lulu’s Wunder train consists of polyester, Lycra elastane, and nylon. At least one of three given materials is present in any lululemon pants you pick. Some pants offer cotton blends, but those are very difficult to find from the broad list of items.

Do lululemon ABC pants shrink?

I am 100% particular that Lululemon ABC pants can not shrink apart from the Men’s Utilitech series that consist of 33% cotton will see some shrinkage if washing instructions are not followed

Otherwise, as you know, polyester and nylon are manufactured fibers with a very high melting point. This means the pants made from these need very high temperatures for a prolonged period for shrink to occur.

Though, keeping in mind that elastane is a stretchy material which, when put under heat conditions like hot water or high tumble dry.

It will tend to melt at a certain point, which will yield some shrinkage if all prior calculations are made. Otherwise, you’ll have badly loose shape ABC pants.

Do lululemon align pants shrink?

Lululemon aligns pants are undoubtedly great yoga pants that offer countless features like lightweight design, 4-way stretch, soft, invisible pockets, sweat-wicking, breathable, and much more. However, cause it is made up of 81% nylon, the lululemon align pants can not be shrunk under normal conditions.

I know why you’re asking this question, mainly cause the pant becomes baggier in some places. The best way to shrink the lulu’s aligned pants is to get a blow drier and air out the baggy are with the highest heat setting.

IMO, you don’t have to worry about shrinking because they are made up of very durable and stretchy materials that tend to stretch and not shrink.

Do lululemon pants shrink in the dryer?

No lululemon pants will not shrink in the dryer in normal conditions because the synthetic fibers need a very high temperature for the contraction to happen in their dimensions which an average user will never dare to do. Because primarily, for lululemon pants, the possibility of shrinkage is much lesser than that of getting stretched out in high heat settings.

That’s why I don’t advise you to put the lulu pants in a tumble drier at the highest setting; I would recommend you to do as stated in the care instruction for your pants because instead of shrinking, your pant will lose their shine and quality for that you brought it in the first place.

How to avoid Lululemon pants from shrinkage?

You don’t have to avoid lululemon pants from shrinkage because they will not shrink. The durability of the lulu materials allows the item’s sizing to hold naturally without shrinking.

Nonetheless, you should still follow the wash/care instructions provided so that your pants remain in the best condition for the longest time.

  • Wash with like colors
  • Machine wash cold
  • Tumble dry low
  • Do not bleach
  • Do not dry clean
  • Do not iron

Can lululemon make pants longer?

If you’re asking this question concerning that the size you’re opting for may not fit great on your waist, hips, thighs, and carbs, then you don’t have to worry because all the pants that lululemon offers come with high stretch that will adapt to sit on your legs comfortably in 3-4 wear. Still, it will help if you go for the size recommended according to your waist, hips, and inseam length to avoid any future inconvenience.

You can watch this video to understand further the fits, fabrics, and features of lululemon pants.

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