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 shorts shrink or not. So keep reading this interesting discussion if you have the same doubt.
Let’s see whether lululemon shorts shrink? (Men & Women)
In Short, Lululemon shorts do not shrink, and it is due to the nature of synthetic materials used in the making of shorts – 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 shorts is shrinking resistant though highly stretchable.
Also, according to lululemon, none of the shorts are preshrunk, but their materials are naturally durable enough to hold the short’s shape without shrinking.
Lululemon short’s Shrinkage By Gender
It may be so that shrinkage varies in lululemon men’s and women’s shorts, so the best bet is to discuss both genders of shorts separately.
Men Lulu shorts
Answering whether Men Lulu shorts shrink is not repartee, we need to look at the materials used in these shorts and what procedures they are gone through. In the Men genre, Lulu offers five categories of shorts – Athletic, Board, Chino, Liner, and Sweat. These five types are branched into different styles of shorts to justify a particular action. Lulu makes it much easier to categorize shorts based on activity, and the top-selling series for them is Pace Breaker shorts for everyday workouts, License to Train shorts for training, and Fast & Free shorts for Running.
When writing this article, only 3 Men shorts contain a good percentage of cotton, meaning they are easier to shrink than the rest of the series, which are made up of nylon, polyester, and elastane in varying percentages. Those shorts that do not contain any amount of cotton and have elastane will not shrink using any method like putting them in boiling water. Instead of shrinking, it may stretch out and lose its shape.
Those five shorts with high cotton content are: At Ease Short, Bowline Short, and two sizes of Commission Class Fit Shorts. Maybe in the future, they’ll add more cotton, and if they do, try to find that it has less than 20% elastane.
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.
Other than that, all Lulu Men Shorts contains a high amount of polyester, nylon, and elastane blend, so please, if you buy one of those after looking at the material mentioned in the product description, try to find your just cause later; no matter what tactics you’ll apply instead of shrinking your short may stretch out and lose it’s shaped, making it hard to go in public wearing it.
Women Lulu shorts
For women, lululemon offers Athletic, Liner, and Sweat shorts. However, in my research, I found that most Lululemon shorts geared toward 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 shorts are tough to shrink.
For example, Lulu’s Wunder train high rise short consists of polyester, Lycra elastane, and nylon. At least one of three given materials is present in any lululemon shorts you pick. Some shorts offer cotton blends, but those are very difficult to find from the broad list of items.
But if you do like, I found Women’s Cotton-Cashmere Knit High-Rise Short contains 84% cotton and 4% cashmere in the body and 95% cotton in pockets making this lululemon short straightforward game to shrink. Even the wash care instructions said it indirectly by recommending –
- Cold and gentle machine wash
- Lay flat to dry
- And, not ironing
If you found a Lululemon short with similar metrics, then do the opposite of care instructions that include hot and gentle wash for an extended period. And ironing or drying in high heat will shrink that lulu short for a reasonable length and width.
Now let’s look at 2 of the most famous Lululemon women’s running shorts and their shrinking tendency.
Do lululemon Hotty Hot shorts shrink?
I am 100% particular that Lululemon Hotty Hot shorts can not shrink because of synthetic fibers; as you know, polyester and nylon are manufactured fibers with a very high melting point. This means the shorts 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.
If all prior calculations are made, it will tend to melt at a certain point and yield some shrinkage. Otherwise, you’ll have badly loose shape Hotty Hot shorts.
Do lululemon Speed Up shorts shrink?
Lululemon Speed Ups shorts are undoubtedly great running shorts with countless features like lightweight design, 4-way stretch, quick-drying, sweat-wicking, light, and much more. However, cause it is made up of 80% nylon and polyester, the lululemon Speed Up shorts can not be shrunk under normal conditions.
I know why you’re asking this question, mainly cause the shorts to become baggier in some places. The best way to shrink the lulu’s Speed Up shorts is to get a blow drier and air out the baggy is with the highest heat setting. Thighs may shrink slightly, but the waistband will not due to its highly stretchable properties. And even the millimeter of shrinkage is not worth it, so the best bet is to return the product and get one much closer to your waist and hip size.
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 shorts shrink in the dryer?
No lululemon shorts 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 shorts, 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 shorts in a tumble drier at the highest setting; I would recommend you to do as stated in the care instruction for your shorts because instead of shrinking, your shorts will lose their shine and quality for that you brought it in the first place.
How to avoid Lululemon shorts from shrinkage?
You don’t have to avoid lululemon shorts 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 to keep your shorts 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
Michael is heavily inclined towards traveling to natural places and documenting cultures/people from different parts of the world. He also loves hiking and camping and is spirited toward all outdoor activities. He will share his passion for outdoor life and brands or products we use outside our homes. He has good research skills, and that’s why you can see why his articles are packed with info that is factual and not readily available. He also has the vision to travel the whole world and share it with all readers of Outdoor Favor.
