Well, we suspected it would happen - Sea Wheeze gear is once again for sale on the Australian side of the website, minus a very few items. At least this year the items have a regular lululemon logo and not the special Sea Wheeze logos (thank you for that, lululemon). I am glad the special Sea Wheeze plaid "registration" shorts didn't make it, nor the Sea Wheeze Mermaid Cool Racerback.
28 comments:
Would someone Down Under Angel a pair of size 6 Speed Shorts in the pigment blue/angel wing/quilt to me in the States, please?!?
—gina
ginasiphone@gmail.com
I am glad the logo is not the special logo but I am sort of disappointed that they released most of the designs in Australia as it makes it less special for the people who actually ran the race and bought th gear.
I agree, it makes the clothes less special. I guess it's Lululemon's way of cutting the cost of producing the clothes for Seawheeze.
Yea, lame and very greedy of LLL IMO. Learn how to keep something unique, especially given how much people pay for SW race entry, travel, and accomodations in one of the most expensive cities in North America. Sadly, this seems to be the MO of lulu these days (or years).
I think we often forget that the business of business is business. It's up to us as consumers to decide if it is really going to be a big deal to us to know that the same product we bought at the race will be available for purchase by others who did not run the race. If they have extra product left over, why wouldn't they sell it at full-price if someone is willing to buy it? Also, the seasons in Australia are different and things are just warming up for them there so all the shorts and tanks make perfect sense for that consumer base. On that note, I need an angel in Australia for some of the those speed shorts. :)
any chance they will make more rise & shine jackets as well as some black swan tops
@ anon 10:38 am - I agree. At least they didn't put a Sea Wheeze logo on it so our SW gear is a bit more "special" than what is in the store. I got mine in Vancouver so it has sentimental value to me.
Yes if anyone in Australia is willing to buy & send you is I would LOVE you!!!!! My email is sunsatsrfr04@yahoo.com if someone has an amazing lululemon heart!
I think it's fine that they're sharing the love with the folks in that neck of the world who didn't make it up for the race. I do however think that if they would have put any/all of that inventory out on the floor at the expo, it would have sold since so many people left without things that they wanted.
But really...why don't they upload some of those track pants that they had racks and racks of at the end??
Most likely I am alone here, but I do not like a bit any of the SW items on the Aussie site.
I disagree anon 10:38. While business is business, people still expect companies to honor their word and usually don't like it when they do not. If a company says this is exclusive merchandise sold at this race only that you traveled thousands of miles to get to, then they should honor that.
Lulu's business model is very unique and their current model is based on the "exclusive/scarcity" model. I know for myself personally it really ticks me off that I spent a boatload of money at Seawheeze on "exclusive" gear which was not at all exclusive. The fact that the mermaid logo is not on it is even more maddening because it means they purposely made more of it for selling online. There was not leftover product.
Completely agree that LLL's business mantra is profits over people (hello moving clothing production from Canada to ((sweatshops)) in Asia); however, a good amount of these products on the Aussie site sold out immediately in the SW store and are "HTF" that go for 3x the price on Ebay (shorts, CRBs mainly). I can understand shipping unsold items downunder, but come on guys, this is obviously brand-new, reserved SW themed pieces.
OT - I wonder if the US side will get the surge colored swiftlies or if we are just out of luck. The color is so pretty!
I live in NZ and I think lulu made a business decision to do the seawheeze line as the summer drop for downunder, hence no mermaid. Its a crossover. The colour waves are the same but the seawheeze logo makes it special to the people who did the race. I'll be travelling up to run the race next year and the gear I purchase there will have more meaning to me and the logo that represents the race that was run. These are colour waves, and to be honest I will probably buy a few pieces, namely shorts and a CRB, but I'm a little over this colour wave. I've got burning yellow and fresh teal from last summer which will pair in nicely with a few new pieces. I like that about lulu sometimes a re run of a colour comes out and your wardrobe comes to life again. I think this is lululemons new way of thinking now the downunder site is such a big part of the business now. Second to the american site.
@11:42AM - Agreed! I am not a fan of the SW colors at all!
Happy to angel for anyone, I'm based in New Zealand but the NZ site has identical stock to Australia (I believe they use the same warehouse). Flick me an email at lulunzangel@gmail.com :-)
also I know some angels charge alittle extra for doing it but that's just weird to me, pay for your item(s) and postage and then eagerly wait by the mailbox!
I was definitely in the annoyed/up-in-arms category last year when LLL did this with the SeaWheeze gear (especially given how very, very many runners in 2012 walked away from the store without getting the items they wanted), but the 2013 SeaWheeze website was explicitly clear and pointedly described the Showcase store merchandise as "exclusive to North America" - to me LLL tipped their hand and gave us all fair warning that this would happen.
most for profit companie's mantras are profit over people. It really is up to the consumer to educate and to be aware.
Part of me does think that it's lame that they are selling seawheeze merchandize post race. I would get pissed if I did a big regatta and then saw items from the event being sold all over the place.
M
Thanks LuLu NZ Angel! Looking forward to my pigment blue shorts.
—gina
I don't know how any of you could think that the SeaWheeze items were exclusive. The expo was open to the public, and moments after the doors open the gear was up on ebay for anyone to buy. That makes it available to the general public, so I don't have a problem with it. If the gear was marketed as for the runners only, THEN it would be exclusive and special. As it is, it's event merchandise available to the public, and seriously, it's not like I'm going to run into someone in Sydney at Starbucks or something. It's still pretty exclusive here. (I'm a SW 2012 and 2013 finisher)
I know we don't always get what OZ/NZ get, but what is with the Still Grounded Pant and the Promenade l/s in wmtm? The Still Grounded is different (than traditional Still Pant) if you look at the close up of the leg side (has a band down the side). Promenade l/s looks nice! I like the asymmetry of the stitching/pattern. (Although I read too much of vitasea fabric being prone to pilling). Boo NA did not get these.
On the topic of OZ/NZ getting the SW gear. At least they took the special logo off it and didn't offer the special shorts or CRB as pointed out by LLA. I agree it was obviously preplanned and not excess. I ran SW 2012 and was annoyed when the special SW logo/items gear showed up to be sold there (sure, that "lost"/delayed shipment story they fed the eds at the SW store). However, if someone wants to buy it and not have run the race, know yourself out. At least it doesn't have the special logo. I'm sure if the same happened in reverse and was made available to NA customers, we would do the same and not care, on the other side of the world. To that end, I live in a major city and have yet to see a person with my special striped CRB from 2012, and my UPF l/s (I do get lots of complients on them).
p.s. I definitely agree LLL should not be promoting as "exclusive" when it's not; it should not just be the special SW logo that makes something exclusive. That's what they said in 2012 right, then that shipment got "lost." That story wasn't going to fly again, no.
I personally love the sea wheeze colours and would love an opportunity to have an item - particularly that CRB. Do these items ever get offered on the US website?
Id be doubtful these would hit the US website at all. They didnt last year and by the time you guys hit summer that colour wave is so last year. I tried some of it on today and found it all an easy pass to be fair. My store had a limited ammount so may get the teal,burning yellow shorts online. Id rather save my money till I do seawheeze next year and meet you all:)
From LLA posts about the race the general public was allowed in with the runners to the sea wheeze store in Vancouver so the merchandise was never "exclusive" to the runners. I personally don't have a problem with it being sold and wish they would put it on the US website. The colors are way better than the McDonald's palate they offered us this summer. I mean really, red striped shirts - they almost all went to WMTM and some are still sitting there. Not to mention the fact that people who ran the race probably bought items as gifts for friends who didn't run it either. It's impossible to keep the product "just for the runners".
But yes, don't say it is exclusive when it clearly is not. And since the logos are different this is clearly not "leftover" merchandise.
Wow so jealous of down under.. I would love a warm up crew, speed shorts and run: stuff your bra in those sea wheeze colours.
I wish they would sell more Sea Wheeze on the US site. I get that everyone who runs like the exclusivity of it, but as someone who will probably never be able to stomach the cost it would take me to get from the east coast of the US to Vancouver and stay for a long running weekend, I wish I still had access to some of these pretty colors.
I agree with anon at 9:17 am, I wish we had access to some of these colors AND styles! I'd love a scoop neck ss or ls swiftly in any of those colors. If those styles hit NA it will probably be back to pastels...
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