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Copycat Activewear: ALO Yoga, Werkshop, lululemon Dupes and More

Copycat Activewear: ALO Yoga, Werkshop, lululemon Dupes and More
Reading Time: 7 minutes

The world is fraught with copycats and fakes. Activewear is not exempt from this problem.

Brands copying other brands not only steal business, but they also create a world in which fast fashion thrives. And that is ultimately bad for the environment.

My goal is to bring to light the problems with design copying and to promote legitimate businesses through my blog.

I compiled a list of brands along with the brand that has copied their designs. This is only a fraction of what I’ve found. There are probably more activewear copycats all over the world.

I will not be linking the copycat brands to prevent traffic and potential business.

Copycat Activewear Culprits

#1 Electric and Rose VS Target Joylab

electric and rose vs target joylab tie dye sunset leggings sports bra set dupe

Electric & Rose makes cottony soft and sustainable tie dye activewear.

Target’s Joylab (right) is also sustainable, however, their tie dye set is made with seamless fabric. The prints and silhouettes are almost identical.

Target is no stranger to copying other company’s successful designs. I would just avoid Target apparel altogether.

#2 Carbon38 VS Vie Active

carbon38 vs vie active macrame tanjung leggings dupe

Macrame Leggings

carbon38 vs vie active seminyak macrame bra dupe

Macrame Sports Bra

Oye! When Vie Active released their macrame collection, I almost fainted. This is a blatant copy of Carbon38’s Sayang Collection. I am a fan of both brands but I am with Carbon38 on this one.

Related: Carbon38 Review: Sayang Collection in Dahlia Red

#3 lululemon VS 90 Degree Reflex

lululemon wunder under pant vs 90 degree reflex High Waist Power Flex Tummy Control Leggings dupe

lululemon’s Wunder Under Pants (WUP) have had many copycats.

90 Degree Reflex’s High Waist Power Flex Tummy Control Leggings is made to fit exactly like lululemon WUP. The major difference is an elastic band in the 90 Degree Reflex leggings and that their fabric feels heavier and is more prone to pilling than lululemon Luon fabric.

People love 90 Degree Reflex because they’re cheap, comes in many colors and sold on Amazon.

#4 lululemon Align Pants VS CRZ Yoga Naked Feel Leggings

crz yoga legging lululemon align dupe copycat

In March 2020, CRZ Yoga debuted their naked feel leggings which are an exact copycat of lululemon Align pants.

The fabric feels a bit more silky and similar to Luxtreme. The silhouettes are almost identical. The price difference is $30 versus $98.

We tried CRZ Yoga and experienced a lot of slippage. We could not get the leggings to stay up.

#5 Inner Fire VS Lotus Leggings

inner fire vs lotus leggings copycat tights

Inner Fire makes leggings from recycled water bottles. Leah Emmott, the owner and creator of Inner Fire pours her heart into each of her designs.

Lotus Leggings (right) is notorious for stealing the hard work of others and printing them on substandard fabric and calling it their own. You’ll see more of them throughout this post.

Related: Inner Fire Review: Blossom Leggings

#6 WERKSHOP VS Lotus Leggings

werkshop vs lotus leggings octopus tentacles counterfeit

WERKSHOP‘s owner and artist, Chriztina Marie, hand draws each of her designs. This process can take weeks or even months to perfect. Lotus Leggings steals not one but MANY of her unique designs.

I first found out about Lotus Leggings when Chriztina pointed them out in a Facebook group. Everyone commented on Lotus Legging’s Facebook page and they began hiding comments and deleting posts. 

Chriztina wrote a post on what she’s had to go through with Lotus Leggings. She writes from a small business owner’s perspective and how it has impacted her livelihood.

Related: Eagle Rock WORKSHOP Review: Butterfly Crop Leggings

werkshop vs lotus leggings dupe counterfeit

#7 lululemon VS Queenie Ke

lululemon vs queenie ke define jacket counterfeit dupe

lululemon’s Define Jacket dupe looks very similar all the way down the fabric.

Queenie Ke (right) can be purchased on Amazon and for half the price of a lululemon Define Jacket.

#8 Outdoor Voices VS Bandier

outdoor voices vs bandier heathered colorblock leggings dupe

Outdoor Voices and Bandier went head to head when Bandier released their colorblock activewear collection.

The designs are similar but I’ve seen other brands with dupes resembling Outdoor Voices to the T.

Use this link to save $25 off $100+ at Bandier.

Related: Outdoor Voices Review: Techsweat™ Flex Leggings

#9 lululemon VS Forever21

lululemon vs forever21 free to be wild strappy back sports bra dupe copycat activewear

lululemon’s popular Free to Be Wild bra has been copied by many brands.

Forever21 copied the design but they’re not the only culprit copying lululemon’s popular silhouette. The difference between the brands is $48 versus $15 and you also get what you pay for — terrible fabric quality.

#10 Noli Yoga VS Lotus Leggings

noli yoga vs lotus leggings tree of life print tights

Noli Yoga has a Tree of Life leggings that was copied by Lotus Leggings (LotusXLite White Tree Leggings). The Lotus Leggings variation looks white-backed (printed on white fabric) and stretches to white, showing everything underneath when worn.

Lotus leggings are also $50 a pop and are made of fast fashion fabric. Essentially you’re paying for a low quality product at a high price. JUST BOYCOTT Lotus leggings!

Related: DO NOT SHOP Lotus Leggings

#11 Poprageous VS Lotus Leggings

poprageous vs lotus leggings counterfeit almond blossom leggings

Poprageous makes awesome spandex wear for women. Here are their awesome almond blossom leggings. Lotus Leggings copied them even down to the shoes worn by their model.

#12 lululemon VS Lotus Instyle

lululemon vs Lotus Instyle tech mesh dupe leggings copycat activewear

lululemon’s Tech Mesh legging ($118) are made with high-quality mesh panels. You can usually tell the difference in quality between the two variations.

The cheaper brand ($25) uses low-quality mesh fabric that itches. The mesh panels also do not stretch as much as lululemon’s high-quality technical mesh.

#13 Flexi Lexi VS Lotus Leggings

flexi lexi vs lotus leggings wrap tie up tights

Flexi Lexi also fell victim to Lotus Leggings’ shenanigans! *shakes fist*

Flexi Lexi is based out of Thailand and is minority and women-owned. Lotus leggings has copied more than just this style of leggings by Flexi Lexi.

#14 ALO Yoga VS Lotus Leggings

alo yoga vs lotus leggings blue butterfly print tights counterfeit copycat activewear

ALO Yoga‘s blue butterfly leggings were duped by Lotus Leggings. You can tell in the images the fabric quality stretches to white.

ALO Yoga is also not an innocent company. They’ve been known to shaft yoga instructors and favor more athletic or circus instructors with huge followings. Their business model perpetuates a specific yoga body type that is not inclusive.

#15 Lularoe VS Lotus Leggings

lularoe vs lotus leggings pineapple blue tights dupe

Lularoe’s blue pineapple print leggings were also copied by Lotus Leggings.

Lularoe is an MLM with their own faults. Lotus Leggings just has no shame in stealing the best prints and profiting off theft.

#16 CRZ Yoga VS lululemon

 

crz yoga naked feel versus lululemon align pant

CRZ Yoga Naked Feel Leggings VS lululemon Align Leggings

CRZ Yoga is a Chinese brand that offers a collection that is almost identical to lululemon.

Their Naked Feel leggings are a different material than the Align Nulu fabric, but the silhouettes are identical!

Related: CRZ Yoga Review | lululemon Dupe Activewear

#17 Chill by Will VS Forever21

chill by will vs forever21 strappy back high neck bra dupe

Chill by Will is a luxe activewear brand sold on Carbon38 and other high-end retailers. Forever21 copied their strappy back bras.

Related: Chill by Will Review: Blessed Stripe Leggings

#18 Athleta VS Forever21

athleta vs forever21 convergence sports bra dupe copycat activewear

Athleta’s Convergence sports bra was copied by Forever21. You can tell the difference in fabric quality and fit. Forever21 also runs small.  I wear a small in Athleta and have to size up to a LARGE in Forever21. Way to boost my self-esteem.

You’re also better off buying at Athleta because they stand behind their product 100% and will honor returns if something does not perform well or fit perfectly.

#19 K-Deer VS Athleta

k-deer vs athleta sophia signature stripe leggings dupe copycat activewear

And then there are huge companies copying the hard work of smaller companies. Athleta (right) duplicated K-Deer‘s Signature Stripe Sophia leggings. ????

Eventually, Athleta pulled their stripe leggings from their shelves due to a combination of public outcry and other quality issues. I later spotted their striped leggings for sale at TJ Maxx.

Related: K-Deer Molly Stripe Leggings Review

Final Thoughts

Seeing these copycat activewear brands profiting off another’s hard work is very frustrating. Copycats ultimately steal potential business away from companies who have done all the hard work for them. For most buyers, it’s natural to go with a company offering a similar item for a cheaper price.

The best course of action is to direct your hard-earned dollars and support small businesses. It’s our duty to look into a brand’s ethos and understand whether they’re there to make a quick buck or if they’re actually present and connecting with their customers.

In the end, we should be responsible consumers and buy directly from brands who put all their effort into creating and growing their business honestly and ethically.

What other brands should we avoid? Take our quick survey and let’s take these awful companies down!

Thank you for visiting today! If you found this encouraging or informative, please connect with us on Instagram or TikTok.

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Lhv94

Thursday 4th of June 2020

I agree some of these are definite ripoffs (*cough* Lotus Leggings), but some of these I don't feel can be called copycats because the companies are just following a trend. Color block and strappy back bras are both huge trends in the activewear industry, so I don't feel like they can be categorized as direct rip offs.

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