Canadian athletic lifestyle brand Lululemon has set its sights on the youth of Harbin.
Today, Lululemon launched its “Style Never Chills” Wunder Puff pop-up space at Harbin’s West City Red Square, a rising fashion landmark. The pop-up highlights Lululemon’s iconic Wunder Puff down jacket series alongside new autumn and winter items, such as the Define Jacket, Steady State hoodie, and joggers.
This is the brand’s second pop-up store targeting Generation Z this year. In two days, Lululemon will also host a Tmall Super Brand Day event in Harbin.
Later this month, the brand will open its second permanent store in the city.
Over the past 20 years, Lululemon has achieved rapid growth through its focus on the “yoga” category and “yoga apparel.” Now that it has moved from niche to mainstream, the brand has entered a new stage of development.
Coming to Harbin is both an unexpected move and a logical step.
How Does the Brand Attract Generation Z, From Chengdu to Harbin?
In the days leading up to the Dragon Boat Festival this June, Lululemon opened its first Generation Z pop-up store at COSMO in Chengdu.
As a hub of youth culture, Chengdu has consistently ranked as the most popular “new first-tier city” among Gen Z. The city also boasts an active Lululemon Sweat Community.
From a location perspective, Chengdu COSMO has attracted numerous debut stores of trendy brands, such as Randomevent®, Unawares, HARSH AND CRUEL, and Trouble Smile™. Today, COSMO is synonymous with “Gen Z,” “trendy,” and “youth energy,” making it a must-visit destination for young people in Chengdu.
The pop-up space was designed with bright colors and millennial elements that resonate with young people’s preferences, reflecting Lululemon’s interpretation of Gen Z’s “rhythm.”
In terms of product display, the focus was on versatile pieces for stylish layering, such as the Bend This sports bra, which can be paired with the edgy Dance Studio joggers. The Define Jacket and ABC men’s pants series were also featured, catering to young consumers’ tastes while reinforcing the brand’s signature items.
From spring and summer in Chengdu to autumn and winter in Harbin, the northern city became one of last winter’s hottest destinations. After the Beijing Winter Olympics, China experienced a surge in interest in ice and snow sports, with Harbin emerging as one of the top destinations for winter sports enthusiasts.
West City Red Square, where Lululemon’s “Style Never Chills” Wunder Puff pop-up opened today, is a cutting-edge fashion hub in Harbin. It consistently attracts young crowds through art exhibitions, pop-ups, and fashion events and serves as the venue for Harbin Fashion Week.
Lululemon’s Wunder Puff pop-up space at the West City Red Square atrium will run from today until October 10, covering the entire National Day holiday period.
The Wunder Puff down jacket series is the highlight of this pop-up. The products feature SoftMatte fabric and 600-fill-power goose down, offering warmth, lightness, and comfort in response to changing weather.
The “grid” design is the most distinctive element of the Wunder Puff series. Last year, posts on Xiaohongshu about how to choose a down jacket by counting grids went viral. A 3-grid jacket is perfect for confident layering, a 4-grid jacket offers a sleek style, while 5-grid to 6-grid jackets balance warmth and style, and a 9-grid jacket is ideal for extreme cold.
Lululemon picked up on this consumer-driven trend and turned it into a visual language that resonates with customers.
Starting from the shoulder line down to the hem, each Wunder Puff down jacket is divided into columns of grids by stitching. On each side (front or back), the number of grids in one column corresponds to the product’s grid count. The shortest Wunder Puff jacket has 3 grids, while the longest has 9 grids.
Consumers can also choose from other functional outerwear and layering pieces at the pop-up to add depth to their outfits. These include the Define Jacket series, Steady State hoodies and joggers, classic items like Restfeel fleece-lined slippers, Evolution thermal leg warmers, and Slouchy crossbody bags. From casual wear to winter running gear, Lululemon offers a variety of options for different occasions and needs.
According to Launchmetrics’ latest report, *Reinventing Influence: The Gen Z Impact on Fashion Marketing*, Lululemon is one of the top brands in connecting with Gen Z.
Young consumers with strong attitudes increasingly value whether a brand aligns with their cultural identity. The rich cultural heritage of the Chinese Mainland, with its diverse regional customs, holds the key to building a cultural connection between brands and consumers.
Lululemon has found a clever entry point from its brand DNA to embrace cultural diversity. By deeply engaging with iconic landmarks in each city, it creates themed activities that reflect the unique characteristics of the local culture, evoking emotional and cultural resonance between people and place.
New Categories, New Scenes, New Markets: Lululemon’s Quest for Growth
In its early days, Lululemon rapidly rose to prominence by focusing on yoga apparel, targeting North America’s “super girl” demographic.
In recent years, the brand has expanded into menswear and footwear. CEO Calvin McDonald has described Lululemon as now being a “dual-gender brand,” reflecting its efforts to grow these categories.
According to Launchmetrics’ latest report, Lululemon has achieved impressive growth among Generation Z, largely due to the brand’s focus on comfort and their emphasis on easy-to-wear apparel.
Currently, Lululemon’s product range extends to running, training, leisure, tennis, hiking, golf, and other athletic and lifestyle scenarios, catering to a more diverse set of consumer needs—a forward-thinking strategy.
For example, Lululemon launched its first tennis collection in April 2022, offering tennis apparel and accessories for both men and women.
The Tenniscore trend, where tennis outfits are worn as part of daily fashion, has been on the rise. Lululemon’s pleated tennis skirts and its 3-in-1 tennis bag with a zipper shaped like a tennis ball have become favorites among trendy girls, who also love accessorizing their tennis bags with Jelly Cat tennis toys and other fun items.
During this year’s 618 shopping festival, searches for tennis skirts on Taobao increased by 256% year-on-year, with sales up by 158%. Among these, searches for Lululemon tennis skirts rose by 95%.
Last month, Lululemon launched its new 2024 Tennis Club collection, which has been a hit on social media, receiving praise from young people, influencers, and even professional athletes.
In the Chinese Mainland market, Lululemon, like many high-end global sports brands, has already established itself in Tier 1 cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The brand is now focusing on provincial capitals and other Tier 2 cities.
Currently, Lululemon has 132 stores in the Chinese Mainland, including six in the northeastern market, located in Harbin, Shenyang, and Changchun.
In 2022, Lululemon opened its first store in Harbin at Yuanda Shopping Center. This September, in addition to launching the Wunder Puff pop-up at West City Red Square, the brand will also open its second permanent store in the city.
In February 2025, Harbin will host the Asian Winter Games, marking another significant international ice and snow event for China following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. As a popular destination for winter sports, Harbin offers a prime location for sports brands to expand their winter sports collections.
Lululemon’s recently released Q2 2024 financial results revealed a 7% year-on-year increase in revenue, reaching $2.4 billion, with a 15% rise in profit to $390 million. The gross profit margin increased by 80 basis points to 59.6%. In particular, sales in the Chinese Mainland surged by 34%, with same-store sales growing by 21%.
During the earnings call, CEO Calvin McDonald and CFO Meghan Frank emphasized that the Chinese Mainland is the main driver of Lululemon’s international market growth, with immense potential in this market.
lululemon Beijing Sanlitun store
Conclusion
Lululemon’s activities in Harbin are full of excitement. On September 13, the brand will partner with Tmall Super Brand Day to create a Wunder Puff “dynamic theater” in Harbin.
The event will feature Harbin-born actor Han Dongjun, figure skating grand slam champion Han Cong, ice dancers Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing, and over 100 Generation Z youths from Harbin, performing a spectacular ice show to showcase the Wunder Puff collection and embody the theme “Style Never Chills.”
We look forward to seeing Lululemon spark another wave of enthusiasm among Harbin’s Generation Z.
| Image Source: Provided by Lululemon, Official Lululemon Weibo Account
| Editor: Zhu Ruoyu
