When you think of Lululemon, you may not always think of menswear. The popular boutique yoga brand has made quite the name for itself in the world of athleisure and now, they're expanding their recent agenda for inclusivity further, through tapping into comfortable, aesthetic and image-savvy men's activewear. Launching their new line made specifically for runners, the clothes are as much about performance as they are about look-and-feel. Think swift, sweat-free and scent-agnostic, to ensure you can take your gym shorts from workout to evening out.
The collection spans all the serious running stuff—singlets, shorts with the sexy side slits, ergonomically-designed tights, T-shirts both short and long-sleeved—and behind all that lightweight and breathable material is the brand's own sweat (and maybe tears) from some ample and impressive R&D.
Tested with a weather chamber that simulates various outdoor elements like heat, humidity, and rain, Lululemon's running gear for men is packed with numerous neat, science-backed tricks. On the odour front, their Swiftly Tech work hand-in-hand with their Silverescent technology to keep things fresh. The former reduces odours, while the latter works with silver to ensure that bacteria doesn't build up over the course of workout time to kick up a big stink. This is possible thanks to their X-STATIC technology, which allows the fibres of all of their pieces to be coated in 99.9% pure silver.
Supplementing this is the sweat-wicking Metal Vent Tech, which affords the clothes some quick-drying, seamless and larger ventilation zones that keep the air flowing while you keep moving. One thing you definitely want your body to do while running is to be able to breathe, so this three-way combo Lululemon has got going for them sounds especially good for all those who perspire easily but can't (or won't) stop moving. But also those inclined to do post-run coffee runs; the option to be less of a stinky public nuisance is now yours for the taking.
Speaking of movement, no stride is too wide with their Nulux fabric, which is a sleek, cool-to-the-touch and barely-there material engineered to stretch four-way. Lululemon has also kindly put it through the squat test so that lightweight doesn't also mean see-through. The breathable fabric also adds Lycra fibre for extra flexibility while ensuring shape retention. In the history of Lululemon goods, shape retention has been one of their key feats, so trust them to give you a good pair of tights that will last you through your all of your running, yoga, boxing or even spin phases.
Overall, the running line sounds pretty promising, coming from this yoga-guru. Be it marathons or short jogs, maybe it's never too late to live one's best sweat life à la Lulu.
Lululemon's running line is available online and in stores.
