Lululemon launched its men’s apparel line in 2009. The move broadened a brand best known at the time for women’s yoga clothing and helped establish athletic basics for male customers as a meaningful part of its business.
The company had already experimented with men’s products before 2009, which is the main source of confusion. Its early men’s offerings appeared alongside women’s apparel, while 2009 is commonly treated as the launch of the dedicated men’s line and a more deliberate expansion into the market.
Lululemon was founded by Chip Wilson in Vancouver in 1998, and its first standalone store opened there in 2000. The company’s original identity centered on yoga apparel, but its technical fabrics and community-based retail model later supported expansion into running, training, golf, travel and everyday clothing.
The men’s business eventually became much broader than yoga wear. Lululemon now sells men’s shirts, shorts, trousers, jackets, underwear, accessories and footwear, so 2009 marks an important expansion point rather than the first time a man could buy a Lululemon garment.