Based on experience, shopping for gym clothes is not easy, and it isn’t cheap at all. I have friends who go as far as thoroughly researching each brand just to find the right activewear for them. And to be honest, a few good reads or information does not hurt.
In fact, I find that knowing the brand and what it offers helps you find the piece of clothing that fits you best for your next workout. Recently, a friend of mine has had a dilemma on which store, Rhone vs. Lululemon, he should make a purchase. So, I did a short exploration of what each activewear brand is about, and here’s what I found.
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What is Rhone?
Being a solely male-focused brand, Rhone aspires for men to live a life with strength and freedom. They are committed to helping you move forward through their clothing. Whether you are looking for something to wear in your office or for your workout, Rhone integrates seamless clothing for a better fit, form, and function.
Rhone makes its clothing for men who are driven, passionate, and devoted. They make sure to practice eco-conscious behaviors in managing their athleisure brand apparel. The company offers different collections that center on men’s health and daily essentials from tops, bottoms, unders, socks, and other accessories.
What is Lululemon?
Source: Lululemon
A yoga-focused brand founded in 1998, Lululemon has become an internationally renowned athletic brand since. Initially, the company only caters to women yoga enthusiasts. After years of positive feedback, Lululemon has grown to provide activewear clothing for men and women interested in yoga, cycling, training, and other sweaty pursuits.
The company intends to provide high-quality products that allow you to perform and be at your best. Aside from women’s power leggings to men’s comfy joggers, Lululemon offers more athleisure products you can use for work or your workout.
How Are Both Brands Similar or Different?
Rhone and Lululemon are fitness lifestyle brands that strive to enhance your fitness and everyday journey through what you wear. They both symbolize strength and supremacy regarding what they want you to achieve as a person who wears their brand. Both brands offer activewear and loungewear apparels that are tailored for your comfort and motivation.
Lululemon is highly regarded as a premium workout brand on an international level. And Rhone is also globally acknowledged as a brand of high-quality clothing. Despite targeting a community with an active lifestyle, Rhone and Lululemon have specific differences that tell each brand apart.
Brand Offers
Both Rhone and Lululemon are good brands to shop for male activewear and loungewear. So, if you’re looking to purchase your next gym clothes or just new ones you can lounge around in, either brand will be a good option for you to shop in.
With the male community being the sole focus of Rhone, its offers are slightly different from Lululemon’s, which caters to both men and women. Rhone is more limited to products men use like your usual shirt, shorts or pants, socks, bags, swimwear, hoodies, and outerwear. But the company offers more formal work leisure clothing, which is not an option in Lululemon.
Lululemon targets both genders. Thus, they have a more comprehensive range of products they sell. They offer clothing products and accessories. But the company goes as far as selling self-care products like shampoos, sweat kits, deodorants, balms, moisturizers, and other products you can use post-workout or any other day.
Retail Store Locations
Source: Rhone
Rhone Apparel currently ships your website orders internationally. But the company has grown since its start in 2014. With three pop-up stores in New York and one in Connecticut, Rhone attracts the male population with its clothing quality. This brand is also available in different store locations like Equinox, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Peloton Studios, and other gyms and specialty stores all over the United States.
In comparison, Lululemon does not ship orders internationally as it only caters to the United States and Canada. The company currently has more than 380 stores in over 50 states in America and around 80 stores in Canada.
Brand History
In 2014, an ex-NFL employee, his brother, and a former lacrosse player founded Rhone. They were simply mesmerized by the beauty and functionality of the Rhone river in Europe that they named their brand after it. Like the river, they also want to achieve aesthetics and functionality on sportswear and activewear.
After a year of operation, Rhone became very profitable and acquired investments from sports, media, and the fashion circle. The company continued to rise and became the Rhone that we know of today.
Lululemon has been around for more than two decades since its start in 1998. The company started only to be a studio by day and yoga session by night in Vancouver, Canada. Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon, named the company as such to target Japanese buyers.
In the succeeding years, Lululemon has gained investments and partnership deals that help the brand’s continuous growth in the market.
Benefits of Each Brand
With Rhone giving a more direct focus on men’s health, they serve to help and address men’s needs in many aspects. What makes Rhone stand out is its focus on men’s mental health which is not a usual topic of today’s conversations.
Another thing that makes shopping in Rhone worth it is finding work clothes and casual clothes in one store. With their commuter pants, commuter shirt, and sportswear, you will not have much trouble shopping for your clothes.
Source: Rhone
When you’re looking for more professional sports-oriented clothing, Lululemon is the best fit. What makes it better is you can shop for men’s wear and women’s wear in one store. It also has a broader range of products as it caters to a bigger market.
If you are a constant gym-goer or you sweat a lot, Lululemon even offers self-care products you can make use of. They have an on-the-go sweat kit included in their list along with dry shampoo, no-shower cleansing spray kit, deodorants, and a lot more. So, if you’re constantly moving, Lululemon has a good product section for you.
Drawbacks of Each Brand
The only thing that will make you rethink shopping in Rhone is if you are a lady or not interested in wearing men’s clothing. Let’s be honest, some women feel comfortable in menswear, and I may or may not be one of them.
Lululemon, on the other hand, is too hot and heavy when it comes to marketing. They focus more on high-performing athletes that sometimes makes you rethink if you can commit to that much intensity.
One other disadvantage of purchasing from Lululemon is if you are from outside the United States and Canada. You may find it hard to acquire their product as they don’t ship globally.
Conclusion: Which Brand Is Best
Both brands deliver high-quality and comfortable pieces to men. But if I were to choose which store I would make a purchase from, it would be Lululemon because I find their clothing options more appealing to my style.
However, if you are looking for good work clothes, it’s best to mention the supremacy of Rhone’s commuter pants and shirt in terms of style and comfort. In the end, whichever brand you choose, the only thing you need to make sure of is if it’s the right fit for you.