Get ready to (bra) strap in, because things could get messy in the latest battle of the workout clothing brands.
Spandex goliath Lululemon is taking Under Armour to court over one of its sports bra designs, and much like many of us look after a challenging hot yoga class, it's not going to be pretty.
According to Pret-a-Reporter, Lululemon filed a lawsuit against Under Armour on Friday for "patent infringement." Lululemon claims that its $52 Energy Bra was ripped off by four of Under Armour's sports bras — Armour Eclipse Low Impact, Armour Shape Low Impact, UA On the Move, and UA Printed Strappy Bra — and was being sold at a much lower cost (between $20 to $40, Pret-a-Reporter writes).
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Though expensive, the Canadian company's sports bras have garnered quite a following, with women dishing out between $48 and $98 for their supportive wear. While it may be hard to imagine paying nearly $100 for something your boobs are just going to sweat in, some swear by the bra's thick straps and innovative Ultralu material.
WWD shared a side-by-side image of the two bras in question, shown below, on Twitter.
.@lululemon sues @UnderArmour over sports bra design. ? https://t.co/Kpo9geQRtb pic.twitter.com/Knq96xEVus
— WWD (@wwd) July 10, 2017
Perhaps it's the level of innovation and design that goes into creating the perfect addition to your workout wardrobe, or maybe it's the fact that its competitor is selling a similar product for a fraction of the cost, but Lululemon is not about to let Under Armour get away with the alleged imitation. In a statement, Lululemon claimed "the infringing products are so similar in design to the trade dress that they are likely to cause confusion, mistake, and deception as to the source of origin of the infringing goods among consumers.”
The company also stated that Under Armour's sales could cause "irreparable damage" to Lululemon.
A few years ago, BuzzFeed published a story titled "Lululemon Is The Fashion Industry's Biggest Patent Troll," which argued that with 31 design patents (at the time), the athletic wear megastore was intentionally going out of its way to punish companies that tried to sell similar designs. A 2012 analysis by Reuters came to a similar conclusion.
The lawsuit is just the latest drama between the two fashion houses. Earlier this year, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson posted advertisements at bus stops for his company to buy Under Armour and said "he wouldn't want to be working" at the competitor because "it's super weak right now." Ouch!