When Lululemon opened their NYC Lab in downtown Manhattan last year, there was a nationwide cry of jealousy that the location-specific products (like neoprene pants and dresses that you could wear to work) were only available in the single store. As of Oct. 24, though, everyone can officially be the owner of a piece of Lululemon x NYC Labs.
The four-piece collaboration will be available at Lululemon's flagship stores in New York and Vancouver, and will also be for sale online. It includes a shirt, sports bra, shorts, and pants that are made of a highly reflective fabric meant to keep you safe during late night and early morning runs. "The textile took inspiration from the idea of training outside in low light in NYC," says Pascale Gueracague, the brand's Director of Future Textiles. "This was about synthesizing something super functional, but also really beautiful into a single expression."
And the collection is seriously beautiful. Gueracague has a background with cool-kid fashion brands like Helmut Lang, Alexander Wang, and Hood by Air, and her work with Lululemon is just as much fashion as it is function.
Here are all of the pieces from the Lululemon x NYC Lab collection, along with some info about how their reflective fabrics actually work.
Everything below is on sale at Lululemon.com now.
1. Splatter Tank Top
Cool Racerback II, $68, Lululemon.com
"All Lululemon, products are designed to be technically ready, enabling you to be at your full potential. We know everyone is different, so we offer a range of styles and fits so guests can choose what works best for them," Gueracague tells me over email. This may look like a plain black workout tank, but the back is reflective splatter painted!
2. Splatter Sports Bra
All Sports Bra, $98, Lululemon.com
"People are living more active lives and want the right garments and textiles to support their functional needs, so we aspire to stay ahead of that and artfully blend the best performance textile innovation with a sense of beauty, artistry, fashion and craftsmanship," says Gueracague. This bra officially makes it possible to run shirtless at night without having to worry about getting hit by a car
3. Splatter Leggings
Splatter Reflective Speed Tight, $298, Lululemon.com
"Reflective effects in textiles are created by a special combination of light and physics working together," says Gueracague. "We specifically wanted to capture artwork that created the phenomena of a glittering effect, which enhances the reflective component of the garment." When you wear these pants in low light, it literally looks like they're glowing in the dark!
4. Splatter Short
Splatter Hotty Hot Short, $148, Lululemon.com
The designs in the collection were inspired by "the culture, people and technology of the cities we're located in," says Gueracague. This allows for all of the designs to feel locally inspired while still being globally relevant.
Images: Courtesy of Lululemon
