Lululemon Leggings Are Apparently The New Birkin

The next time you're trolling eBay for vintage Celine Nanos and Chanel Boy bags, keep you eyes peeled for the latest resale trend: workout wear. Perhaps you're envisioning a cringe-worthy pair of used trainers or a threadbare tank top, but in reality, Lululemon's fitness fashions are hitting resale sites at prices that would distract even the most devoted yogi from her chaturanga, Racked reports.

According to the website, Lululemon's "scarcity model", by which the company manufactures a minimal number of garments per collection and turns out a new collection every week or two, is the basis for Lululmon's resale market. Secondhand e-tailer vendors have taken to either purchasing Lululemon wares en masse and reselling items at steeply inflated prices, or offering favored, discontinued styles to consumers who failed to snap them up in-store.

In one terrifyingly nonsensical situation, cited by the source behind the Lululemon Expert blog, a formerly $98 Lululemon Define Jacket fetched $500 from fevered fans. Of course, there are also sellers who give potential buyers a more reasonable price for Lululemon wares, but it seems that many shoppers are willing to spend more than the minimum for the brand's pieces. With high demand from yogis, marathoners, and SoulCycle devotees for Lululemon's wares and low supply, it only makes sense that the the value of the company's items would skyrocket — or does it?

Rarity undoubtably influences how covetable an item is perceived to be, as well as its price, but the business model seems more applicable to diamonds or gold than a pair of spandex pants. In terms of fashion, the illusive Birkin bag shares similar retail qualities with the average gemstone; it is composed of rare materials, possesses adequate durability over years of usage, and signifies a certain level of prestige. On the contrary, Lululemon clothing is made of more common materials, cannot be expected to last 50 years let alone ten, and, when worn consistently, historically implies that one doesn't leave the house much.

However, in 2015 leggings aren't considered a sign of inferior taste — they signify that the wearer is athletic, driven, and constantly in motion, possibly en route to a Zumba or Barry's Bootcamp class. The reason may trace back to the cultural and sartorial shift towards fitness fashion and endeavors. Sporting running tights on the street would once have been considered a sin against style, but now printed leggings and silk sweatpants are de rigueur for street style. No matter what current culture may dictate, I think I'll save my $500 for rent, and someday, perhaps a Chanel tote.

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