Lululemon suing Costco for selling ‘confusingly similar’ clothes that misleads shoppers
Jul 1, 2025, 7:05 AM
A Lululemon store is seen on April 3. (Photo: Michael M. Santiago, Getty Images). Customers shop at a Costco Wholesale store on January 31. (Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
Lululemon is suing Costco, accusing the retailer of selling “confusingly similar” replicas of its clothing, including jackets, sweatshirts, and pants.
Lululemon alleged that Costco is known to use manufacturers of popular branded products for its private label Kirkland brand, but that the company and the manufacturers don’t tell consumers of the connection between them for many of the Kirkland-branded products, according to The Associated Press.
Lululemon then claimed in its suit that this practice leads shoppers to believe that Kirkland-branded products are made by the authentic supplier of the “original” products. Lululemon stated that Costco, based in Issaquah, doesn’t try to dispel the ambiguity.
“As an innovation-led company that invests significantly in the research, development, and design of our products, we take the responsibility of protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights very seriously and pursue the appropriate legal action when necessary,” a Lululemon company spokesperson said in a statement regarding the lawsuit.
The lawsuit cited several examples of Costco selling replica Lululemon products, including Define jackets, ABC pants, and its Hi-Tec Men’s Scuba Full Zip—an item costing at least $100 that Costco is selling a replica of for $19.97.
Lululemon is requesting a jury trial and wants Costco to stop selling the products that it considers to be duplicates, The Associated Press confirmed. It is also seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages.
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