On October 21, Lululemon secured a trademark registration from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for an unexpected phrase: “LULULEMON DUPE.” It is an interesting move (as first reported by TFL), registering a term often associated with cheap knockoffs of its own high-end apparel, and it is likely more than a clever twist. It is a strategic signal that the athleisure giant may be preparing to reframe, reclaim, or even capitalize on the growing dupe culture that has been chipping away at its brand edge.
Lululemon has become one of the most duped brands in the world. Its $100+ Align leggings, Define jackets, and Scuba hoodies have spawned an entire ecosystem of copies across social media, e-commerce, and big-box stores, as consumers shun branded wares for lower-cost lookalikes. For Lululemon, which built its reputation on innovation, exclusivity, and premium pricing, the industrial onslaught of dupes – from those offered up on Amazon to an array of wares at Costco – has caused “substantial, irreparable injury,” as the company told the court in its ongoing case against Costco.
A Trademark Counterpunch
Against this background, Lululemon quietly filed to register “LULULEMON DUPE” late last year for use in connection with retail and advertising services related to clothing, footwear, yoga, and athletic accessories. The company has not revealed its hand. And since the application was initially filed on an intent-to-use basis and then amended to 44(e) (filing based on the ownership of a foreign registration), there is not a specimen showing how Lululemon is using (or planning to use) the “LULULEMON DUPE” trademark in the U.S. So, that raises questions, including about the fate of the registration.
So, what is the play here? There are a few potential aims behind the athleisure giant’s bid for a registration and its plans now that it has one…
> Brand jujitsu: Reclaiming the term “dupe” and turning it into a brand asset rather than a liability. The company’s “dupe swap” venture comes to mind here. (Lululemon was issued a registration for “DUPE SWAP” for use in connection with retail store and online retail services featuring clothing, footwear, headwear, yoga and athletic accessories, etc. in August 2025.) By way of a pop up in Los Angeles in 2023, Lululemon enabled customers to trade in knockoff Align pants for the real thing.
The event pulled in around 1,000 attendees – half of whom were new to the brand and under 30. “It felt like a very fun way to step into a cultural conversation,” Chief Brand Officer Nikki Neuburger said at the time. The goal? Let customers experience the difference and, ideally, convert them.
> Preemptive effort: Blocking others from using “Lululemon dupe” in marketing or sales as a creative way to clamp down on copycat products that are otherwise hard to challenge legally due to the absence of infringing elements, like a Lululemon logo or protectable trade dress.
> Marketing flex: Launching tongue-in-cheek campaigns or limited-edition “Dupe” collections to tap into the trend on its own terms – embracing the conversation instead of fighting it, drawing attention to the quality gap, and turning the dupe craze into a moment of brand storytelling and consumer engagement.
>> Lululemon is not the only company that is thinking about how it can game the dupe system. After it filed an application for registration for the mark at issue in December 2024, Aritzia filed an application of its own for ARITZIA DUPE in March 2025 for use on clothing, bags, and retail store services.
A BROADER PLAYBOOK: The “LULULEMON DUPE” trademark registration could serve multiple purposes, but at its core, it seems to reflect Lululemon’s evolving strategy: confront the dupe culture head-on, not just with lawyers, but with marketing muscle, creativity, and brand clout. Instead of chasing every knockoff in court, which can be costly, limited, and often ineffective, Lululemon may be laying the groundwork to own the narrative. If “dupe” is the word shoppers are searching for, maybe Lululemon wants to be what they find.
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