Lululemon's New Hike Collection Takes You From the Summit to the Streets

During the pandemic, going into nature felt like medicine, therapy, and exercise all at the same time. As a result, hiking trails across the country were being used 200% more than normal. The mountains were calling, as the great conservationist John Muir famously said, and everyone went.

Most pandemic hikers are what the hiking community calls "daytrippers," people go out in the morning for a brisk hike up the mountain and are back down in a few hours. The new hiking collection from Lululemon is made for this group in mind–people who want to go out and experience the physical and mental benefits of a hike before decamping to their favorite spot in the city for brunch.

On July 5, Lululemon debuted its brand new hike collection, introducing a new category for the clothing brand first made famous for bringing athleisure into the mainstream. The 33-piece collection boasts 10 men’s pieces and eight unisex accessories ranging in price from $28-$198.

"A lot of the outdoor brands seem to want to defend you from nature, whereas we wanted to make you feel at one with nature," says Ben Stubbington, Lululemon’s Senior Vice President of Design.

This guiding philosophy led Stubbington and the rest of the design team to choose softer fabrics that don't feel like you're wearing armor and colors that range from the traditional earthy green to a rusty maroon that reminds me of rock formations in Utah. The entire line is made to be adaptable to the changing weather conditions you may experience when you're out on the trail. Zip on/off components turn a jacket into a shirt and pants into shorts, while grid-textured and mesh fabrics offer customized climate control.

“It’s really hard to make a cutoff pant that doesn’t look dorky,” says Stubbington, who, in our opinion, deserves to win a Nobel Prize for cracking the code on cutoffs that actually look cool. The pieces don't look unfinished when the zip on/off components are removed, and you're not walking around with an exposed zipper as a hem.

All the pieces are lightweight and made to be packable, stretchable, and functional down to the very smallest detail. The chest pocket on the T-shirt has an angled edge at the top to ensure your phone stays put if you're bending over to tie your shoes. The backpack features a proprietary tech innovation that recalibrates weight distribution once it’s packed so that it sits higher on the back to relieve pressure points.

You'll find the phrase "detours welcome" hidden throughout some of the pieces. The collection is designed for wanderers; those who make hiking a part of their day, but maybe not the whole day. Those who take a hike and then take to a roof or patio for happy hour. These pieces are meant to take you from the summit to the streets without looking or feeling out of place, thanks to the fast-drying and odor-killing fabrics.

Lululemon invented athleisure, and with this collection, they're preparing to do the same with hiking essentials. Call it trailwear or vast-casual (we can workshop the name–Lululemon, call us). Getting outdoors, even for a short hike, is the medicine you need to help power through whatever the rest of the day has in store for you. Explore some of our favorite picks from the new collection below, out now.

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