Kate Spade officially jumped into the activewear fray this past week with a collaboration with Beyond Yoga. This collab was announced a few months ago, so I’d been looking forward to seeing what these two companies had up their sleeve.
The capsule ended up being a bit smaller than I expected: just 8 styles. The color palette is extremely simple, too: red, black, and black/white stripes. Shown: neck bow jacket and peek-a-boo bra.
Besides the narrow black/white stripe, they also incorporated tuxedo stripes in a couple designs. In true Kate Spade fashion, bows were a common motif as well. Shown: tuxedo high-waist legging and back bow legging.
I have a couple quick thoughts about the capsule. First up, this is billed as a spring collection, but it feels like more of a holiday theme to me. If they had released this 4-8 weeks earlier, I think it would’ve made more sense. I would’ve expected a spring Kate Spade collection to incorporate more feminine, fun colors.
Second, the designs in this capsule are more simple than I expected, and just have an extra bow or two. They’re obviously not ugly by any means, they just feel a little bit on the safe side. I’m still hoping a “regular” fashion designer will come up with activewear designs that feel especially innovative and new.
See the whole Beyond Yoga x Kate Spade capsule here →
I mentioned last week that Athleta released a stripe legging that was suspiciously similar to a design by K-Deer, a small activewear label out of New York. The purple/orange stripe above is just like K-Deer’s “Sophia stripe”. Well, they didn’t stop there. They’ve since released two more stripes, for a total of three, all of which bear striking resemblance to K-Deer’s designs.
Athleta’s black and white is pretty much identical to “Jody stripe”.
Lastly, the blue Athleta stripe is also pretty close to “Alexis stripe”, except that Athleta incorporated a little bit of a light green at the bottom instead of cyan.
This whole ordeal continues to frustrate me. Maybe you could argue that K-Deer wasn’t the first to invent stripes and ombre. That’s true, but if Athleta did want to do stripes and ombre, there are a lot of ways they could’ve made their versions look unique. Different color schemes, for one thing, would’ve gone a long way. The stripe width is also something that could’ve easily been varied to look more original. The suspicions I had last week with the Sophia stripe only smell fishier this week. With 3 pairs out and the similarities I mentioned, I’m having a really hard time believing it’s just coincidence.
The thing is, Athleta and K-Deer are in direct competition with one another for the higher-end activewear market. Athleta’s leggings are a little bit cheaper, in part because they have their size working to their advantage, and in part because they manufacture overseas while K-Deer’s production is US-based. Athleta seemingly exploiting the popularity of their signature design AND luring customers away based on price is just an awful combination.
I’ve seen a fair amount of buzz on social media calling out Athleta, but they’ve yet to acknowledge the issue. I hope they find a way to redeem themselves here.
If you’d like to support K-Deer, shop their stripes here.
Anyway, overall, this week was a bit slow for new activewear, but I’ve been seeing hints from a few brands that new collections are coming soon, so it’s looking like things might be picking up soon!
Too bad the Kate Spade collection is so small…looks like there is potential! And I agree on the total lame-ness of Athleta’s design looking just like K-Deers signature look! I have yet to purchases any K-Deer but I loved their unique vibe…it totally sucks that a bigger company (appears to be) creating the same items at a somewhat cheaper price point.
Yeah, I hope they branch out a little more and do a bigger collection in future seasons!
Lucas Hugh’s new collection can be seen on carbon38… Nothing too exciting unfortunately
Yeah I saw that, too. Like you, I thought it was kind of unremarkable. Ah well.
My yoga studio sells K-Deer and I own two pairs of leggings and a tank. They are high quality and gorgeous. I also want to point out that K-Deer’s leggings have a story behind each pair and a portion of the sales from each pair go to a specific charity. I’m done with Athleta for anything and happy to pay a little more to support a small woman-owned business that not only creates amazing clothes but gives back.
Yes to ALL of that!!!
I thought I was going to lose my shit when I saw Kate Spade mentioned here…. I have lost my love for Lulu so I am saving tons of money there… but I have one infatuation left… KATE SPADE. Fortunately for me I find this collection rather boring…. the leggings could be cugte with the bow on the back but over all I find it super boring… thanks for the post.
Whew… Money is safe! :)
how does K-deer fit? If I wear a 6 in wunder unders, what size should I go for with K-deer? thanks.
I’m a 4 in lulu and take a small in K-deer if that helps. I find they run pretty TTS so if you would order a S or a M in another brand that would probably be the same here.
I wear a 4 in LLL (25.5″ waist and 36″ hip) and a small was snug on me.
I’m a 2 in Lulu and wear XS in K-Deer.
The other ladies kind of covered this, but I’ve heard most people lean toward a larger size, so that would be a medium for a lulu 6.
I’m really disgusted by Athleta attempting to rip off k-deer. Every time I wear my k-deers to the gym I get a ton of compliments and I always make sure to tell people where to get them, and how they give back to charity as well. I hope this backfires on Athleta and makes K-deer more popular but sadly I expect to see lots of imitations walking around.
Yeah, I expect a lot of people won’t know the backstory, they’ll just see a cute pair of pants and buy them. It’s a shame.
Hi all. This is a bit off topic. I splurged and ordered the croc print Thalia leggings by michi from carbon 38. For the price I paid I was totally pumped thinking they should surpass lulu quality and the details on them are piping hot. Buuut after waiting 2 weeks to receive my order (I’m in Canada and it was over the holidays) I excitedly pulled them on and I think they’re quite sheer?
The croc print on the front is beautifully thick; the seams are juuust a tad scratchy; and they’re definitely don’t hold me in like lulus especially in the thighs. I’m 115-20lbs, and wear a sz 2 in lulu bottoms. I ordered an xs. Just wondering if anyone else has experience with michi as there are no reviews to be found. Now I have to go to the trouble of sending them back which could take an eternity. So sad.
Thanks for any input. And happy new year!
I too have bought a few Michi pants in the last month. The black fabric is excellent and not sheer. I got a pair of magenta and black leggings on sale where the magenta part was sheer but the black was not. Luckily, black covered the booty. I’m sorry to hear your croc pants weren’t up to par. I’ll be sticking to dark bottoms from Michi due to my experience. It’s worth noting that the pocket of my storme leggings developed a hole at the seam that I had to sew. It was minor, but I didn’t want it to get bigger. I haven’t had any other stitching issues, but I wouldn’t buy Muchi at full price due to these imperfections.
I have 3 pair of Michi crops (hydra, stardust, vyper) & love them all. None are sheer, and all are compressive & comfortable. I wore them running & they were great! However, I have bigger thighs, and it seems they don’t fit thinner women well. Check out Suzanne’s review here on this blog. I have one review of the hydra on my blog & will be reviewing the others this week. Sorry they didn’t work out for you. :(
Oh no! That’s so odd. Like the other commenters mentioned, usually Michi is preeeetty good with opacity, but there does seem to be some inconsistency. Sorry they were no good for you. :( I hope the return process goes smoothly, at least!!
Michi runs a bit big . I am a size 4 in lulu and Michi size xs still doesn’t have as much compression for me as lulu does. Still love their stuff though.
Hi! I ordered the Stardust capris a few weeks ago, and I didn’t find them to be sheer. (I mean, they went a little, tiny bit sheer in a deep squat, but you’d really have to be looking.) However, they were too big for me. I’m a Lulu size 4 in pants (on the smaller end), and the XS was too big. They wrinkled under the bum and had zero compression.
I was sad- I loved the style and fit of the fabric, and even the high waist!
I really like some my pieces from Athleta but copying designs that help raise money for charities (including one for children with cancer) just seems so awful. It didn’t bother me too much when their striped leggings looked like Lululemon’s parallel stripe design-I didn’t buy them but I wasn’t rethinking purchasing things from Athleta like I am now.
I’ve also been waiting for Athleta to say something.
Yes, and even the parallel stripes weren’t really TOO similar (stripe width was a bit different). Not to mention, a basic black and white stripe isn’t that hard to come up with. So, that didn’t bother me either. I hope Athleta copying doesn’t become a theme…
I was pretty underwhelmed by the Kate Spade collection. These latest Athleta releases are just maddening. I bought very little from Athleta last year. They discontinued some fabrics and styles I really liked and even the casual wear stuff I got in the fall I returned. I have $100 in rewards to use, but even if there was something I wanted, this rip-off just turns my stomach. Boo, Athleta! I went over to K Deer’s site & feel like I need to order the Jennifer Stripe to support them!
Yes, I had a similar thought! I’ve never been that drawn to the bold stripes, but I kind of want to buy something from them out of solidarity now. I like the Jennifer stripe, too, though you have more reason to than I do. ;)
I too, thought I would lose it over the BY KS stuff, but I’m not ordering any. For some reason, even when I see something cute at Athleta I can’t bring myself to buy it, now even more reason to avoid them!
Idk…now the studio I go to just got some KS and I’m losing it a little *makes heart eyes*
Haha… Seeing stuff in person can be dangerous sometimes!!
Not that I agree with Athleta copying K-Deer at all and so closely but for K-Deer to have this as a signature design it’s kind of on K-Deer as to why they didn’t file a patent on that stripe design to keep others from copying it. One of the only things I remember from my Business Law class in college is the FIRST thing you do is file a patent on a signature item when it’s tied into your name – in this case K-Deer and the stripes. Don’t flog me but part of this is on K-Deer. If you are going to play in the big business world then you need to protect your assets. If this was a signature patented design then Athleta would have to change something – size of the stripes, color combo etc to put out a striped legging and they could not be an exact copy. My guess is Athleta’s lawyers looked, didn’t find one and gave the go-ahead. It’s business. Not personal.
Should Athleta have copied K-Deer and so closely? No and I think it’s tacky that it’s so close, same colors etc. However, in the fashion world it’s done all the time – called “fast fashion”. Stores like H&M, Forever 21 take runway looks and in 6 weeks or less copies are in the store.
Just want to make clear that Athleta is totally in the wrong on this – don’t want anyone thinking I think it’s okay. It’s not at all and I feel it’s a low blow and Athleta should apologize, pull their leggings or pay royalties on them to K-Deer.
I see what you mean. I wonder if Athleta really wants its brand to be athleisure equivalent of H & M. I am particularly bothered by them copying the signature styles where a portion of sales is donated to charity but I also don’t want to spend $79 to be in copycat tights.
Yeah, my beef with Athleta is mostly from the ethical side rather than the pure IP side. We’re definitely on the same page there. But, to address your point, my layperson’s understanding is that fashion design patents are somewhere between “very difficult” and “totally impossible” to both obtain and enforce. So while in theory it would be nice for them to obtain some sort of IP protection, in practice I’m under the impression that it would mostly just be a huge expense that may well never do them any good. So, from that perspective (assuming I’m correct), it’s understandable that they wouldn’t pursue any legal protection of the design.
True….Fashion is another creature with patents and what not and i’m sure a TON has changed since my college days. You just see companies like Burberry who have their signature protected but then they have the $$$ and inhouse lawyers to do all that for them. A small company like K-Deer probably can’t afford to do something like that. It’s kinda tacky for Athleta to copy so closely for sure. Kinda turns me off to them even though I don’t normally shop there (only thing I want is the Sonar Floral Fade capri’s like you have which are no longer available). I’ll actually think twice about shopping there but….how is that different than the Costco “define” that’s a complete copy of Lulu – yet we’re all thrilled to get the copy for $20. I’m SO conflicted. Lol!
Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t say I’m perfect at applying consistent standards when it comes to copycats, haha. I think where it often comes down to for me is power imbalance. I don’t mind as much when one large company rips off another large company–they are more or less on an even playing field. But when one company clearly has more resources/money, more fans, etc, that’s when it really feels a bit “icky”. I think that’s often why I end up drawing the line (or not). The ickiness intensifies when they’re clearly competing for the same customers. If Forever21 rips off Alexander Wang… Well, it’s not like Alexander Wang is going to lose many (if any) customers to a fast fashion store, you know? They’re in different spheres. That’s not the case with Athleta vs. K-Deer.
I was so disappointed by the Kate Spade collection. It’s really small, like you said, hardly a collection. And everything is exactly as you said, pretty basic with some bows. And the prices my god. Although if the striped jacket ever goes on steep sale, I might want that. I think you are right about the k deer copycatting. But the truth is they’re all copycats. There’s no patents on any of these patterns. And it’s not really much of a brand-building strategy to use a pattern only. Anyway, just my 2 cents.
Yeah, I couldn’t imagine paying $179 for that jacket! Yikes. Apparently a lot of people did, though. It’s sold out in several sizes!
I’m catching up and just read this post about Athleta/K-Deer. I have to admit I tried on all 3 colors at Athleta on Monday because they had just received them. After reading that they copied, I’m disgusted but also things make a lot of sense now! The quality of the Athleta copy-cats are sub-par for Athleta. Maybe they “rushed” them to market? The ankles are super tiny (and I have the worlds smallest ankles) which makes getting them over your foot a battle. Once past that stage, the pants are off in sizing. I am usually a S/M in Athleta Chat pants and these are WAY small. In order for the pants to not “white out” when stretched, you have to size up and then the waist is huge. If you roll up the bottom they are white underneath. The seams are different in every pair whereby the stitching which is black has defects of white stitching intermittently throughout, mostly prevalent along the rear seam and front seam….not where you want anyone “drawn” to. Some pairs are better than others but some are pretty obvious. Maybe K-Deer quality is better? I would not buy the Athleta version!
Yes, I’ve heard the Athleta crops aren’t that great from a few people. Your rushing theory is interesting. I have heard very good things about K-Deer quality, though. Since this whole ordeal came up, I’ve been thinking of buying a pair to try.
Thought this was a great article and apparently Athleta has removed those from their website: http://fortune.com/2016/01/07/athleta-yoga-pant/
No worries! :) It was a really interesting article. They mentioned the pants were pulled after Fortune contacted them… It could’ve been coincidence, but I wonder if they were like “oh shoot this is getting big” and that’s when they decided it would be too much of a risk to their brand to let them continue to be sold. Either way, I’m glad to see that they made that decision.
I will never buy from Athletica again. K-Deer is a company that stands for something, something admirable. The same can be said for the way she handled this situation. #istandwithkdeer
Did you see that Athleta has pulled the pants? I’m glad they did that, though it does make me wonder how they got produced in the first place.
I’ve been shopping for the K-Deer tights and all the ones I wanted are sold out online (and in stores) in my size, so I was kind of excited when I saw a similar one in the Athleta catalog. I would have bought the K-Deer if they weren’t sold out. Also, Athleta’s tights are a thicker fabric than K-Deer and the fit kind of different. I agree the stripe design is so similar you can’t do anything but call it a knockoff, but that happens a lot in the fashion industry. But since K-Deer has a limited quantity that has quickly sold out, I don’t really think this copy has harmed them.
BTW – never bought the Athleta tights b/c the company pulled them almost as soon as the controversy surfaced. It’s great that the K-Deer stripe sales do donate to charity, but I’m pretty sure that Gap is pretty philanthropic and I know Athleta supports a lot of women’s sporting events. Not really trying to be their advocate, just pointing out they’re not quite as evil as some of these comments make them sound.. I hope K-Deer produces some more of the stripes in my size so I can get them! (I’m a leggings junkie!)
It may be at least partially a matter of opinion on which brand had the better quality tights. Most reviews I saw of Athleta’s version were less than stellar, though I never tried them personally. I agree with you that this didn’t make me think Athleta is evil and out to get anyone–I can come up with a couple ideas for how this might’ve happened. But, at the end of the day, I do think it was the right thing for them to pull them, even if some customers were disappointed.
I stil want the striped jacket and the red pants. I can finally find things that fit in Kate Spade and their quality is great. I’ve bought a lot this summer through Beyond Yoga. I’m ready for some more really good deals and will wait on the new long pants. They look so cute.
I have 1 pair of the equally $$ Lululemon pants. I’m glad I never tried those cheap looking chain bought $40 or more pants everyone so covets online. I looked at a pair and they were soft but I knew as soon as you would wash them they would lose their shape and most look like pajamas. That’s too expensive and people brag about owning 100’s of them. Do people really not wear real clothes anymore?
I stil want the striped jacket and the red pants. They look so cute. Have you seen where you can still buy them? I can finally find things that fit in Kate Spade and their quality is great. I’ve bought a lot this summer through Beyond Yoga. I’m ready for some more really good deals and will wait on the new long pants.
I have 1 pair of the equally $$ Lululemon pants. I’m glad I never tried those cheap looking chain bought $40 or more pants everyone so covets online. I looked at a pair and they were soft but I knew as soon as you would wash them they would lose their shape and most look like pajamas. That’s too expensive and people brag about owning 100’s of them. Do people really not wear real clothes anymore?
Unfortunately I haven’t seen any places that still have the stuff from this post in stock. :( You could try eBay or Poshmark, but that’s probably your only option unfortunately. Good luck!!!