|
40 bare all for free yoga clothing
More than 40 people hoped to snag free gifts at store's grand opening
Amy O'Brian
Vancouver Sun
Monday, October 28, 2002
Stuart Davis, Vancouver Sun
These shoppers and other brave souls bared it all for new clothes in a promotional stunt for the opening of the Robson Street Lululemon. Here, manager Margarita Angelatos hands out panties to three women as accountant Jas Padda looks the other way.
It was not an affair for the meek, modest or mild.
But for those who revel in the sensation of naked flesh against frigid morning air and get a high from exposing private body parts to strangers, Lululemon's grand opening of its second Vancouver location was a perfect fit.
More than 40 robed men and women lined up in the bone-chilling air Saturday morning, hoping to snag one of 30 "naked passes" guaranteeing them a chance to bare all for free yoga wear.
People started arriving outside the new Robson Street boutique at 6:45 a.m., giving them about three hours to prepare for the crucial moment.
The 26 women and four men who got the naked passes were ordered to show their birthday suits for 30 seconds on Robson Street before being allowed to enter the store and scour the racks for one top and one bottom.
Masks, shoes and hats were allowed, while underwear, shirts and pants were not.
Looking like a unisex locker room, the boutique swarmed with bare bums and bouncing breasts as the winners bent to find their sizes and stretched to pull on lycra tops.
Ainsley Sutton, 22, walked away with $200 worth of yoga gear and a new appreciation for being naked in public.
"I'm not usually comfortable about being naked," she said. "In the change room, I'm usually the one facing the corner."
A student at Capilano College, Sutton said the three-hour wait gave her a chance to catch up on some of her studying.
Asked why she chose to bare all, she said: "Why not? It's an opportunity to get free clothes by doing something so easy."
Abby Reyes, 29, said she showed up and showed off because she thought it was a great gimmick.
Wearing a sparkling mask and shimmering Halloween wig, Reyes said she practises yoga religiously and often enjoys stretching in the nude.
"Yoga's not a sport that requires clothing, so this is a real treat," she said.
Chip Wilson, Lululemon's owner, conceded it was a cheeky promotional scheme, but said he likes to market his products in an entertaining way.
"I've been very unimpressed with normal advertising. I think any advertising should create excitement," he said.
The dozens of onlookers who showed up to sneak a peak at the nudies proved Wilson's marketing scheme a success.
"I think everyone had a fantastic time," he said. "Everyone had freedom of choice -- even just to come down and look."
Founded here in 1999, Lululemon now has stores in Toronto and Calgary, but Wilson said Saturday's promotional scheme was Vancouver-specific.
"There are a lot of things done in Vancouver that seem natural that would seem unnatural elsewhere," he said.
Vancouver police turned a blind eye to the promotional naked-fest and everyone was clothed by 10:05 a.m.
|
Linear Mode
