Activewear - the often mocked clothing of fitness and comfort enthusiasts - achieved a personal best last week when a selection of Lululemon running tights sold out within 27-minutes.
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It's a long way from 2013 when the Canadian fitness apparel brand had to recall 17 per cent of its pants for being too sheer.
Hundreds of people camped out for about 48 hours outside Vancouver's Convention Centre in order to be the first to buy the limited edition tights, T-shirts, shorts and caps.
The capsule range was merchandise for the brand's annual half-marathon, yoga and music festival, Seawheeze. An event itself which reached its capacity of 10,000 runners in 32 minutes when tickets went on sale earlier this year.
Every year the company, which is best known for its $100 yoga pants and controversial comments made by founder Chip Wilson, designs a range of exclusive merchandise only sold via a retail space at the starting line of the 21.1 kilometre race. All prints and styles are then retired to ensure they remain exclusive.
This year the range of athletic wear made from state-of-the-art reflective fabrics started at about $200 for a pair of running tights. Hours after the entire range sold out in record time, the glow-in-the dark pants were available on eBay starting at $850. Caps which originally sold for about $50 were online for more than $499.
Over the years trend watchers have come to expect small collections of sneakers or exclusive designer collaborations selling out and causing mass hysteria. The scene caused by Lululemon fans was a first in Seawheeze's six year history.
Lululemon is now successfully recovering from a profit and public perception hit following earlier quality issues and a number of insulting comments made by Wilson.
The founder, who has since left the company, suggested in 2013 that some women's bodies "just don't actually work" for the brand's yoga pants which is what caused some to become see-through and fray.
Lululemon is now headed up by former LVMH executive and head of Tom's Shoes, Laurent Potdevin.
Potdevin was spotted working the cash registers at the Seawheeze pop-up store last week. As was every member of his executive team. Some were seen helping customers in line for the makeshift fitting rooms while the brand's chief financial officer Stuart Haselden was handing out medals and bottled water to runners at the finish line.
A recent report published by Global Industry Analysts predicts the global market for sports and fitness clothing will reach close to $300 billion by 2024.
Emerging markets through Asia and the Pacific like Australia and China, areas Lululemon is now expanding further into, are expected to spur on that growth.
Market analysts report Australia's fitness and athletic clothing stores industry now generates about $2 billion every year.
The reporter travelled to Canada courtesy of Lululemon.
