After months of customers complaining about how easily clothier LuLaRoe’s buttery soft leggings tear and the filing of a class action lawsuit on March 23, 2017, alleging “defective leggings and other clothing,” LuLaRoe is taking steps to rectify the situation and bolster its reputation.LuLaRoe is a multi-level marketing company that designs, manufactures, and distributes colorful knit clothing for women and girls through its network of sales representatives, called fashion consultants. The company has been growing exponentially and reportedly hit $1 billion in sales in 2016, after only four years in business. That pace of growth has brought on some challenges, including complaints about product quality.

Class Action Lawsuit Brings Situation to a Head

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Julie Dean and Suzanne Jones, state that “Customers have complained that the leggings are of such poor quality that holes, tears, and rips appear before wearing, during the first use or shortly thereafter. The leggings have also been described as tearing as easily as ‘wet toilet paper.’”

The plaintiffs also allege that LuLaRoe has all but admitted that it is responsible for the poor quality, stating in the lawsuit, “Defendants are well aware that their products are defective. With regard to the leggings, Patrick Winget, the head of production for defendants, reportedly wrote in a company-wide email about that, ‘The leggings may get holes because we weaken the fibers to make them buttery soft. We have done all we can to fix them.’”

Taking Responsibility

Part of the issue, the lawsuit alleges, is that LuLaRoe corporate made it nearly impossible for customers to exchange defective leggings or request a refund.