The Hong Kong Consumer Council recently tested 20 models of yoga pants sold in the SAR priced between HK$149 and HK$980, and found that budget-friendly options performed as well as their upmarket counterparts, indicating that price does not have a direct bearing on quality.
The test compared the comfort, stretch and recovery performance, durability, and accuracy of the fibre composition labelling on the models — 12 of which claimed to be yoga pants, and eight which were marketed as sports pants or leggings.
The study concluded that, “the samples with higher total scores cover both higher and lower priced products, reflecting that the performance of products may not be directly related to the price.”
Yoga pants priced at HK$880 from sportswear brand Lululemon were the only samples tested that were given the highest five-star rating. However, Sweaty Betty’s yoga leggings — the priciest model tested at HK$980 — were given four stars, the same score as Uniqlo’s $HK199 leggings and H$M’s HK$249 tights.
In addition, the $HK149 leggings from Japanese brand GU, which scored 4.5 stars, outperformed pants from popular sports brand Decathlon’s version priced at HK$299, and Under Armour’s HK$599 leggings — both of which scored four stars.
The council said the breathability performance of all 20 leggings was satisfactory. However, there were irregularities in some models, such as stains from other fibres, fading prints, piling, and inaccuracy in the labelling of the fibre composition.
In addition, some samples had reduced stretchability after several washes, while one model showed improved stretch performance after being washed.
The samples were also tested for harmful aromatic amine compounds, free formaldehyde and their pH values, based on Mainland China safety technical specifications for textiles and EU regulations. While most models complied with the standards, two were found to have small amounts of free formaldehyde.
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