
Lululemon’s social media manager is probably sweating in her athleisure pants right now.

Beyoncé unveiled Ivy Park earlier today, her take on stretchy athletic clothes, which will be sold at Nordstrom and TopShop next month, in an Elle spread. Even without a full reveal of what Ivy Park will include in its line, the announcement is enough to make Lululemon feel threatened.
“Is ivy park supposed to be like lululemon?,” someone on Twitter asked, leading Lululemon to respond with a now deleted tweet: “They do say imitation is the best form of flattery. Maybe Beyonce is so Crazy In Love with our brand, she made her own.”
Oh dear God, no.
Bey’s notoriously loyal legion of fans, a.k.a. the BeyHive, almost instantly swarmed Lululemon with a collective stink-eye for implying that Beyoncé could ever possibly be a copycat.
First it started with a few warnings:
@lululemon OH NO NO NO NO NO NO SIS THE HIVE IS COMING RUN
— alexander smith (@alexqsmith) March 31, 2016
@lululemon you realize the mistake you’ve made right? the #beyhive never forgets.
— amanda pls (@sailorpandaxo) March 31, 2016
Then it escalated to GIFs and major draggage:
@lululemon no you didn’t. #BeyHive pic.twitter.com/ETeJcD30sa
— Bethany Khan (@BethanyKhan) March 31, 2016
the beyhive is coming for you @lululemon pic.twitter.com/EBtHBcYzVs
— Cam Wolf (@camjwolf) March 31, 2016
Whoever runs the @lululemon Twitter is packing up right now.
— lauren ashley smith (@msLAS) March 31, 2016
No more @lululemon for my daughter..
— Spunky Brewster (@KaiKaiSnapz) March 31, 2016
And so on…
Lululemon deleted the tweet after an hour, quickly commencing on an apology tour:
@BrianMcLight We know that this was out of line and were not meaning any harm. We’re major fans of hers.
— lululemon athletica (@lululemon) March 31, 2016
“We’ll own that. We’re huge fans of hers and never meant any harm,” another tweet read at any annoyed BeyHive member.
More in Marketing

Ad Tech Briefing: Start-ups are now table stakes for the future of ad tech
Scaled ad tech companies need to maintain relationships with startups, when the sector is experiencing ongoing disruption due to AI.

Inside Kristi Argyilan’s RMN playbook: Lessons from the ‘godmother’ of retail media
Uber’s global head of advertising Kristi Argyilan says the future of retail media hinges on real-time relevance, brand differentiation, and breaking free from a one-size-fits-all playbook.

Digiday+ Research: More than half of marketers invest in TV and streaming, with an eye on impressions and branding
The majority of marketers are directing ad spend toward TV, with a focus on ads that drive impressions and branding.