Athletic brand Lululemon opens new flagship 'superstore' on London's Regent Street

The crowded shops of Regent Street are not an obvious location for an oasis of yogic “stillness” in the heart of the West End.

But Canadian leisure brand Lululemon promises its new superstore will be just that — a haven where flexible fans can practise their downward-facing dog, sip on a “responsibly sourced” protein shake and even create “evanescent sculptures of colour” in front of an interactive art installation.

Lululemon bosses say their two-storey European flagship, opposite Hamleys, will be “a space to stretch, sweat, connect” — and spend, of course.

Huge black hoardings emblazoned with the request to “breathe out” will be coming down within days for the official opening on January 12, attended by chief executive Laurent Potdevin.

The Vancouver-based label has already won a major following among A-listers. Those seen wearing its crop tops, leggings and hoodies include Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

The $2 billion-a-year company opened its first London store in Covent Garden in 2014, but the Regent Street opening represents a massive statement of ambition in the UK.

The business, officially known as Lululemon Athletica, has grown rapidly since it was founded in 1998. It overcame an embarrassing setback in 2013, when the “unacceptable level of sheerness” in its Luon yoga pants forced it to order a mass product recall.

The 6,344 sq ft outlet will be the brand’s biggest in Europe, second in the world only to an 11,500 sq ft New York flagship. Shoppers are told to expect “a sense of calm” as they walk through the door into a “haven of cool clean greys and marbles with hints of decadent bronze”.

The digital art installation is described as “a playful and poetic interactive experience to stimulate your senses and encourage you find the stillness within”.