
What are the best leggings? What company makes the best leggings? Are these leggings good? These are good questions that need to be answered. There are many different legging manufacturers. It would be an insurmountable job to compare them all. There are many knock-off companies that are copy designs of these from Asia and China. This article is going to address the major brand name leggings that are desired brands and purchased by people that care about design, function, and quality. I will also address the companies themselves and generically who they are.
These major brand name companies also have many different design brands of legging products within their company. In this article, I am going to compare the major legging product offerings for the function of sports/movement/stretch as opposed to a fashion legging that one would wear on the street for fashion-only purposes. For the purposes of this article, I will compare: Havea, Lulu Lemon, Patagonia, Alo, Athleta, Gym Shark and Fabletics. I apologize if these are not on your radar – but maybe they should be.
I have created (2) tables in this article to paint a picture. The first comparison table is a general representation of the major companies. The second chart is the comparison of the legging products. Both charts start with the same companies and legging products on the first (2) columns on the left side of the tables. I believe these (8) legging products represent the best choices out there in the market.
| Company | Legging | Price USD | Company HQ | Size Range | Co | #Empl | Specialty | Quality | Green? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havea | Highline, Beta Trail | $78,$74 | San Dimas, CA | S-XL | Private | 5 | Extreme Sports clothing | Yes | Yes |
| Lululemon | Align | $98 | Vancouver, BC | 0-20 | Public | 10,000+ | Technical Apparel | ? | Yes |
| Patagonia | Thermal Weight Bottoms | $99 | Ventura, CA | XXS-XL | Private | 3000 | Outdoor clothing and gear | Yes | Yes |
| Alo | Airlift | $128 | Beverly Hills, CA | XXS-XL | Private | 906 | Yoga | Yes | No |
| Athleta | Elation | $89 | San Francisco, CA | XXS-3X | Owned by Gap, private | 2953 | Yoga, Studio practice | Yes | Yes |
| Gym Shark | Elevate | $64 | Solihull, UK | XS-XXL | Private | 850 | Fitness Apparel | ? | Yes |
| Fabletics | Define Powerhold | $53 | El Segunda, CA | XXS-4X | Private | 2405 | Sports | ? | Yes |
The Companies: Lulu Lemon is by far the largest company and the only one that is traded on the stock market (public company). This company headquarters in Canada.
Patagonia, Athleta, and Fabletics are private companies of similar size to each other, headquartering on the west coast of the US. Athleta is actually owned by another large apparel company – the Gap.
Alo and Gym Shark are smaller but about the same size as each other. Gym Shark is a British owned company, while Alo is from Beverly Hills, CA.
Havea LLC is a relatively new company, a small US startup with excellent potential.
I believe the differences in a large company versus a small private company can be various. A large company can offer many sizes, products, and color variations. A small company may think the quality and design of their product is all important and may care more for what their customers think. A large company versus a smaller company does not seem to have a bearing on price. The price breakdown of the largest company to the smallest company versus price is as follows:
| Largest Company | Lululemon | $98 |
| Patagonia | $99 | |
| Athleta | $89 | |
| *Fabletics | $53 | |
| ***Alo | $128 | |
| Gym Shark | $64 | |
| Smallest Company | Havea | $78, $74 |
| Company | Legging | Fabric | Textile | Stretch | Sweat wicking | Free Shipping | Fit & Feel | Function | Neg Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havea | Highline | Nylon/Spandex | 75% Nylon, 25% Spandex | Yes | Yes | Yes | Airy, light, comfortable, cozy, ribbed, stretch/flexible | Yoga, gym, less strenuous workouts | New company, needs more sizes and colors |
| Lululemon | Align | NuluTM | 81% Nylon, 19% Lycra | Yes | Yes | Yes | Buttery, Light | Yoga, running training | Quality has gotten worse-not worth the money |
| Patagonia | Thermal Weight Bottoms | Capilene,Polartec, Power Grid, HeiQ | Layered | Yes | Yes | Free over $99 | Soft, layered, warm | Outdoor | Horrible elastic waistband, uncomfortable waist |
| Alo | Airlift | Semi-sheen, High compression | 82%Polyester,18%Elastane | Yes | No | Yes | Compression, support, snug | Indoor sweat sessions, streetwear | Too tight fit for some body types |
| Athleta | Elation | Powervita fabric | 75% Nylon/25% LYCRA® | Yes | Yes | Free over $50 | Soft, hugging | Yoga, indoor workout | Runs small, chemically smell, waist rolls down |
| Havea | Beta Trail | Nylon/Spandex | 78% Nylon, 22% Spandex | Yes | Yes | Yes | Conforming, compression, smooth, snug | Outdoors/running/ hiking/ climbing | New company, needs more sizes and colors |
| Gym Shark | Elevate | RLSE™️ fabric | 75% Recycled Nylon, 25% Elastane | Yes | Yes | Free over $75 | Soft, sweat-wicking, flush fit | Workout | Problems with stitching in bum area |
| Fabletics | Define Powerhold | Powerhold Fabric | 88% Polyester/12% Spandex | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compression, UV, Streamline | Workout, Sport | Shady membership, poor quality |
All companies compared are sports and fitness brands. They all have their own trade-marked or patented blend of fabric. Depending on your preferred fit and feel, the second chart has the breakdown of “Fit & Feel.” Patagonia and Havea HighlineTM are the only standouts in this area. Patagonia is a layered legging created for outdoors and warmth. The Havea HighlineTM legging is a ribbed legging for performance and indoor/outdoor sports – a totally different look and feel.
Most of the companies have some sort of free shipping. Patagonia, Athleta, and Gym Shark require a minimum purchase to get free shipping.
The most important fields are that of quality and negative remarks. This data was the result of a compilation of “negatives” found on the internet as a result of Google search. If they are spelled out, then these remarks were found more than one time by person’s that purchased their product and were vocal about it.
There were concerns for the quality of the leggings for: Lulu Lemon, Gym Shark, and Fabletics. As these are from internet comments – they are subjective. These also may have been a result of some “defective” items in a large lot of leggings. These may or may not have been as a result of poor design or special fabric used.
The negative comments are important (selected if commented more than once). These are varied and should be taken seriously.
By the charts above, See below the BEST of each category of legging products offered.
Are these all good leggings? I think so.
But… are they a good value for the price you will pay for them?
| Overall Best Value | Havea Beta TrailTM | $74, excellent quality |
| Highest Price | Alo | $128 |
| Lowest Price | Fabletics | $53 |
| Best for Cold Weather | Patagonia | Layered for warmth |
| Best Quality | Havea | Comments Positive |
| Best Selection (size, colors) | Lululemon | Sizes 0-20, 14 colors |
| Most Distinctive | Havea HighlineTM | Special, Ribbed fabric |
| Best Reputation | Alo | Designer brand name, High End |
| Worst Reputation | Fabletics | Shady memberships, questionable quality |



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