Advertisement
Trending

‘Bought all the colors’: The girlies are obsessed with Costco’s $13 dupe of Lululemon’s $118 Scuba jacket

Users have been flooding TikTok with side-by-side comparisons, showing Costco’s dupe colors and styles that seem to almost perfectly match the original, more expensive, sweater.

Photo of Anna Good

Anna Good

Screenshot of Tiktok user @lasradecostco holding up a Costco hoodie; Screenshot from @formerfatgirlonabike's Tiktok of a Costco showroom with the caption 'Costco has Lululemon Scuba 'inspired' Hoodies for $12.99'; Screenshot of Tiktok user @carliejimenez2 with the captions 'COSTCO FIND'; 'PSA for everyone that shops at Costco'.
@lasradecostco/Tiktok; @formerfatgirlonabike/Tiktok; @carliejimenez2/Tiktok

Costco has been making headlines in recent weeks for a variety of reasons, but the current trend comes from fashion-conscious athleisure wear TikTokers finding Lululemon Scuba sweatshirt dupes at the wholesaler. 

Featured Video

Girlies are loving the Costco Lululemon Scuba dupe

The official Scuba sweatshirt has become a staple of the fitness-meets-streetwear aesthetic, beloved for its ultra-cozy fleece, oversized fit, and signature high collar with thumb-hole sleeves, but the $118+ price tag puts it out of many people’s budgets. Luckily, as folks on TikTok have pointed out, there is a solution and it comes at a much more reasonable price of around $13 at Costco.

Costco’s reputation for selling shockingly good knockoffs isn’t new, but TikTok has taken the hype to another level. Every year, the app revives the dupe discourse, sending shoppers into a frenzy over budget-friendly alternatives to designer items.

Advertisement
Still from a video in Costco showing off the Scuba dupes they have available for $12.99. Text overlay reads, 'Lululemon Jacket at Costco???'
@simplyrashanac/TikTok
A woman trying on a black sweater in store. Text overlay reads, 'Lululemon Jacket at Costco???'
@simplyrashanac/TikTok

Users have been flooding TikTok with side-by-side comparisons, showing Costco’s dupe colors and styles that seem to almost perfectly match the original, more expensive, sweater.

A blonde woman in a white dupe Scuba hoodie. Text overlay reads, 'I would say I don't have a Lulu scuba to compare to but this quality is amazing.'
@carliejimenez2/TikTok
Advertisement

Costco’s success in the dupe game isn’t just a lucky coincidence. The brand has built a reputation for offering high-quality, low-cost alternatives to trendy products—sometimes so close in quality that people speculate they come from the same manufacturers, such as Grey Goose and Lululemon’s “buttery-soft” leggings.

@matchinwithmaddie Dont judge me if I bought every color… hehe🤭🤩 #costco #costcofinds #costcotiktok #costcobuys #lululemondupehaul #scubadupe ♬ original sound – matchinwithmaddie
@matchinwithmaddie Dont judge me if I bought every color… hehe🤭🤩 #costco #costcofinds #costcotiktok #costcobuys #lululemondupehaul #scubadupe ♬ original sound – matchinwithmaddie

Origin of the ‘dupe’ as a concept

The growing popularity of dupes isn’t just about saving money; it’s a full-fledged cultural shift. Items once considered cheap knockoffs are now lovingly referred to as “dupes,” a term first coined by cosmetics enthusiasts in the early 2000s when high-quality beauty products would sell out quickly and they needed to find the next best thing.

Advertisement
A blonde woman in a pink dupe Scuba hoodie posing for her camera.
@abbey.eason/TikTok

Influencers and savvy shoppers now proudly share their best budget-friendly finds. According to an article from 2023 in Washington Post, “Such items used to be called knockoffs. They used to be embarrassing. […] They used to be the way to fit in, not the way to stand out.” 

Still from a video in Costco showing off the Scuba dupes they have available. Overlaid is a screenshot from the Lululemon website of the higher-priced Scuba sweater.
@abbey.eason/TikTok

“Influencers and aggregators crow about their finds as ‘an incredible dupe for Hailey Bieber’s party dress,’ or ‘a perfect dupe for Kate Middleton’s red Alexander McQueen coat,’” the writer noted. 

Advertisement

In a time when designer prices are reaching absurd new heights, who wouldn’t want an affordable alternative? Dupes like Costco’s just make certain looks more achievable and accessible to more people. 

@formerfatgirlonabike Costco has Lululemon Scuba “inspired” Hoodies for $12.99 This is the Polaris location in Columbus, Ohio for my local girlies. #costcofinds #costcotiktok #scubahoodie #crophoodie #xxlhoodie #lululemon #fashion ♬ original sound – Daniel

Are dupes just fast fashion?

One of the big issues with dupes is that often, they are a product of fast fashion and can potentially be copying smaller fashion designers, cutting them out of the production, and profit, of their designs.

Advertisement
A blonde woman in a pink dupe Scuba hoodie posing for her camera. Text overlay reads, 'POV: you get your hands on the viral costco dupe of the lululemon scuba sweater (heart emoji)'
@nnataliepaige/TikTok

In an interview with Fashionista, several small-scale fashion designers shared their views on the issue of dupes. 

“It’s understandable [if] people don’t have the funds to afford certain items,” Saudia Islam, founder of JBD Apparel, said. “But a lot of people are simply neglecting the physical labor it requires to make these types of garments. […] People then start to view our clothes as not being worth what we’re charging, considering fast-fashion brands are putting out similar pieces for a fraction of the price.”

@carliejimenez2 Another Costco gem 😍 #costco #costcofinds #costcotiktok #costcobuys #costcodeals #costcomusthaves ♬ What Dreams Are Made Of – Hilary Duff
Advertisement

The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

 
The Daily Dot