An Honest Review of Fabletics (READ THIS BEFORE YOU SIGN UP FOR THE VIP MEMBERSHIP)
I’ve become an expert at buying fitness apparel.
In fact, if there was a Fitness Apparel Institute of Higher Learning I’d be the Headmaster.
A National Organization of Women’s Workout Clothing? I’d be the Prez
You get the idea.
What makes me an expert?
I’ve been buying fitness apparel for 20 years. Unless I’m at work (where I wear scrubs), I’m wearing workout clothes. My wardrobe is 90% workout apparel and 10% casual wear. I belong to 5 workout clothing subscription programs. I run, lift weights, do aerobics and live life in my exercise clothes.
You should feel confident when I tell you about an athletic clothing program, that I know what I’m talking about.
PRO TIP-Find out about ALL of my favorite athletic clothes subscription box programs in this article:
The Top Fitness Apparel Subscription Programs–Your Ultimate Guide.
Now let me tell you everything you need to know about Fabletics and the VIP Membership.
Here we go…
If you use one of my links to purchase something it helps support my business. Thank you! (No hard feelings if you don’t.) You can get more information about that here.
What is Fabletics?
Fabletics is a company that sells fitness apparel and offers a unique spin (I’ll explain this in more detail throughout this article) on a fitness apparel subscription program.
How Does the Fabletics VIP Membership Work?
Basically you fill out the style profile and are (kind of) pressured to become a Fabletics VIP member. Watch this video.
VIP Members are given perks every month.
How many items do you get (as a VIP member) of Fabletics?
Since you’ll be ordering your own stuff you get to pick how many pieces you get every month.
Watch out for the big push to get you to purchase an entire outfit, though.
If you’re not careful you’ll fall into their well-crafted marketing scheme that steers you headfirst into an entire outfit every month.
You’ll actually think, ‘Do I have to buy this whole outfit?’ (because it won’t be obvious). The answer is: No, no you DON’T have to buy the entire outfit. You don’t even have to buy the items in that month’s ‘custom picks’.
What kinds of apparel do they have at Fabletics?
Fabletics sells every kind of athleisure wear you can think of (tops, sports bras, jackets/pullovers, tights, joggers, shorts, socks, panties, and even accessories like headbands and gym bags).
Does Fabletics sell shoes, too?
Yes!
What are the brands at Fabletics?
Unlike other apparel memberships, Fabletics only sells their own brand of clothing.
What are the size ranges of the Fabletics clothing?
Fabletics offers an awesome range of sizes.
How much do the Fabletics clothes cost?
Compared to the other companies I use, Fabletics clothing is well-priced. You won’t pay more for their stuff than you will for other high-quality fitness apparel.
But watch out for the 3 prices you might see when you pull up an item.
This marketing ploy is SO GOOD.
There’s a price for current VIP members, a discount price for people who aren’t VIP members yet (but who will get a discounted rate on those items if they sign up for VIP membership), and then the *sad face* full price.
Who wants to pass up the savings!
But be cautious about the VIP membership. I don’t recommend it.
How often do you get workout clothes (with the Fabletics VIP Membership)?
You can go on Fabletics as often as you want and buy stuff. If you’re a VIP member you’ll get points and ‘special pricing’ for all your purchases.
But the only obligation you agree to as a VIP member is to buy something (of ANY value) every month by the 5th. If you don’t, then you’ve given Fabletics permission to charge your credit card $49.95 (which will be a credit on your Fabletics account).
There are TWO ways to avoid the monthly charge–make a purchase (as I mentioned) OR sign into your account before the 5th and SKIP the month.
How do you skip the month with the Fabletics VIP Membership?
They don’t make it easy.
On the 1st of the month a magic box will appear that you can click on to Skip This Month.
To find that red box you have to go under the My Outfits tab. (God forbid they leave that box there all the time so you can skip the month when it’s convenient for you.)
Take Note-For some reason there are times that this route (clicking on My Outfits) won’t work. I’m going to assume this is a glitch in the coding at Fabletics but on several occasions clicking on My Outfits has NOT taken me to the Skip This Month option page of my account, but instead has oddly redirected me back to the new outfits shopping page. Stuff like this pisses me off. I can’t help but wonder if the redirect is intentional.
If this happens to you, clear your cache and browsing history and try again. If you’re still getting redirected when you try to click on My Outfits then I’d call immediately and cancel your VIP Membership.
UPDATE: In late 2019, the ‘Skip this month’ box started showing up on the home page when I logged into my account on the 1st-4th day of the month. Bravo, Fabletics!
Here’s how they tell you to skip a month under the Fabletics FAQ’s:
How many times can you skip the month with the Fabletics VIP Membership?
I asked Fabletics this question using the Fabletics chat option under customer service.
So, according to Norma, you can skip every single month—forever. (Not sure why you’d do that but you have the option.)
What’s the cancellation policy of the Fabletics VIP Membership?
While the website says you can use Chat or make a phone call to cancel your membership, I’d recommend that you call, just to make sure a live person verifies you’ve been cancelled.
But you can cancel at anytime.
My experience with the Apparel at Fabletics
The Tights
- Pros-beautiful vibrant colors
- Cons-long crotch, thick fabric (good and bad)
Sports bras
- Stiff, not all that comfortable, size not perfect.
- Of the sports bras I’ve purchased, there are areas of gaping when I move that I didn’t notice until I wore them in a workout.
Joggers
Spot on for size and comfort
Panties
Nice fit and material, comfy
Shirts
Run large, unique style options (although some of them aren’t that practical for me…those cut-outs look cool on the model but remember you’ll be the one wearing that stuff…some of it feels too exposed to wear to my kid’s soccer games)
Shoes
I haven’t purchased any of these yet
What do I really LIKE about Fabletics?
Customer Service
I’ve seen some complaints online regarding the Fabletics customer service.
But I haven’t had any issues with them. They’ve always responded to my email/chat questions in a quick and professional manner.
Good website
While the VIP membership is a little ambiguous in my opinion (possibly designed that way), the website is easy to navigate and the products have great images.
High Quality Apparel
The materials are all nice with vibrant colors that I don’t think will fade.
There aren’t a bunch of loose threads hanging around or weird seams.
There’s room for improvement in the sizing but the overall quality of the clothing is very good.
How is Fabletics VIP Membership different than other workout clothing subscription programs?
No Personalization
The other fitness apparel subscription programs I belong to (refer to the list at the end of this post, please) work differently.
The other programs also have a style profile that you fill out to get started. Then (with those programs) you sit back and wait for a stylist to send you hand-picked items based on your profile.
You’re not sent (or pushed to purchase) entire ‘outfits’ but rather individual pieces.
Other programs typically charge a style fee of $20-$25. That money goes towards the cost of the items you keep. (If you send everything back, you’re out $20-$25, depending on the program). Whatever you send back is shipped for free in an envelope provided for you.
I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of the Fabletics style profile is (maybe to gather data about the customers who visit their site?) because the best I can tell I just get an email every month telling me about the newest styles (outfits) for the month.
There’s nothing that feels personalized/custom/hand-picked about it (there’s definitely not a stylist in contact with me, like with other programs).
Also, returns at Fabletics aren’t free. Think carefully before you order anything.
Honestly, Fabletics has the Google market on the keywords ‘fitness apparel subscription’ (and really good marketing) but that’s not really what their program is (in my opinion).
Fabletics VIP membership feels a lot more like a monthly reminder service to go shop at Fabletics than anything else.
Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson is the co-founder and face of Fabletics. She’s also adorable and looks great in all the clothing they sell. No other company has a Hollywood endorser. Without Kate, Fabletics wouldn’t be as big as they are.
A Good Mission Statement
At Fabletics, we create clothing that inspires you to stay active, whether that means competing in an iron(wo)man competition, sweating in the studio, or chasing after your kids. Our on-trend designs are high in quality at prices you’ll feel good about. This is where the inspiration starts. Beyond the clothing, we foster a community of people who embrace our mantra – “Live Your Passion” – every day.
What I DON’T LIKE about the Fabletics VIP Membership
Backorders and ship delays—this has happened to me several times
Something about that $49.95 that hacks me off (compared to a $20 styling fee)
Sizing issues
I can’t seem to find the sweet spot at Fabletics for my size. I’ve had to send a lot of stuff back (which hacks me off further because I have to pay that return shipping cost).
Lots of promo emails. Be prepared to have your Inbox blow up with Fabletics advertising.
To be fair, you CAN adjust your email settings under your account.
I originally found the VIP Membership confusing. I had to email and get an explanation regarding that $49.95 fee.
I know I’ve already been over this but here’s a recap of how the VIP charge works—I thought I had to spend $49.95 every month to meet the criteria for the VIP membership and its perks. Turns out you just have to buy something (at any price) every month (by the 5th) to avoid the $49.95 charge. (OR you can get online and SKIP that month and avoid the charge and the purchase requirement).
You have to pay for those returns/exchanges
Yep. If you order something and then want to exchange/return it (for any reason) you’ll have to pay $9.00. ( The VIP Perks under the FAQ section claim that exchanges are free but I had to pay shipping.)
It’s impersonal
No pretty box, no personalized/hand-picked apparel (despite the claim otherwise)…it just feels like I get a monthly reminder to go shop…which isn’t terrible, mind you, but not the same as other programs
Don’t fall for the Perks
Remember all those perks that Fabletics uses to lure you in to their VIP membership?
Well, the discounted price of each item and free shipping for orders over $49.95 are the only perks that matter.
The point program shouldn’t entice you in any way.
You’ll need at least 300 points to redeem them for anything (and as of the time of this posting there were only 16 items in the 300-point category and you could argue that there were really only 9 because several of the items are just variations of the same items…for example, 2 different kinds of water bottles, 2 different sock styles, 2 baseball caps, 3 different hair ties, etc.).
The big items require 700-2000 points but the choices are still slim-pickings (maybe overstock? Clearance items?).
Some helpful links for Fabletics:
This page should have the answer to any question you still have.
I love reading about how a brand or company got started. Read this to get the story behind Fabletics
My recommendation & some other options
Don’t immediately sign up for the VIP membership. I know, I know it’s SO TEMPTING! Afterall, I signed up and have yet to cancel it.
But what I recommend is that you order one or 2 items (yes, at full price *gasp!*) and see what you think before you commit to the VIP membership.
The clothes are really nice but if they don’t fit you then a VIP Membership isn’t a good option. And remember you’ll have to contend with those return/exchange fees if you don’t keep everything.
If you’re looking for an actual workout clothing subscription program then try Wantable or Sweatstyle. (Check out the full articles below for all the information about these fitness apparel subscription services.)
You can get every detail about each program in these articles:
Your Guide to the Wantable Fitness Edit
Put the Excitement Back in Your Workout with Sweatstyle.
If you’re just looking for a place to buy some new fitness apparel then definitely check out what they’re selling at Fabletics (but be wary of falling into the VIP membership vortex).
Thanks for reading!
February 21st, 2017 at 8:47 am
I was a VIP with them….. originally, I too thought goid quality. But they do not last…. and I simply cancelled. The GAP is better quality.
February 21st, 2017 at 5:48 pm
Well put, Mary!
The Fabletics VIP program is definitely not my favorite, either.
Without Kate Hudson the company would fold, in my opinion. There are just too many companies that are SO MUCH BETTER.
Thank you for sharing!
February 21st, 2017 at 7:43 pm
I am SO glad I read this review. A mysterious 49.95 showed up on Amex after Xmas that I could not figure out. I asked my husband for a couple things from there and think he accidentally signed up for the VIP thing. Calling them now to figure it out. I received a bra (rubbed me raw) and a pair of capris. Loved the color of the capris and they have been a good purchase but not good enough to sign up for a membership. Kate does make all the clothes look amazing though.
February 21st, 2017 at 10:05 pm
The whole VIP sign up process is confusing. I bet he didn’t even realize he’d signed up for that in the process of ordering you a present.
I’d love to know if they refund that money or try to tell you it’s a ‘credit on your account’ now…
I read some horror stories online about people having a hard time cancelling their VIP membership. Good luck!!
(Full disclosure-I haven’t cancelled my VIP membership yet…I wanted to be able to provide accurate info for this post so I’ve stayed in the program.)
Thank you for reading!
Mickie
May 31st, 2018 at 11:54 am
The same thing happened to me. I inadvertently signed up for the VIP membership confused by the messaging and thinking it was some sort Christmas sale/offer. 5 months later I notice credit card charges to the tune of 250 dollars because my card was being charged for 49.95 each month since December. After 3 conversations with Customer Service, they refused to refund the credits. I am down 250 bucks and am stuck with that much fitness apparel now! This is absolutely ridiculous. I didnt think Kate Hudson would be a part of some scam like this. They dont even have the colours I want in my size so I have to literally spend 250 bucks on clothes I dont want/need just to use up that credit.
Also, the dont let you redeem the credit you have in dollars. They treat each 49.95 as 1 credit. So if you buy 60 dollars worth of stuff, the take 1 credit out of that and make you pay the remaining 15 dollars, on your credit card, even though you have 250 dollars sitting in your account as credit. This is the most infuriating scam out there.
June 1st, 2018 at 7:08 am
Thank you for sharing! I totally understand. I hate to think they make the VIP membership confusing on purpose but it kind of feels that way.
June 18th, 2018 at 1:25 pm
I have only once accidentally forgotten to SKIP at the beginning of the month, and I think it was when I had a baby and the skip days were on a weekend. Anyhow, it’s now been almost 2 years later and I still have not bought any new outfits with my credit. I learned by experience that once you have a credit sitting in your account for longer than 12 months, they convert it to gift card funds in the same amount as the charge. Allegedly, there are certain items you can’t purchase with the gift card (so… it sounds like “funds” with restrictions to me). I haven’t tried making a purchase with this gift card, but I have had issues trying to take advantage of VIP sale offers where the promo price is not showing up in my shopping cart. It is so frustrating and I am tempted to cancel just for that reason, however I am concerned I wouldn’t be able to re-sign up again to use my stupid funds…
June 18th, 2018 at 2:50 pm
Jennifer,
What a nightmare! Thank you for sharing! I had no idea that the credit converts over to a gift card after 12 months. (I forget to SKIP at least every other month so I’ve accumulated quite a bit in credit.) And then there are restrictions on how you can use the gift card! Ugh! I can only imagine how frustrated you are. Maybe you can deplete all your funds by purchasing future birthday/Christmas gifts for some people so you can cancel your VIP membership without leaving any funds behind? Just an idea. I’d be worried about losing that credit forever, too. Let us all know what happens! Thanks (again) for sharing your experience. Have a great day:-) Mickie
November 11th, 2018 at 8:02 am
I want to get my daughter a gift card. She loves your products.
November 13th, 2018 at 8:57 am
What kind of gift card are you looking for?
Best, Mickie
November 17th, 2018 at 1:43 am
The whole “VIP” club is nothing short of ripping off the consumer. I too signed up for VIP membership thinking the discount was amazing. Then I had this charge of 49.95 on my account. I called and had my account refunded within 48hours. Although, I found this so called VIP membership a fraud and a way to rip off unsuspecting consumers. I told the representative that I hoped Ms. Hudson was unaware of her product line technically ripping off consumers in plain sight.
Truly a shame because the quality of Fabletics clothing is great.
Read the fine print or you will have a monthly charge. This monthly charge may be difficult to have reversed.
November 17th, 2018 at 8:37 am
Well said, Jennifer! I’ve had the same thoughts about Ms. Hudson. The VIP membership feels shady to me but you can make it work if you read all the fine print and set a reminder to skip that monthly charge. All they’d have to do to fix this is send an email reminder on the 1st and 3rd reminding customers to SKIP or go shop. It’s all too obvious why they don’t do that, though. Thank you for your feedback! Best, Mickie
December 16th, 2018 at 2:11 am
As far as I’m concerned, these people are thieves. I tried to opt-out of the VIP program, as soon as I saw they were taking 50€ a month out of my account. I was told I couldn’t. I had to go in every month to pause something. I did that for a year, then the reminder email came on the 25th. I went in to pause, it said it is paused. I wrote them to take me out of their program. They stole another 50€ from me this month! 1 out of 4 credits was used over that year, whereas I bought 2 outfits. A separate pair of pants was bought that were ugly. I returned them. They gave me an in-store credit. I’m a single mom of three children. I cannot be doing this crap. PayPal refuses to refund my money, even though in Germany (where I have lived for 18 years), I have the legal right to have my money returned, and they have to prove I owe them that money to get it from me.
People: DO NOT TRUST FABLETICS. This is legalized theft!!
December 17th, 2018 at 8:07 am
Wow, Heather! Thank you for sharing your experience. Unfortunately, I hear more and more from people who feel the same way you do about the Fabletics VIP program. It would be so easy to fix the way they operate so that no one ever feels scammed. I don’t understand why they don’t create a more transparent program AND make it easy to opt out of the VIP membership. Thanks, again, for taking the time to share this. Best, Mickie
February 7th, 2019 at 10:20 am
The leggings seem to run small.
February 7th, 2019 at 10:42 am
Hi Linda!
I’ve heard that from a lot of other women (that the leggings run small). I’ve always had an issue with the crotch being too long and the material feels really thick (which is good sometimes but not always). I like that they have a big size range for their clothes but it’s been my experience that finding the right size is tricky. Sounds like you agree! Thanks for taking the time to tell about your experience! Best, Mickie
February 15th, 2019 at 9:49 pm
Y’all…This is such a simple process. You just have to READ how the program works. There are a lot of subscriptions like this. Sign up, skip at the beginning of each month if you don’t want to make a purchase. Simple. I have been an athlete for 30 + years. So far these products have exceeded expectations for the price. No problem with sizing but again you need to read the size chart and yes it may take an exchange at first like all online shopping. Relax, get your high quality, well priced gear and enjoy! Just remember to skip 1st-5th if you want. Totally simple.
February 21st, 2019 at 8:34 am
Thank you for your feedback! I actually agree with you. I do think it’s up to the consumer to investigate the details of any program before they sign up. But I do think Fabletics would take their company from B+ to A+ overnight by reminding subscribers to skip a month. I belong to 5 workout clothes subscription programs and Fabletics is the only company that doesn’t email me and remind me what I’m required to do every single month to avoid extra charges. When you do a Google search of customer reviews on Fabletics it’s hard not to notice all the negative feedback from people regarding the monthly skipping and the cancellation policies. I’m actually shocked Fabletics hasn’t addressed these issues because they could use the opportunity to their advantage and win back a bunch of customers.
June 2nd, 2019 at 2:15 pm
I currently have 5 credits with Fabletics for a long time now. I went through a bad period in my life where I forgot to skip the month. That’s on me. When I go to use the credits it’s just a rip-off!! They make you pay the ‘regular’ price per item, around $70. So, in order for me to use each credit you have to spend an additional $30. So, to use all of my credits I would have to spend an additional $150. I haven’t used my credits yet because I am furious that I am being forced to spend these additional funds. I feel duped and I don’t know what to do about it. This example is for purchase price of leggings.
June 3rd, 2019 at 9:56 am
Hi Pamela, it’s a little disheartening that Fabletics just can’t seem to get their stuff together. I really wish they’d spend some money on trying to fix their problems instead of spending all their money on advertising to expand their number of unhappy customers. My fingers are crossed that they figure it out. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Your feedback helps other women who’re trying to figure out whether they want to sign up for the VIP Membership or not. Send me an update if you find a good solution for spending your credits. Have you tried to reach out to customer service yet? Thanks again for sharing, Mickie
July 17th, 2019 at 5:13 pm
I had the exact same thing happen. I could only use one credit per order AND you can’t use your credit with a coupon!! To use 5 credits I had to do several orders and pay a additional out of pocket! I will never understand why you can’t use coupons with the credits! I canceled immediately after that and still got charged the next month! One of the worst experiences I’ve had with a clothing subscription!!
July 6th, 2019 at 9:25 am
I’ve been a VIP for a few years, and I’ve forgotten to “skip” a few times. Guess what everyone got for Christmas? Fabletics! Mom, nieces, daughters! Spent the $250 I had on credit and I’m still a member. It’s hard to quit, but I’m back to $100 credit and guess what everyone’s getting for Christmas this year?? Fabletics! Ha ha. They did have nice fleece vests and jackets and backpacks at that time of year, so the presents weren’t all workout wear. Actually, everyone loved it.
July 6th, 2019 at 9:53 am
What a great way to handle the balance on your VIP account! I love your attitude! I’m still a member and have several hundred dollars in credit on my account. It always makes me mad when I realize I forgot to skip the month but now instead of getting mad I’m gonna remember how you handle it. Thanks so much for sharing this, Julie! All my relatives are getting Fabletics this Christmas! Lol!
December 9th, 2019 at 2:42 pm
I got the VIP Membership only to buy some gifts. The VIP Membership requires you to ‘skip’ a charge every month if you do not want to partake of their services. If you miss the ‘skip,’ they do you the favor of charging you and adding that balance to your Fabletics credits. They are counting on you to not skip and then eventually spend those credits so that you feel as if you are not losing out. That is like how theme parks used to make patrons buy Theme Park Dollars that could only be spent in those parks. It is an absolute scam. This is no different than the company that used to run those Girls Gone Wild videos. They were sued for basically the same thing. In Fabletics’ case, at least they gave half of my money back, but I am still stuck with having to buy products that my giftees only considered ‘average’ at best.
December 9th, 2019 at 9:20 pm
Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience with Fabletics. It’ll help other people trying to decide if they should sign up for the VIP membership! Best, Mickie