????最近的新聞報(bào)道很抓眼球：高速成長(zhǎng)的運(yùn)動(dòng)服飾公司露露檸檬（Lululemon）正在召回一款過(guò)于透明的薄褲。這家公司恐怕絕對(duì)不希望靠這樣的負(fù)面新聞增加曝光量,。

????盡管這些報(bào)道帶著調(diào)侃的一位,，但這起事件的影響可能要超過(guò)露露檸檬過(guò)去遇到過(guò)的所有麻煩。簡(jiǎn)單舉一些例子：2007年,，一些獨(dú)立評(píng)測(cè)機(jī)構(gòu)表示,，無(wú)法驗(yàn)證露露檸檬的VitaSea系列產(chǎn)品是否像其聲稱的那樣包含從海藻中提取的有益“海洋氨基酸”。公司CEO克里斯汀?戴伊在2012年第二季度的業(yè)績(jī)電話會(huì)議上承認(rèn),，由于有些顏色（包括一款非常鮮亮的“法國(guó)粉”）滲色,，公司不得不撤回產(chǎn)品。

????露露檸檬拒絕對(duì)這篇文章發(fā)表評(píng)論,，但很好地處理了褲子過(guò)于透明的問(wèn)題,。它在公司網(wǎng)站上發(fā)布了詳盡的常見(jiàn)問(wèn)題及解答，在3月21日的業(yè)績(jī)電話會(huì)議上戴伊也花了很多時(shí)間來(lái)討論褲子問(wèn)題,。

????因此,，這不是什么溝通問(wèn)題，投資者們擔(dān)心問(wèn)題可能比這更嚴(yán)重,。“最近受到質(zhì)疑的包括公司的執(zhí)行,、新店鋪的生產(chǎn)率以及管理層對(duì)投資者的答復(fù)是否有點(diǎn)敷衍了事,，”3月19日Cowen and Company的一位分析師報(bào)告指出?！拔覀兏冻隽讼喈?dāng)?shù)拇鷥r(jià),，終于意識(shí)到,，涉及染色和織造等各種問(wèn)題的嚴(yán)重性遠(yuǎn)超想象?！?/p>

????報(bào)告稱,，露露檸檬管理層借助客戶反饋才發(fā)現(xiàn)了問(wèn)題，這種情況本不應(yīng)發(fā)生,。事實(shí)上,，露露檸檬應(yīng)當(dāng)對(duì)供應(yīng)鏈的每一環(huán)節(jié)都進(jìn)行嚴(yán)密的品質(zhì)控制，特別是就該公司而言,，供應(yīng)鏈的緊張程度對(duì)于公司能否保持驚人的增長(zhǎng)至關(guān)重要,。

????截至2012年底，露露檸檬的股價(jià)在三年內(nèi)漲幅超過(guò)3了倍,。根據(jù)《財(cái)富》雜志（Fortune ）和其他媒體的報(bào)道,，這家公司的成功秘訣是總能推出轟動(dòng)一時(shí)的熱門新產(chǎn)品，全價(jià)出售,，快速周轉(zhuǎn)庫(kù)存,。這是打造需求的聰明做法。

????但現(xiàn)在,，這家公司正在面臨真正的需求問(wèn)題,。露露檸檬正在撤回由Luon布料制成的問(wèn)題褲子，它占到露露檸檬下裝庫(kù)存的17%,。這對(duì)于這家公司而言可是一大筆錢,。

????“我們目前預(yù)計(jì)第一季度損失銷售額1,200萬(wàn)至1,700萬(wàn)美元，今年余下時(shí)間將再損失4,500萬(wàn)至5,000萬(wàn)美元,，主要發(fā)生在第二季度,，”戴伊在3月21日的公司業(yè)績(jī)電話會(huì)議表示。

????如果供應(yīng)不足,，露露檸檬還能滿足市場(chǎng)的需求嗎,？與此同時(shí)，它還需要重建口口相傳的口碑,。迄今為止,，口碑一直是它成功的關(guān)鍵。

????The headlines are almost too easy -- fast-growing sportswear company Lululemon is recalling pants that, it turns out, are see-through. This is the worst kind of exposure the company could ask for.

????Beyond the headline humor, this particular hitch may have more legs than previous setbacks at Lululemon (LULU). Some quick examples: In 2007, independent testers couldn't verify that the company's VitaSea line contained, as Lululemon claimed, beneficial "marine amino acids" from seaweed. More recently, CEO Christine Day admitted during an earnings call for the second quarter of 2012 that the company had to pull products because certain colors, including a retina-searing "Paris Pink," had been bleeding.

????Lululemon, which declined to comment for this article, has handled its bottomless pants problem well. The company posted a comprehensive FAQ on its website, and Day spent much of the company's March 21 earnings call addressing the pants problem.

????So no, it's not a communications issue, but investors are worried it might be something worse than that. "Questions had arisen recently about the company's execution, productivity of new stores and whether management's responses to investors have had a bit too many excuses rather than answers," says a March 19 Cowen and Company analyst report. "We have now learned the hard way that various questions regarding dying and fabrication were more, well, material, than we had thought."

????The problem, the report continues, came to Lululemon's management via customer feedback, which should never happen. Instead, the company should keep a close watch on quality control at every stage in its supply chain, especially since the tightness of the company's supply chain has been critical to its impressive growth.

????As of the end of 2012, Lululemon share prices had more than quintupled over the previous three years. The secret to its success -- which Fortune and others have reported, is to generate buzz around new, hot products, charging full price for them, and cycling quickly through fresh inventory. It's a smart way to build demand.

????But now, the company is facing a real demand issue. Lululemon is pulling all of its defective pants made with a fabric called "Luon," which accounts for 17% of Lululemons inventory in bottoms. That's big money for the company.

????"We're currently estimating lost revenue of $12 million to $17 million in the first quarter and additional lost revenue of $45 million to $50 million for the balance of the year, primarily in the second quarter," said Day, during the company's March 21 earnings call.

????Can Lululemon meet demand with a legitimate supply shortage? At the same time, the company will need to re-gain control of the word-of-mouth buzz that has been, up until this point, essential to its success.