Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Slams Company’s “Whole Diversity And Inclusion Thing”

After attending his first yoga class in 1998, Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson was inspired to make comfortable, functional clothing for the activity. He had previously started Westbeach, a surf, skate, and snowboard clothing company. He recognized that the Japanese consumer liked a name with an L in it because the letter is not in the Japanese language, it sounded American.

So Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson thought if he ever have another company he is going to put three Ls in it. Lululemon was born. During his time at the company, his outrageous comments seemed to never end. He and his employees once dressed up as babies working with sewing machines to try to stay ahead of criticism that Lululemon relied on child labor. He called it a marketing insurance policy.

Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson, who launched the activewear firm in 1998 in Vancouver, has criticized the firm for its continued push towards diversity and inclusivity. In an interview with Forbes, he blasted the company’s recent moves to expand its product line to a wider market. He particularly criticized what he referred to as the company’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing”.

Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson also claimed that he has a distaste for the appearance of the people in Lululemon’s ads, who he thinks look “unhealthy, sickly, and not inspirational”.

Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson said the company is trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody. His definition of a brand is that you are not everything to everybody, you have got to be clear that you do not want certain customers coming in. However, in response to the article, the company issued a statement distancing itself from him. The company said he does not speak for the company, and his comments do not reflect the company views or beliefs.

Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson has not been involved with the company since his resignation from the board in 2015 and the brand is a very different company today. The company is committed to creating and fostering an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment throughout its organization and across its communities. The company has made considerable progress since launching its Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA) function, and it is proud of the goals it has achieved.

Lululemon also recognizes that becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization takes time and is only possible through the sustained efforts of its leaders and its people. Notably, Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson stepped down as the company chairman in 2013 and then left the company entirely in 2015. His resignation followed controversial comments stating that the company’s leggings “actually do not work” for some women’s bodies after the company’s yoga pants were criticized.

Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson also held an image of what the company’s customers should look like.

It is really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it. Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson later issued an apology but a petition went viral requesting more sincerity in addition to a change in the company’s clothing styles to cater to those with larger sizes. He eventually stepped down from the company and relinquished his board seat but remains a shareholder.

Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson remains the company’s largest single-holder, with holdings worth more than $4 billion. He now spends his time on real estate and private equity investments along with pushing for a cure for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a disorder he has been diagnosed with. Meanwhile, the fitness brand made headlines last year as well, but for a different reason.

Two female employees at Lululemon’s Georgia store were terminated for what the company described as breaching company policy after they confronted masked shoplifters.