The founder of athletic apparel retailer Lululemon has criticized the “whole diversity and inclusion thing” and the company’s use of what he said were “unhealthy” people in its advertisements.
Canadian billionaire Chip Wilson, 67, made the comments regarding the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts during an interview with Forbes published on Jan. 2.
Mr. Wilson, who founded Lululemon in 1998 and served as CEO of the firm until 2007, said the retailer has “become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” adding, “I think the definition of a brand is that you’re not everything to everybody … You’ve got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in.”
The businessman later took aim at the Canadian-headquartered company’s marketing campaigns, some of which he said feature “unhealthy” and “sickly” individuals and are ultimately “not inspirational.”
A Lululemon spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: “Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs.
“Chip has not been involved with the company since his resignation from the board in 2015, and we are a very different company today.
“Lululemon is committed to creating and fostering an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment throughout our organization and across our communities. We have made considerable progress since launching our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA) function, and we are proud of the goals we have achieved,” the spokesperson added.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to become a more inclusive and diverse company,” they added.
Mr. Wilson stepped down as chairman of the board of Lululemon in 2013 following comments he made regarding women’s bodies after some consumers complained about the quality and fit of the various clothing items, in particular a pilling issue.
Lululemon on ‘Inclusive’ Mission
“The thing is that women will wear seat belts that don’t work, or they’ll wear a purse that doesn’t work, or quite frankly some women’s bodies just actually don’t work for it [Lululemon yoga pants],” he said. “It’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it.”During that same interview, Mr. Wilson went on to explain that Lululemon yoga pants were designed for athletics, but that market research had shown many customers were purchasing the items “two to four sizes smaller than necessary” with the aim of body-shaping.
“The pants still looked great, but there was more stress being placed on the fabric and seams than what we’d originally designed it for. If enough stress is placed on any object, fractures can occur,” he explained.
His comments sparked intense backlash, and Mr. Wilson subsequently issued a public apology.
Despite his public apology, the entrepreneur “lost control of the culture and product development” at Lululemon and was “at odds with the board of directors” and ultimately stepped down, according to his official website.
Mr. Wilson departed the company entirely in 2015. Since then, he has taken stakes in activewear companies Anta Sports and Amer Sports, and has a net worth of $6.9 billion, according to Forbes.
Following his departure, Lululemon has attempted to distance itself from Mr. Wilson’s past comments, including rolling out more “inclusive sizing” in 2020.
In that same year, the retailer announced the creation of a new Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action department focusing on “making systemic changes” and becoming a “more inclusive and diverse company.”
As part of its mission to become more “inclusive,” the clothing giant is actively working to increase “diverse representation” among its employees and “collective,” use its brand and voice to “advocate for change,” and expand training, learning, and development to “support inclusion, diversity, and equity,” according to its official website.
