Trying to become like Gap: Lululemon founder Chip Wilson slams company's 'diversity and inclusion thing'

Lululemon Athletica, founder, Chip Wilson, recently reignited controversy with pointed remarks about the brand's trajectory, specifically aiming for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. In an interview with Forbes, Wilson expressed stark opposition to Lululemon's pursuit of catering to a wide-ranging audience, likening this strategy to an attempt to emulate the universal appeal of retail giant Gap. Wilson's critique challenged the very essence of brand identity, asserting the need to delineate and exclude certain customer demographics.

"They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody," Wilson told Forbes in an interview earlier this week.

"And 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."


Wilson's critique resurfaces echoes of past controversy within Lululemon's narrative. In a 2013 incident, his attribution of complaints about the sheerness of the brand's yoga pants to the inadequacy of some women's bodies led to his resignation, first as CEO and eventually as chairman in 2015. Despite this departure, Wilson remains the largest individual shareholder in the company.

While Lululemon has since evolved its principles, championing inclusion as a core value and introducing extended sizing in 2020, Wilson's recent comments have prompted renewed scrutiny and criticism. A company spokesperson was quick to clarify the divergence between Wilson's views and the current ethos of Lululemon, emphasizing the founder's detachment from the brand since 2015.

Wilson's history of contentious statements extends beyond product assessments.

Wilson had said that he named the company “Lululemon”, with three Ls, because Japanese people would find the name western and would aspire to buy from the brand.

“It’s funny to watch them (Japanese) try and say it,” he said at a conference in Canada in 2005.

He also promoted child labour, saying it is children in the so-called “third world” countries should be allowed to work.

“I look at it the same way the WTO (World Trade Organization) does it, and that is that the single easiest way to spread wealth around the world is to have poor countries pull themselves out of poverty,” Wilson told The Tyee.

Attempts to solicit commentary from Wilson and Lululemon representatives beyond standard business hours proved futile. The clash between the founder's vision and the present values of the brand continues to fuel discussions within the company's sphere and provoke wider public debate.