Lululemon founder says brand isn't for everyone: 'You don’t want certain customers coming in'

Not everyone is meant to wear Lululemon apparel, the company’s billionaire founder told Forbes on Tuesday. 

The yoga-inspired athletic apparel company’s former CEO, Chip Wilson has received another wave of backlash after saying the brand was “trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” which, in his words, contradicts the notion of what a brand is.  

“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 told Forbes. 

Wilson also expressed his dislike of the company's "whole diversity and inclusion thing" as well as stating that the people picked to represent the company in ads look "unhealthy," "sickly" and “not inspirational."

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He also notes that the company's efforts to expand outside of activewear, into fashion-focused apparel like men’s dress shirts are "appalling," despite Lululemon's stock increasing by nearly 60% over the last year, according to Forbes.

The comments sparked an uproar of backlash on social media, something Wilson is no stranger to after stepping down as CEO amid similar criticism in 2013.

When asked about the recent remarks made by the company’s founder, a Lululemon spokesperson shared with USA TODAY Thursday that “Chip Wilson does not speak for lululemon.” 

“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,” the spokesperson said. 

Lululemon founder has history of problematic remarks

Wilson has faced scrutiny in the past over remarks he’s made about the company he founded, making controversial comments about women’s bodies, the use of child labor and Japanese people. He stepped down as Lululemon Athletica’s CEO in 2013, leaving the board altogether a couple years later. 

As a result of all the public criticism he has hurled at the company in recent years, Lululemon Athletica stripped him of the ability to appoint a representative of the board in 2019, saying Wilson violated a 2014 agreement he’d signed, Forbes reported.

Here are a few remarks made during his tenure, as previously reported by Business Insider. 

• Lululemon was the result of female education levels, breast cancer, yoga/athletics and the desire to dress feminine coming together all at one time. 
• Wilson mocked said he picked the name Lululemon because he thought the difficulty Japanese people had pronouncing the letter ‘L’ was an extra marketing tool for the product in the country, stating, “It’s funny to watch them try and say it.”
• In a 2013 television interview with Bloomberg, Wilson said that his leggings “don’t work for some women’s bodies,” after the signature black yoga pants were pulled off the shelves after customers stated they were see-through. 
• Wilson told a Canadian newspaper in 2005 that the extra fabric it would take to make plus-sized clothing is  “a money loser, for sure. I understand their plight, but it's tough."

Lululemon's diversity push

As a result of the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred nationwide in 2020, the athleisure company pledged to “stand up and fund Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action within the organization to support meaningful, lasting change in the world,” in a post on the company's website. 

The company stated the movement “acted as a powerful catalyst" within Lululemon prompting conversations between senior leadership, underrepresented employees and the community at large.

The company’s 2020 plan included pledges to increase funding to DEI initiatives, expand employee training and increase diversity in the workforce.

A 2023 inclusion report released by the company showed it met its goal of increasing diversity among store workers to 40% by 2023, but missed its goal of reaching 30% diversity among directors and assistant store managers (27%).