Chip Wilson who is the billionaire founder of yoga-wear brand Lululemon Athletica, denounced the company’s efforts for inclusion and diversity, saying the brand is trying to be “everything to everybody”.
Earlier in an interview with Forbes Wilson said “They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody.”
“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 stepped down as Chairman of Lululemon a long time ago in June 2015. However, he still continues to be the largest stakeholder in this Canada headquartered company.
In a statement to CNN, Lululemon said that Wilson does not speak for the company and that his views don’t stand for its values or beliefs. It said it’s a “very different company today” since Wilson left the board in 2015, and that he has not been involved with the company since.
As of 2022, he was the 13th wealthiest person in Canada with a fortune of about $5.7 billion. As of 2024, he has around 690 crore US dollars of net worth.
There is no surprise in Wilson making controversial comments. In 2013, he stepped down as Lululemon CEO after a counterblast over his sexist remarks in response to complaints about the sheerness of the brand’s yoga pants. He had said that “some women’s bodies don’t work” for the Lululemon yoga pants. Wilson founded the yoga wear brand in 1998 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
