lululemon founder Chip Wilson slams brand for "becoming The Gap with cheap acrylic sweaters"
lululemon founder Chip Wilson is doubling down on his disdain for the brand’s direction under its current leadership.
In a LinkedIn post on Monday afternoon, Wilson responded to a statement shared by lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald on January 12.
For context, McDonald’s post was in response to Wilson’s comments from a Forbes interview published on January 4, where he said the people in lululemon ads looked âunhealthy,â âsickly,â and ânot inspirational,â and expressed distaste for the labelâs âwhole diversity and inclusion thing.â
The CEO’s statement, titled “Moving beyond our past,” stressed that Wilson “does not speak for lululemon.”
“His views are entirely his own,” it reads. “They are completely against what lululemon stands for, the values of our brand today, and who we want to be for our global collective moving forward.”
McDonald went on to reiterate that the athletic wear company strongly values inclusion.
Wilson’s response, titled “Moving into the future,” comes about two months later.
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The founder says that McDonald is correct in saying that he doesn’t speak for lululemon; however, he does “choose to speak for [exceptional] employees and loyal customers.”
“Our hiring practices and marketing were not about performative wokeism, but about hiring for a healthy lifestyle and personal drive,” wrote Wilson.
The founder went on to say that he stepped down as a board director so he could speak directly to employees and customers.
He says he mistakenly believed he could ask questions publicly at shareholder meetings and accused directors of choosing not to answer questions, and even lying.
Wilson then outlined some business decisions lululemon has made that he disagrees with, including the “failed Mirror purchase.”
He also reiterated his “sadness for lululemonâs slow march to becoming The Gap with cheap acrylic sweaters etc., to chase margin.”
“Calvin is a good CEO but lacking vision as he allows the lowest common denominator too much leeway in his decision making,” wrote Wilson. “As a possibility, consider that Calvin may not be speaking for the great employees of lululemon.”
What do you think about this athleisure beef? Let us know in the comments.
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