Lululemon founder Chip Wilson: ‘You don’t want certain customers coming in’

Embed from Getty Images

In 2013, Canadian athletic-wear company Lululemon made it abundantly clear that they, as a company, did not want to sell their products to anyone other than slim white women. Lululemon founder Chip Wilson blamed women for having problematic bodies and wanting to have athleticwear made in every size, accessible to every consumer. People who worked at Lululemon stores spoke about how it was company policy to hide the size 10 and size 12 gear in a pile in the back of the store, all while actively discouraging anyone that size from shopping in Lululemon stores. The backlash was bad enough that Chip Wilson stepped down from the CEO position and Lululemon spent the past decade trying to broaden their consumer base across the board. Well, guess who hates that? Chip Wilson.

While many CEOs are shouting about their increased efforts to ramp up diversity across their business one founder is promoting the exact opposite. Lululemon’s billionaire founder Chip Wilson insists that exclusivity trumps inclusivity while blasting the posh leggings company he stepped down from 10 years ago.

“They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” Wilson, who has an estimated net worth of $8.7 billion, said in an interview with Forbes. “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.”

Still, the activewear giant is clearly onto something: Wilson has added almost $4 billion to his net worth since 2020, nearly all because of the rise in value of his 8% stake in Lululemon stock.

It’s not the first time Wilson has expressed his disdain for his brainchild’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing”, having repeatedly faced backlash for anti-Asian, sexist, and fatphobic comments. The American-Canadia entrepreneur most infamously insisted that the company’s most popular product, its leggings, are not for everyone—or more specifically, plus-size women—when they came under fire for being see-through.

“They don’t work for some women’s bodies,” he told Bloomberg Television’s Street Smart in 2013, before stepping down as the firm’s CEO and then leaving the board entirely in 2015.

Wilson previously declared that when founding Lululemon back in 1998, he specifically came up with a brand name that has three L’s because the sound does not exist in Japanese phonetics. “It’s funny to watch them try and say it,” he told Canada’s National Post Business Magazine.

He has also spoken in favor of children working in factories to earn money and avoid poverty, blamed birth control for rising divorce rates, and described plus-size clothing as “a money loser” for businesses.

In a statement provided to Fortune, a Lululemon company spokesperson said that 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.”

[From Fortune]

When I was looking through his 2013 comments, I was struck by how far the athleisure industry has come in the past decade. Nowadays, every mass market athleisure company prides itself on their plus-size lines and those companies are years into image-overhaul campaigns to make themselves more inclusive to all consumers. Granted, Wilson’s comments were seen as antiquated and ridiculous in 2013. His current comments are even worse – it shows that he hasn’t grown or learned anything, that he still wants Lululemon to gatekeep their customers – no one above a size 8, no Asians, no one with thick thighs, and it certainly sounds like he doesn’t want Black or brown customers either. (Sidenote: Lululemon has gotten into the tennis sponsorship business and their tennis brand ambassador is Leylah Annie Fernandez, a Canadian of Filipino and Ecuadorian heritage, which I’m sure pisses off Chip Wilson to no end.)

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

93 Responses to “Lululemon founder Chip Wilson: ‘You don’t want certain customers coming in’”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Jay says:

    Jesus, he’s still talking?

    • sunny says:

      Truly, that was my reaction as well.

    • Bonnie says:

      I think a better question might be:

      Jesus, are people still listening to him?

    • MoxyLady007 says:

      Ok. This is allllll starting to make sense

      I had a gift card to lululemon. Went to the store. Saw tons of mannequins in leggings that were supposed to all be different. Confused but whatever.

      Went to the sales racks. Lots of size 8 and size 6. Grabbed those. Went and tried them on. Sales associate was like – hey try these- you seem to like this for and these are so cute. Try them on. Came out. She was like over the moon.

      “You easily fit into a size 4!!! That’s so great! Wow!!!! Ok I’m gonna take all these 6 and 8’s away!”

      Me- what? No. Those are way more comfortable. I’m not gonna get the 4.

      Her- but you fit into a 4. A lululemon 4.

      Me- so? It’s not as comfortable as the 6.

      Her- but the 4 is how our leggings are supposed to fit.

      Me- but I get to say how my leggings fit me based on feel. So no thank you to the 4.

      I go back into the dressing room. And am changing and I hear her saying – I just can’t.

      I come out and am told the person helping me went on break and asked if I am done with the fitting room. I said no.

      • Katie says:

        OMG. I had a pair of slightly too small Lululemon bike shorts that sat in my dresser forever. They went straight up the lady bits.

  2. Isabel says:

    I used to only buy their leggings but I think there are much better brands now. I’m a powerlifter and I prefer LNDR and Alo and Darcsport these days.

    • Snideysense says:

      I just discovered LNDR and I LOVE them. I’m a marathoner and weight lifter, and it’s very hard to find good running gear for thick thighs and squat-sized glutes that will stay comfortable/chafe free for extremely long distance runs. I wish I’d found LNDR sooner, honestly!

      • Maria says:

        Ultra runner here. Have you tried DSG? I love their 7 inch running shorts with pockets. They fit comfortably and don’t give me camel toe. They also are affordable.

    • val says:

      Marathon runner here. I have been looking for new running gear outside of Tracksmith and Nike. I never heard of LNDR and man are their stuff cute! I am excited to try their stuff. Thank you for putting me on!

      • Snideysense says:

        And they’re having a sale now!!

      • BlueSky says:

        Runner here too and I recently discovered the brand 32 degrees. My fellow runner loves them so I have bought 2 leggings and 2 tops and didn’t spend over $50

      • SusieQ says:

        Can someone recommend me good resistance and compression leggings that do not cost a fortune? Thanks in advance!

      • kirk says:

        Thanks to all Celebitches for the recommended alternatives to Lulu. I got inspired by Kate Hudson, but her Fabletics seemed to be confusingly sized smaller than most. Currently thinking about “girlfriend collective” because of their recycling, but please stop me if you know anything bad about them 😦.

    • Matilda says:

      May I recommend my friend’s brand InphormNYC, started around the same time as Lululemon by my friend who was a designer at Ralph Lauren, was eco friendly from the start, gives a fair trade wage to the women in Thailand who make the product, has incredibly beautiful designs (designs many times copied by Lululemon and other brand) and not made with cheap see through fabrics.

    • MoxyLady007 says:

      I’m a power lifter too!
      (On a break 😭)
      But that’s part of why I was like – dude. My thighs need room for the muscle I’m gonna add. If this is tight now – what is the point???

  3. Izzy says:

    Not to worry, Chipper. My now-size-10 lily white azz will never set foot in one of your stores or purchase any of your crappy clothes.

    • Snideysense says:

      He’s not the CEO and hasn’t been affiliated with the brand for years.

      • TIFFANY says:

        But he still has enough stock to earn him another 4 billion in 3 years.

        Izzy know what they wrote and you choosing to make excuse says everything.

      • The Old Chick says:

        He owns 8% so yeah, he does have something to do with it. He just doesn’t run the company but derives his wealth from it.

      • Izzy says:

        LMAO found their PR plant.

      • JustStop says:

        Lots of gross people own stock in a lot of companies and make billions off of our purchases. There is no way for companies to check the ethics of stockholders or to force the evil ones to sell. But he has no ability to impact the management of the company unless he gets a whole bunch of other stockholders to vote his way. Don’t have to work PR to be logical about it.

      • Snideysense says:

        Yeah, but why be logical when you can just knee-jerk attack other commenters, and trumpet your own self-righteousness, like @Tiffany and @Izzy? They get to feel good about themselves while putting other people down. It’s a win for all!

      • Al says:

        Yes, lots of gross people own stock. One can’t often know who owns what. This clown, those, has an 8% stake and made $4Billion over three years. That billlion with a B. I guarantee the company listens to him.

        The company spox said, “… Chip has not been involved with the company since his resignation from the board in 2015 and we are a very different company today.”

        I just checked the store’s website and, all due respect to their PR person, they have NOT made great strides in diversity. Some leggings styles only go up to size 20 while others stop at 14. !?

        Spend your money where you want. That’s you right. I choose to go elsewhere. Just like I avoid hobby lobby (they also hate women.)

    • snappyfish says:

      Completely Agree with Izzy…I bought a pair of their leggings & liked them. Then he opened his mouth & I never shopped there again, nor will I. I also don’t go to hate chicken (otherwise knows as Chik-fil-a) I protest by not spending my hard earned money at companies run by hate people or those with hateful policies.

      • Enoughalready says:

        Except he doesn’t still run the company. And hasn’t for years. And the article and post clearly state that. In the case of Chik-Fil-A , the company is still actively being run by homophobes -that is different. I don’t understand what’s so hard to grasp here.

      • Embee says:

        My colleague refers to that restaurant as Bigot Chicken!

    • Josephine says:

      what i find so interesting about his comment is that many, many of the most premier female athletes in the world are wearing a size 10 legging. so he doesn’t want athletes, he wants people who don’t eat and pretend to exercise? smh.

      • Mario says:

        Oh, he absolutely doesn’t want female athletes at that level. He clearly designed a company to outfit the kind of women he likes looking at in the kind of clingy clothes he likes looking at them in, and he reinforces that all the time.

        Sadly, as a man, I hear from guys all the time how elite female athletes (save a few exceptions) “make themselves less hot” or “un[bleep]able” with their muscle tone and healthy weights.

  4. Brassy Rebel says:

    No one will ever accuse this guy of being woke. He doesn’t want Japanese people to be able to pronounce the company name and is amused to hear them try?! Here’s hoping karma comes for him someday soon.

    • Megan says:

      Can someone please return this Cro-Magnon to his cave?

    • NotSoSocialB says:

      Sharing an entirely germane/ apropos comment I saw on the clock app:

      When the dildo of karma arrives, it rarely comes lubed. And this guy *really* has it coming.

  5. swaz says:

    I bought 2 leggings from them, one $98 the other $125 and none of them were worth it 🙄🙄🙄 he can keep them all 🙄🙄🙄

    • L84Tea says:

      Yikes. Glad I’ve never bought from them. I’ll stick with my $10 Hanes yoga pants that I buy in black and grey.

  6. Lucy2 says:

    Don’t you love how people like this are the type to yell at women “you need to exercise, you need to be smaller!” Oh but you can’t buy our athletic gear to wear while you do that.

    • swaz says:

      It’s always the least attractive men that are fast to critic women 😫😫😣 I could say so many things about his appearance but I wont .

  7. Dee(2) says:

    Is he really from 1850? When people complain about government regulations for business, this is the type of business owner that they are protecting you from. This guy would gladly have chimney sweeps, and 18-hour work days for $10 a week if he could. Also, these pants are super overpriced and you could buy just as good compression workout clothes for literally a third of what they are charging. Just like Stanley cups, and Uggs it’s more about the brand than it being the best quality of a type of item that the targeted consumers care about.

    • Soapboxpudding says:

      I lived in Vancouver in the early 2000s and their flagship store at Cambie & Broadway had a big window next to their storefront window showing rows of sewing machines being operated by predominantly Asian women, which made me uncomfortable (as it should – better we see the sweatshops than don’t). He’s a garbage human. I couldn’t afford their gear back then and I wouldn’t have bought if I could.

  8. SarahCS says:

    I bet he and GOOP know each other.

    • Luna says:

      Can anyone recommend leggings that are stretchy, soft, and not tight/compressive. I am a small person but I find most leggings way too tight?

      I tried sizing up but then they bunch up in a way that’s not attractive. I would especially prefer leggings with a boot cut ankle, but a regular legging that is truly buttery soft and stretchy would feel so good to wear!

      I’ve ordered Amazon leggings that got great reviews but they were all rough and compressive. I prefer a cottony versus a shiny finish.

      • NotSoSocialB says:

        Halara seems wildly popular- check them out. The Halara dot com.

      • K says:

        Aerie has leggings called Chill Play Move that are buttery soft, non-compressive, come in petite lengths, and have straight or flare legs. I have converted at least 7 people to this brand LOL

      • Lux says:

        Can’t believe no one’s mentioned Beyond Yoga. Love their Spacedye (buttery soft; supportive but not restrictive; looks retro-cool in every color) and I won’t wear anything else for yoga. People have come up to me in the gym—including my yoga instructor—to compliment my leggings, so you know they look good on top of feeling great. Lots of sales too so I usually don’t pay full price (I’m someone who likes the seasonal, less basic colors so it works out).

      • Embee says:

        I second Aerie brand for the qualities you seek!

  9. Eurydice says:

    Diversity has added $4 billion to his net worth, so he’s a hypocrite as well as an asshole.

  10. Amy Bee says:

    I’m sure he’s Trump supporter.

    • Eurydice says:

      I don’t know about Trump – Wilson was born in the US, but is a Canadian citizen. I think he’s been giving money to right-wing groups in Canada.

  11. Flower says:

    It’s always interesting to me how CEO’s like this start shooting off their mouths and then bankrupt shortly after.

    Watch this space.

    • Lexilla says:

      Watching with interest. They just closed a big Lululemon store in my town. Byeeeeee.

    • Whyforthelove says:

      I remember his first fat chicks stay away rant and vowed never to spend a penny on Lululemon. At the same time Athleta started trolling them by marketing towards plus size saying things like “all bodies are welcome in our clothes”. They have made bank off of my mid-sized to plus sized body. Along with 32 degrees and a Beyond Yoga. Bit for working out it is always Athleta I use. Now they have pledged to make 75% of their clothes available to plus sized. This man can kiss my not skinny BLEEEEEEEPPPPPP. And the spending money it earns

      • Sass says:

        I have a few items from them (thanks to gift cards from relatives even though I’m not a “gym person”, weird thing to gift someone who would rather read books in bed but I digress) but find I overall prefer my Athleta stuff. LLL is all over the place in sizing and even in the pop up stores I’ve visited to exchange stuff the associates tell me that. I will say I was surprised to see the array of diversity amongst their staff when I came in and was also surprised at how they treated me (with respect and no attempt to upsell), but they’re really not for me. Especially with this fool continuing to open his mouth like that gross guy from Abercrombie. Planning to swap out all my LLL eventually for Athleta. I do also like JoyLab and even some AllInMotion (Target) but it’s hard to find their leggings in colors I want – I’m not big into patterns or brights and that’s all I can ever seem to find.

    • Eurydice says:

      He hasn’t been CEO for 10 years now, but he’s still the largest shareholder.

  12. Mcmmom says:

    My teenaged daughter still likes Lululemon, but the stores make me uncomfortable. While they have expanded their messaging, they still seem to appeal to a very specific demographic and I continue to get a “mean girl” vibe from them. I prefer to shop at Athleta, which will always have my respect for their sponsorship of Allyson Felix and providing her a business opportunity beyond Nike.

    • Harla A Brazen Hussy says:

      I really like Athleta and now they offer “pants” that are so comfortable and completely appropriate for the office.

      • Kittenmom says:

        Ditto. Athleta is my brand of choice, ever since I had my last child (16 years ago!) and relied on their cute and comfy clothes to fit my post-pregnancy self. The stuff holds up well too – I bought 2 pairs of their fleece lined sweatpants back then and they are still going strong.

      • Pinkosaurus says:

        Third in the preference for Athleta if I’m going to splurge on athleisure. Lululemon is overpriced and IMO not that cute while Athleta has some really great casual dresses and the aforementioned stealth work pants. Their catalogs feature models of all shapes and colors who have real muscles which I enjoy flipping through on the couch while thinking I need to lift more. 💪🏿

      • Whyforthelove says:

        I just wrote about Athleta! My office wardrobe was 100% Athleta pants. I also love their dresses on the summer !most of all I love their inclusivity and their open mocking and trolling of Lululemon.

      • NotSoSocialB says:

        I love Athleta’s summer dresses and skirts.

    • TikiChica says:

      I shop at Lululemon in the UK. Both in my local (outlet) shop and in their Regent Street flagship store, I have seen plus size shop workers and customers aplenty.

    • Becks1 says:

      My local LLL isn’t that bad, it has a fairly diverse staff, but I’ve been at others in my general area that are worse and are definitely catering to a very specific market. The one I go to is in an affluent and diverse community, full of rich SAHMs, so while there are a ton of teenagers/college girls in there, there are also a ton of older women of all shapes and sizes with no-limit credit cards, and the staff responds accordingly. At least in that store, money talks. For better or for worse.

  13. Proud Mary says:

    I’ve avoided Lululemon because of this mofo. I guess now that I know he’s no longer associated with them, maybe I might try their over-priced apparel. Surely, now that he’s a billionaire, Wilson doesn’t care if the company survives. There’s just so much option out there for this category that Lululemon has no choice but to widen their customer base. Wilson’s suggestion to the contrary, these companies aren’t switching to inclusivity just to be politically correct. It is absolutely a business decision. I want to say I can’t believe that someone this dumb and myopic became so rich; but that is the name of the game in the USA, isn’t it?

    • Mina Esq says:

      One would hope, but Lululemon is basically the only store at the mall that still gets long queues. It’s a status symbol for university women and high school girls. My nieces always ask for Lulu. Unless TikTok tells them otherwise, Lulu is here to stay.

      • MY3CENTS says:

        It’ll fall and become uncool much like Victoria’s Secret, not right now, but it’ll happen.

      • Proud Mary says:

        Mina, I’m not saying they’re not doing well. I walked by their store over the holiday and saw the line, and you know what, I saw folks who don’t look traditional (if you get my drift) there too. I’m saying, however, the company cannot survive without broadening their customer base. This category will get saturated, because everybody and their grandmother is now in the athletics/athleisure business these days. I think they’re smart to recognize that simple fact.

    • BeanieBean says:

      Dude’s Canadian, and really vile. I had no idea. Their stuff is too pricey for what it is, I prefer Uniqlo anyway.

    • Proud Mary says:

      Dilettante, you are right about Costco. I also started going to Target after I chased down a woman at the Bolder Bolder just to learn where she got her attire. I was young then, and got a good lesson about how you don’t have to put your money in the pockets of jerks like Chip in order to look good. Believe me, I’m into fashion and could list a whole lot of expensive places to shop. But what’s the point? We have just got to stop wasting our money on fads people! I know a very wealthy woman who shops at Goodwill for athletic apparel. I practically fell out of my chair when she told me. She said, “that’s why I have so much disposable income. I don’t waste my money on shite.” Eye. Opener.

      • Sass says:

        @Proud Mary YES. I love new things but I always thrift first. Always!! The stuff I’ve found. I just bought 6 new coats (for myself and my kids respectively) this past weekend and they cost me $50. Beautiful and well made and barely worn. This past weekend and this coming weekend are great times to thrift as everyone is getting rid of their old stuff! Especially athletic gear

      • Proud Mary says:

        Sass, I have to confess that I’ve been really lazy about this stuff. Over the holidays, a woman I know bought a coat similar to one I spent too much money on, for under 50 bucks at a friggin thrift shop! Yes, I’m ashamed. But it’s a new year. News lessons to learn.

  14. Juxtapoze says:

    Lululemon’s clothing has been very “Meh” for at least 2-3 yrs now. Nothing new or innovative or fresh. Just the same old stuff they’ve carried for years. I don’t even bother to go in to their stores anymore. I much prefer Beyond Yoga & Vuori for quality, fit & style if I’m going to drop some $ on higher end athleisure wear. And Lululemon’s sizing is even smaller than industry standard. I’m a size 8 in their tops/jackets but a XS/Small in every other mainstream brand.

  15. Amada Basura says:

    They’re still full of crap. The first item I saw on the website was a pair of 25″ leggings on a 5’10” model. Really? Legs are only one third of her heighth? That’s not even remotely realistic and when I see claims about proportions like this I know the company is a scam.

  16. christy says:

    I do not care what any man says about women’s bodies cause their opinion does not matter, I especially do not care what this trash bag thinks.

    However as a fat person that does a lot of yoga (used to do more activities’ but work and two kids have hindered that), I love lululemon’s pants. Now that they have plus size it is even better. So I hate to give this trash bag money but I can not find a brand I love as much.

  17. Kittenmom says:

    This fool reminds me of the former CEO of Abercrombie (I think?) who made similar comments about the types of people that they wanted to wear their clothing. Is he actively involved in any businesses today that I can boycott? LOL But seriously, makes me mad that he is now still reaping of his former company “going woke.”

  18. Becks1 says:

    I feel like I live under a rock because I had no idea about any of these comments until last night*. I was relieved to see he is no longer the CEO but kind of ironic that he’s complaining about diversity while that diversity is making him billions.

    i love LLL leggings but I only buy them on sale, I’m not paying full price for those. And I have no real brand loyalty to LLL…..i’m not in high school so the status symbol of it doesn’t really matter to me. Vuori is much more comfortable for my soccer mom needs and less problematic.

    *I have a fair amount of LLL in terms of leggings, sweatshirts, and yes, the belt bag (since we dont say “fanny pack”) but now I feel ick about all of it, since I know he is still profiting.

  19. Concern Fae says:

    That the former owner of a leggings company is a billionaire is a failure of democracy. Namely we need a much higher minimum wage and definancialization at the owner level.

  20. Robert Phillips says:

    So he made 4 billion since he stepped down from the company. The same time frame where the company started selling to plus size women. And he only has 4% stock in the company. Gee I wonder where all that extra money came from?

  21. Nic919 says:

    I’m annoyed they got the contract for Olympic clothing for the Canadian team. Roots was the best one but even HBC wasn’t that bad. LLL put out a weirder line and knowing this guy profits from it makes it worse.

  22. chumsley says:

    Even though he’s no longer CEO, it’s disappointing to think that someone this terrible is still profiting if I buy anything from Lululemon. My mother-in-law got me a pair of their leggings when I was pregnant a few years ago and they were the most comfy leggings I had ever owned. Before those leggings, the only impression I had of Lululemon as a company was that it’s a brand that stereotypical rich white women love. So if they’ve been trying to diversify, I guess I haven’t really noticed. Also, I think it’s ridiculous to ignore the plus size market, that’s a customer group that has probably been underserved for a long time. That’s a lot of potential profit that you’re going to be losing out on if you ignore it.

  23. Merxury says:

    What did he say about black and brown customers? Can someone link comment? Couldnt find anything

  24. Mtl.ex.pat says:

    This guy has always been an entitled sexist, racist d-ck. I remember 5-6 years ago he caused uproar in British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast because he was going to build a dock for his seaplanes and 2 yachts. The dock was close to an acre in size total…..and he angled it so it was right in front of his neighbours property to not spoil HIS view. Total douche.

  25. LivingDesert says:

    I bought at Lululemon once, it must have been 10 years ago or so. When I got home, I looked at the bag my purchases were in and found references to Ayn Rand printed on it…

    Of course I raced to the computer, looked them up and that, dear reader, was the first and last time that my credit card and I wandered into one of those stores.

    End of story.

  26. Anonymous says:

    I walked by one of their stores in the DC area the other day and actively recoiled. I don’t feel a ton of control in this world, but I can actively avoid Hobby Lobby, Chic whatever and LULU. am I doing any good? Probably not. But it’s my small way to avoid the ick that they give me.

  27. Hm says:

    I have never spent so much as a penny on that garbage, nor will I ever. My experience with that company is via the very specific types of influencers who shilled the products early on, and via the overall vibe of that store’s gates. Vibes don’t lie.

    This company changed their face mask because it was financially expedient, not because inclusivity is in their DNA. This dude is that company’s DNA, and their stores still reek of their core beliefs.

  28. Flamingo says:

    in 2021 I went into the Lululemon store in Martha’s Vineyard, and the sales staff wouldn’t even acknowledge me. I bought a pair of leggings as inspiration to lose weight. I was used to being treated as invisible, due to being morbidly obese. It didn’t even phase me at the time.

    Fast forward Summer 2023 visiting the same store in Martha’s Vineyard. I went in again 70lbs down and the sales staff were so nice and helpful. Offering suggestions on what to wear. Then it hit me, they were only being nice to me for being a normal sized white woman. I felt gross and left. I also didn’t know how awful the former CEO was. Even if he isn’t CEO how they treat customers still lingers in the company. Not every store I’m sure, but this was my experience.

    Like others have posted there are much better and less expensive active wear brands. Most of the time I buy from Amazon from CB’s suggestions, and love them leggings with POCKETS!!!

  29. Mel says:

    Why would anyone want to buy something so expensive( their prices are outrageous) to work out in and then it’s so cheaply made you can see through them? NOPE!!! I’ll stick to my old navy work out gear. Someone gave me a gift card, I’ll use it but I’ll never spend my money there.

  30. Mamasan says:

    Please tell me he’s single!!🤢🤮 He’s up there with Prince Andrew cringe.
    Are men just getting worse or am I just getting more sensitive to bullshit and assholes?

  31. Mcmmom says:

    More on my Lululemon impressions…

    I do wear their Energy jog bras because I have yet to find another brand that works as well – I will probably try Sweaty Betty next. I’m not all that busty, so I need breathability as much as support and their bras fit the bill.

    A few years ago, I worked out with a personal trainer who had been the Lululemon store manager in my large US city. It was interesting to me that she defended the comments about how the leggings weren’t for everyone, saying how Lululemon was “designed by athletes, designed for athletes.” Yeah, ok, except that doesn’t even make sense – athletes come in all shapes and sizes and are not the thin, affluent women who I mostly saw wearing the brand. This trainer seemed sad that the brand was trying to expand to women who weren’t her idea of “fit.” My interactions with employees of the company since then haven’t done much to change my impression of the brand.

    To be fair, the items I have from Lululemon fit me well and have held up, so I can’t criticize the quality of their product – but there are other brands that are equally good (except for their jog bras) that *also* make me feel good buying from them. I’m not going to pretend that I’m changing the world through my athleisure purchases, but all things being equal, I’m going to shop at the stores that promote a culture that I value.

  32. one of the marys says:

    I lived in BC 25+ years ago. I was at a dinner and the conversation turned to how he chose lululemon because he didn’t want Chinese people taking over his brand. There was a huge population of Chinese people because of, at the time, Hong Kong politics, climate, Canadian policies etc. I very naively blurted out “why wouldn’t he want Chinese people taking over?” thinking this was a huge market. That conversation just died. I guess if they had to explain it to me I didn’t share the opinion of the Chinese in BC

  33. Eden75 says:

    I wear only Lulu for working out, have for years. I have never been rich or a SAHM, or what would be called thin (at least as an adult). The first pair of Lulu’s I bought 15 years ago finally got tossed out last year as the elastic finally gave out in the waist. I have tried other brands, all are washed and hung to dry (no heat, ever), and only Lulu’s have survived the test.

    He’s a di*k, always has been. Met him once at a convention I was at and, yeah, he’s as rude and nasty as you would think, towards women anyway.

    As someone commented above, lots of crap people make billions off consumers, they just aren’t commenting publicly on everything. Chip makes a boatload off of other investments as well, so it isn’t just Lulu that he making his millions off of, it’s probably just the majority. I refuse to buy a Tesla because of that repulsive, disgusting windbag that is the CEO of that, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t give that douche canoe money when I shop somewhere else. It’s a Catch22 unfortunately. I buy Lulu because it works for me, the store in my town is amazing and they have chosen my trainer and close friend as one of their brand ambassadors. (That would piss off Chip as well. She is NOT his idea of a Lulu wearer AND she’s an exceptional woman.)

  34. Bad Janet says:

    Fine. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I am not buying their shit even though I am their “ideal” market. I don’t even care if he’s gone; to ever have things run on that level is enough of a turn off.

  35. Megaladondon says:

    I’ve tried a bunch of different leggings and lulu align are the only kind soft enough to not press on my endo belly and make me regret life. I’d love to no longer give them my money. Any recs for super soft align-like leggings? Help!

  36. Macky says:

    He isn’t a business wiz. He came at the right time and got the right people to wear his clothes. The success has very little to do with him. Now if he was the one who thought of the fit…. then okay but lululemon gets away with things because of those first cool people wearing them.

    It’s not him or his philosophy. His 2nd wife and sons Activewear company is virtually unheard of even though she was a lululemon designer.

  37. bisynaptic says:

    Just shows that men shouldn’t be in charge of women’s anything.