Chip Wilson, the founder and former CEO of Lululemon, expressed disapproval of the company’s recent efforts to broaden its product range to reach a larger audience.
During a recent interview with Forbes, Chip, who founded the yoga apparel brand in 1998, voiced his criticism of the company’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing.” Wilson also pointed out that he disapproved of the company’s advertisements featuring individuals whom he described as appearing “unhealthy,” “sickly,” and “lacking in inspiration.”
“They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” he said. “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.”
Lululemon has since released a statement to disassociate itself from Wilson, clarifying that he has not been actively involved in the company’s day-to-day operations for a considerable period of time.
“Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs,” the company 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.”
Wilson resigned as the Chairman of Lululemon in 2013 due to controversial comments related to birth control, his endorsement of libertarian philosopher Ayn Rand, and his assertion that the controversy surrounding the company’s transparent pants that year stemmed from the belief that “some women’s bodies just actually don’t work for it.”
