Lululemon’s founder and former CEO is sharing his opinions on the company’s direction — and the backlash is strong.
Chip Wilson, who left the brand in 2015, revealed in a recent interview with Forbes that he isn’t onboard with the company’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing,” possibly referring to the company’s new Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA) mission on its website, which focuses on the “culture of inclusion where diversity is celebrated” and “equity is the norm.”
“[Lululemon is] trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” Wilson told 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.”
He also slammed the company’s ads for featuring models that he described as being “unhealthy,” “sickly,” and “not inspirational.”
A Lululemon spokesperson shared in a statement with PEOPLE reiterating that Wilson’s views are not reflective of the brand.
“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.”
“Lululemon is committed to creating and fostering an inclusive, diverse and welcoming environment throughout our organization and across our communities,” the company continued in its statement to Newsweek. “We have made considerable progress since launching our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA) function, and we are proud of the goals we have achieved.”
“We also recognize that becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization takes time and is only possible through the sustained efforts of our leaders and our people. We remain steadfast in our commitment to become a more inclusive and diverse company,” the company concluded its statement.
The IDEA initiative began November, 2020. Calvin McDonald, Lululemon’s current CEO, shared on the company’s website that he along with the company’s senior leadership team have committed to increase funding for its IDEA initiative, expand training, learning and development to support inclusion, diversity and equity and “use our brand and our voice to advocate for change.”
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However, the company’s integration of the IDEA initiative appears to have not always gone smoothly, as Newsweek cited a Business of Fashion report that found that several current and former Lululemon employees felt the company had “a corporate culture that is unwelcoming of Black people.”
Over a dozen former employees from Lululemon’s Hyde Park store in Chicago also reportedly filed racial discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, per the outlet.
Despite this, McDonald noted on Lululemon’s website, “We are proud of the progress we’re making, and are ensuring that IDEA is an essential element of lululemon’s culture that we will continue to embrace and grow.”
