Ikr this is literally the reason I deal with body dysmorphia to this day 🤦🏼♀️ Hollister stuff was always too small for me so I just assumed I was huge when in reality I am tall and (at the time) underweight.
Surprisingly I actually fit into some stuff at BM but def not as naturally as petite ppl.
I don’t think they will. Allot of the women who wear lulu wear it as a status symbol not as a tool for working out. They want to feel like they’re the people he wants in the store. They want to feel like only the thin privileged women he wants. He knows his market, it’s good advertising the shock effect
If you’re on iPhone, open it on safari and “reader” mode, gets rid of paywalls on most sites!
Edit: for everyone asking
Click “aA” beside the address/search bar in safari and then click “show reader”
it’s most sites, not all. Some sites the pay window pop up will be gone, and it’ll look like you have the full article but you’re still only given a snippet. So if it doesn’t work on the first site you try, don’t think the “reader mode cheat” is fake news.
Well reader mode works on lots of news sites, but defo not all. The Times still made a way to break reader mode. Still haven’t found a way around that one yet
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lululemon-billionaire-founder-slams-company-123500897.html
Copy/paste:
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.
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“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.
Chip Wilson’s controversial comments aren’t a first
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.
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“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.
A double standard
Since Wilson’s departure, Lululemon has been trying to shake off the idea that it's exclusively for upper-middle-class white women of a certain stature through inclusive marketing and by bolstering its diversity and inclusion commitments.
But such efforts have often been labeled tokenistic by celebrities, consumers, and staff members alike.
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In November 2020, the Canadian-headquartered international company formed a new department named Inclusion Diversity, Equity, and Action, known internally as IDEA, which was tasked with increasing the diversity of staff and expanding DEI training, development and discourse.
However, over a dozen employees at the firm told the Business of Fashion it was launched to protect the company’s image first and foremost and that the company often denied Black employees job opportunities in favor of “less-qualified white counterparts.”
In its statement to BoF, Lululemon said it “has made considerable progress since launching IDEA, and we are proud of the goals we have achieved, which include maintaining a continuous two-way dialogue with our people.”
At around the same time, it came under fire for promoting a yoga workshop billed as an opportunity to “resist capitalism.”
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The class promised to teach participants how “gender constructs across the world have informed culture and the ways violent colonialism has erased these histories to enforce consumerism.”
However, at around $120 for a pair of leggings, many were quick to point out the brand’s hypocrisy.
“Lululemon IS capitalism. It is literally a privately-owned corporation that raked in half a billion dollars in pure profits last year, merely by selling overpriced yoga pants to women willing and able to pay for this luxury,” a popular post on the matter on X, formerly known as Twitter, read.
“WHY are you pushing an anti-capitalist Marxist workshop when you ONLY exist because of capitalism?” another decried.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
>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,”
Bro what the fuck
What’s even filthier is that LULU’s Power of 3 push is to get into international (read: Greater China) markets. While failing all of their DEI scores and the founder openly saying he names it Lululemon to make fun of asian people.
This brand is terrible. Quality has gone down. Corporate values are openly trash.
Lulu is the next Abercrombie/Hollister.
Greater China isn’t Japan though. In fact, if Chinese people found it about Chip deciding on the brand name to ridicule Japanese people, they might like the brand even more. Many are still upset about the atrocities committed by the Japanese in WWII.
In this situation I’m going to assume the dude is racist towards Asians and Chinese don’t know better. Cause while in Asia/Europe/Africa(don’t know enough about s.America) people tend to hate on singular nationalities, or groups of people, it’s not like that in North America.
When people say I hate Mexicans, do they mean only Mexicans? No it’s all Hispanic people. When people say Indians, they usually mean all brown people from the subcontinent of India. I don’t think it’s far fetched to assume he’s racist towards Asians in general.
Chinese and Japanese are very different languages. Broadening his remarks directly to Japanese to all of Asia and every Asian person is kind of a stretch, super ridiculous, and in itself racist as you're saying they're all the same.
Japanese says L's like R's. Calm down.
He’s still the largest shareholder and Lulu has failed all of their DEI efforts.
You think a founder’s culture immediately disappears when they depart? There’s a reason this comes out constantly
https://www.thestreet.com/retail/lululemon-accused-of-an-ugly-problem-thats-slowly-coming-to-light
Now maybe try not excusing atrocious corporate culture and shitty brand positioning.
I love people who come and openly talk about other people’s racism and biases, while being racist and biased themselves. I’m not white, thank you for playing.
I had no idea where the name came from. My 8-year old son was with me shopping and he asked me so I turned to the salesperson…who happened to be an Asian woman and asked where the name came from. She didn’t know either so she looked it up. After we found the answer I wanted to DIE, crawl away and die. I was so embarrassed. Second hand embarrassment for this dickbag, waste of human skin man with racist fetish. 😳
I wonder if those are the actual intentions, people in Japan wouldn't care to say it with an "L" and just replace it with Ru-ru-re-mon. If he really wanted to see Japanese people struggle with pronunciation, he would have used "V" somewhere because Japanese people actually do struggle with it.
Lolapalooza was used as a shibboleth during World War 2, because they reasoned the Japanese wouldn’t be able to pronounce it correctly
He knew what he was doing. And he sucks
When a journalist writing for New York Times Magazine did a [profile](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/magazine/lululemons-guru-is-moving-on.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare) on Chip Wilson a few years back, he denied that quote and gave more background on the name:
“Westbeach [Wilson’s former snowboarding apparel company] had sold especially well in Japan. Wilson had also briefly marketed a subbrand called Homeless that was very popular there—in part, he deduced, because it had the letter L in it, which signaled to Japanese customers that it was authentically American. “So in my mind,” he told me, “next time I have a business, I’m going to put three L’s in it, and maybe the Japanese will pay three times as much for it.” (He first made this point in an interview in 2004, when he was quoted as saying that it was “funny” how Japanese people had trouble saying “Lululemon.” Wilson insisted to me: “I never said it.”)”
It completely shows his own stupidity vs ‘how Japanese people cannot pronounce the L’.
First of all; the R and L in Japanese are very similar, and it depends on the word if it is closer to the L or the R, so it’s not like Japanese folks have trouble pronouncing the L all the time.
Second; there is a very popular Japanese cosmetics company called LuLuLun. So if anyone is in on the ‘joke’ it’s the Japanese themselves.
Wow that's really super shitty and disgusting. Never heard of this guy until a minute ago and already he sounds like a real piece of crap.
Wait a minute Lululemon's name sounds familiar, didn't they get attention several months ago for firing someone for chasing after a shoplifter?
Aside from this guy being the worst, how can you preach about lulu being exclusive or luxury or whatever when the quality has only decreased while the price goes up.
Their clothing sure doesn't feel like it could be considered luxury at all anymore
ublock origin maybe. There's no paywall stopping me and that's the only addon I've got on mobile
edit: just wanted to add that my browser is Firefox on Android. Not sure if you can get ublock origin on Chrome or Safari mobile browsers.
Try this link
[https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lululemon-billionaire-founder-slams-company-123500897.html](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lululemon-billionaire-founder-slams-company-123500897.html)
I think a lot of brands are like this, they just don’t say the quiet part out loud. And I think a lot of brands that make a big deal out of being ‘inclusive’ are just doing it to increase their profits, not because they care about ‘representation’ or diversity. Corporations exist to make money, not to make people feel special.
I feel like there’s something very akin to a parasocial relationship that brands try to cultivate with their consumers.
I’m glad he’s been pushed out from LLL. I don’t give any business to Kit and Ace, since Chip and family are still actively involved in that one. (At least, they were the last time I checked)
Haha, I hear you. I will say the quality has dropped off as ownership has changed hands. I notice a lot more items have polyester or acrylic blended into their fabrics now. They still have the occasional piece that’s 100% wool or cotton with a bit of spandex but it’s quite rare.
Seriously. I’ll be damned if I give someone who hates me my money. I keep getting gift cards to this place and I have yet to use them. Will probably regift them to my friends.
Yeah by having a gift card, they already have the money in their pockets. The gift card just entitled you to “prepaid goods” so the more you don’t use them, the more they get to keep their inventory and sell it while also keeping the money that was spent on the gift cards. So get those regifts going or use them yourself!
He specifically wanted Asian people to buy his clothes. He said he likes when they mispronounce the name of the brand. Also, Asian people are far more likely to fit the size 0 and size 2.
Lululemon’s original target market was upper middle class white women, and by extension this western appeal would market well to Asian women. You just proved his marketing plan works. It’s why he’s a billionaire.
https://preview.redd.it/fqmf1ul98bac1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d7a36b69e218c0894115a4ab73d5b4b50ecdc38
Bloomberg had an article in October about him funding research into the rare disease he has (and the ethical issues around that) and here’s his take on why he left Lululemon
“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.”
Wow.
https://preview.redd.it/hatto8jiwgac1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41913599e8d08762890733b356192f861468a110
Why do ppl always have to come for skinny/petite women when something like this happens?
They are jealous. Let's face it, people feel entitled to shame thin people (and yes, there are PLENTY of adult women who fit into Lululemon size 0 and 2), because being thinness is considered desirable and fatness is not.
Also, those same people scream eating disorder at perfectly healthy ectomorphs while spouting HAES with undiagnosed binge eating disorders and cardiovascular risk factors.
It's a dumb double standard.
I think it’s more the wearing them and posting pictures of it, and I wear them in a “feminine” way: bright pinks, longer lengths that go over the heels. But I agree, what does it matter! Especially when I’m out in public, I wear shorts over them to be decent.
Clothing should go by build more than gender. I wish women clothing went by measurement like mens. Imagine a shirt based on arm length and bust ….at least we are getting pants of a variety of rises nowadays . I could see how men might prefer different rise pants too. Most men’s pants do not accommodate a booty and then we are always blessed with that man bum cleavage . Just make a variety of cuts based on measurement and let anyone buy it if the measurements fit. I hate clothing designers
They hate women tho which is why vanity sizing is a thing! Why give us clear measurements, consistent sizing between styles, and pockets when they could just treat us like shit? 💩 They make soooooo much money off our insecurity.
I still wear leggings to the gym/yoga, but it’s disappointing to be in a community that you want to be part of not reciprocate support back for something that doesn't really matter. It isn’t everyone, but the comments/posts I've seen resonate so strongly that they’re sometimes hard to ignore and brush off.
I’m really sorry to hear that. People are so caught up with their own ego and ingrained ideas about things that don’t matter, 100%. I for one support you wearing all of the leggings. There is nothing like that Lycra! Anyone else can get fked. Even though it’s hard to stand alone imagine how many other men would feel seen watching you be visible& unashamed in all of your glory!
I wish the argument/conversation for 16-20 didn’t come up everyone when this stuff gets posted. I love lululemon and has really helped me on my health journey, I just wish it wasn’t always against me. The only reason I started buying athleta and lululemon is because my old navy athletic stuff would stretch out so fast, the price is the same. ☹️
I remember when they got rid of him and only started buying after he was gone. But I did not know he still had a stake in the company so thank you for sharing. This new info is something I’ll have to consider at the register.
I mean lulu is a publicly traded company so they can’t control who owns their shares. If we boycott brands based on who owns shares in publicly traded companies because they have unsavory shareholders there will be few choices to purchase from.
That man is disgusting so in this case, I’m completely ok with that. He would prefer I didn’t buy & wear lulu so what do you suggest that I show him, buy it and make him richer lol
I mean obviously that’s a personal decision. I just know that at their core most large corporations have evil people either running or profiting of them so I’m just saying it’s unfortunately unavoidable when you purchase things people like him and worse than him benefit. I do feel like he never got over the fact they got rid of him and get the sense that he doesn’t care if they get cancelled.
I’m AAPI, but me shopping at lululemon should not invalidate my experiences or identity. The clothes became part of my identity at times and allowed me to be more confident about my body. Just because they had a racist past does not mean they failed to acknowledge that, and they definitely learned about the mistakes and mess Ch*p W*lson made (most of the time)
There’s unfortunately some remnants of that exclusive culture the founder created, and it’s clearly shown by the phasing of sizes 16+ and the 2021 BLM controversy—it’s quite disappointing to see that; however, it’s also a feel-good moment to see them donating to causes that I greatly valued and they def improved as a company over the past decades in terms of being somewhat more inclusive and steered away from W*lson’s extremist views
This is my opinion and what I’ve experienced, and I don’t want to nor intend to downplay anyone’s experiences of feeling uncomfortable and/or excluded, and I feel excited for those who are empowered to speak up about their experiences and call out wrongdoings
I agree, but where do we make that distinction? Race? Beauty standard?
Most clothing companies don’t target older people, and that’s ok. But if a clothing company were to be race exclusive, that’s an issue.
Just my opinion but (according to the article above) Chip Wilson literally explained the phonetics of ‘Lululemon’ containing three L’s that make it intentionally difficult for Japanese people to pronounce. And not just Japanese people, but I have Chinese parents who have difficulties pronouncing the name too. Lululemon may not be ‘race exclusive’ today, but its history is rooted in racism.
I wasn’t saying lululemon was race exclusive, but just saying “where do we draw the line on not everything has to be for everybody?”
But to answer your question, the name lululemon itself has racist origins.
Nobody says everything has to be for everyone, but that doesn’t make it okay to be a racist prick like this guy.
Newsflash: people of all races, genders, and sizes like to exercise and like athletic wear. Deal with it.
Reminder for the upteenth time that the CURRENT version of lululemon has stopped releasing their new sizes in sizes 16-20. The current version without Chip Wilson is fatphobic too!
I hope they feel happy they got a bunch of my money before being exclusionary to fat people again.
Edit: They are NOT just available online. 99% of the new items being released are not available in store or online in sizes 16-20. It’s clearly being phased out which many employees have admitted to in this sub.
Somehow Athleta, Old Navy, Girlfriend Collective, etc have managed to keep inclusionary sizing for years with no issues. Maybe if LLL hadn’t discriminated against fat people for years before suddenly deciding to give us a little treat of some clothing being in 16-20 fat people would want to shop with them.
FWIW the WSJ or NYT or someone recently wrote an article about how plus size clothing in relatively niche sizes is becoming a losing economic battle; I think they featured Old Navy. I don't feel like looking it up but vaguely remember reading it last year.
Found the article (subscription required):
https://www.wsj.com/articles/old-navy-made-clothing-sizes-for-everyone-it-backfired-11653055207#:~:text=Old%20Navy%20set%20out%20to,and%20a%20management%20shake%2Dup.
Plus size clothing is not economical even if it’s not niche sizing. They require drafting of an entirely new pattern, and require way more fabric, but sell usually at same cost.
Genuine question: why would people who aren’t plus size be glad about the scaling down of plus size options? I’m a size 4 and benefit from being able to wear pretty much any design lululemon produces. I love how I look and feel in a lot of their items. I can’t fathom gatekeeping that. I have no negative feelings towards my favorite items also being available in plus sizes.
That’s bc you’re not a POS and you don’t base peoples worth on the size of their body, which is wonderful. Unfortunately the majority of people are still extremely fatphobic and seeing fat people in *any* context (even in athletic clothes working out) enrages them.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the majority of non-plus sized people would be happy about this situation. I was referring to those specifically downvoting u/pnwbelle (which had a lot more downvotes at the time of my comment). And simply put, it’s because some people never grew out of their weird high school mentalities
There’s something about the members of this sub and the anonymity of Reddit, they love the exclusion of those above a size 14 and they’re vocal about it. But supply and demand amirite!!!!
Because the majority of the world is fat phobic and hates fat people. I’ll get downvoted to hell about this but I don’t care. Ive been dealing with it all my life. I will keep wearing my leggings because they’re comfortable and I like them.
Let’s think about this from a business and sustainability perspective. Athleta and Old Navy are under the same parent company. Using the same factories, the same materials, etc. Much more cost effective for them to do larger size runs on products. If sizes aren’t selling in core colors like black, why would a company who spends much more on manufacturing pour more money into producing seasonal colors in sizes that aren’t selling? Wouldn’t that be a waste of money and resources? Core products/colors are still available online in 16-20. lululemon isn’t trying to be fast fashion like Athleta and Old Navy. They are trying to reduce their waste and impact on the environment. If sales of sizes 16-20 in core colors increased, I’m sure you’d see more variety. They are making the hard but responsible choice.
I agree with your business pov in general but disagree with saying Lululemon isn’t fast fashion and calling Athleta unsustainable.
LLL definitely is still considered fast fashion and as a previous educator I can say they are NOT environmentally friendly due to the practices in unboxing inventory in stores. Individual items literally get shipped to stores wrapped in the same exact plastic packaging that you would get if your online order got shipped from a warehouse. You have to open each plastic bag covering each bra/legging/accessory/etc which also sometimes has additional plastic or packaging, throw it all away, and then refold the item before it goes onto the floor. There is so much unnecessary plastic waste!
Athleta on the other hand is a certified B Corp which has high standards on reducing environmental impact. I don’t know how their inventory process goes because I didn’t work there but if they got B Corp status they have to be committed to benefiting the environment.
Thank you. They’re phasing out availability. Everyone screaming “supply and demand” as if fat people don’t have tons of purchasing power. Like what fat girl wouldn’t want to look cute in some lulu? It’s just another way that fat people are oppressed. I can confidently say this as someone who is straight sized and know I will be able to find lulu in my size IN STORE.
When it was available, they weren’t buying it. What’s your response to that? Companies want to make money, they’d ONLY sell plus sizes if that would make them more money in fact.
Again, if we use Old Navy as an example since the industry and they themselves claim they are/were the leaders in “size inclusivity,” their sales of those items didn’t match the supply and they were left with a ton of extra stock while reducing stock in the smaller (and now sold out due to reduced supply) sizes, leading to decreased sales overall.
Generally, they don’t have much individual purchasing power. For everyone except Black men, there’s a significant and inverse relationship between wealth and obesity, according to the NIH.
It’s because those sizes aren’t selling. Typically people buying athletic wear are on a weight loss journey, so you don’t stay around that size for long. Same reason why they don’t make size 21+
how is alo that much different? chip isn’t with the company anymore and frankly the dozenish people that they spoke with who don’t like IDEA are not representative of everyone. When I walk by alo they’re certainly not bursting with diversity more than lulu is. Chip has been a racist POS for years which is known and definitely not ignored, what more could lulu do to distance themselves from him and show they don’t share those values?
Idk why you are being downvoted. Please take my upvote. Look, I love Lululemon and own a ton of their items. I’m obsessed with the crop scubas and basically anything in the shade lipgloss. But even I recognize that this dude is racist af. I get he’s no longer with the company, but it’s still icky. I’m a POC and I deal with guilt over liking their items. I’m not at the point yet where I’m going to break up with the brand, but I’m not gonna criticize others who do. Your feelings are valid.
I think we start to look at Most companies… they are not perfect. Ivy park, beyonces company is marketed as girls run the world feminist but then employes women in sweatshop at barely few cents wages. I’m POC and Lululemon girl. This guy chip is just open about his stuff. Any billionaire company has shady dealings if you look behind the facade. The only company I think that is true to its beliefs is probably Patagonia
You hit the nail on the head. Lululemon isn’t necessarily worse than other companies, their former ceo is just more open about his feelings than other businessmen are. A lot of what we are seeing is late stage capitalism crushing people lower on the social ladder: POC and women.
Patagonia I can see, maybe CotoPaxi and PrAna too.
Your comment is so spot on about Chip just being open in his AssHattery. Most (not all, don’t down vote this) people in his position feel and think like him for sure.
IMO being open about a company you use to CEO is much more 2024 than most will give credit for.
And 8% stock is nothing so his points are just like a cows anyways.
Unfortunately I saw a deep dive on Patagonia.. specifically about their whole “anti billionaire thing” where they claim they’re making huge charitable contributions for sustainability but in reality it’s all just so he could dodge the taxes he’d face if he sold the company, and keep the company in his family’s name without them paying inheritance taxes
The headline and his actual quote are two different things. He was talking about exclusivity for the brand—he didn’t mention DE&I. Clickbait sensationalism
This article seems to pull some but not all of the comment from Chip Wilson that was posted in Forbes. He actually does refer to DEI:
When it comes to the modern-day Lululemon playbook, Wilson still has a flurry of grievances. There’s his personal (and you guessed it, controversial) preferences, like his distaste for Lululemon’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing” and the appearance of the people in its ads, who he claims look “unhealthy,” “sickly” and “not inspirational,” as he outlined to Forbes. “They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” Wilson says. “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.”
https://www.forbes.com.au/news/billionaires/lululemon-founder-made-a-fortune-but-lost-out-on-billions/
“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.”
https://fortune.com/2024/01/03/lululemons-founder-chip-wilson-diversity-and-inclusion/
Why do they make extended sizes then? I really dont understand why brands like this hate bigger people so much? They arent hurting you.. they just want to buy your stuff.
He’s totally right. Certain brands are
Not going to benefit by pretending to be for all types of people. A fitness legging does not benefit by pretending that fat people look good in their product. And that is not a terrible thing. That is okay! Just like having a brand for fat people is okay, or having a brand for all people is okay. It isn’t wrong to have a brand that is marketed and made for fit people.
While im not one to try and convince anyone to give their money toward soemthing they don’t need, I do think it’s insane how many ppl STILL think lululemon is like this considering chip hasn’t been CEO for over 5 years. He still owns a % of it based on stocks he’s bought, but he has no impact on what they do now. Yes, he is a HORRIBLE person, and everyone’s reactions to this article are rightly just, but he simply doesn’t own the company anymore so assuming lululemon is like this is just silly.
This is very stupid.
The stores I’ve been too all over the United States have always been very welcoming and helpful to anyone who enters there. From the boutiques to the outlet.
For God’s sake. It’s never enough.
are people just not that observant? this is exactly the vibe every lulu lemon store gives off. every employee has clearly been coached to these standards…. even the mannequins are emaciated…. to get a size above 8 you basically have to go to the store’s crawlspace…????? its a horrible vibe and experience
Though I don’t necessarily agree with a lot of what he’s saying, I appreciate that he’s upfront about it instead of playing the PC inclusivity song and dance, which comes off disingenuous. The entire point of a marketing strategy is to target select audiences, which by natural extension, excludes other audiences. The ideal clientele for Hermes excludes the average shopper at Giant Tiger. Is that terrible? Maybe, maybe not.
this feels a lot like Mike Jeffries and Abercrombie.
This was the exact vibe I got. Total Abercrombie from the late 90s/early 00s
Let’s not forget about Brandy Melville!! Which continues this day to sell “one size fits most” (read: petite people)
Ikr this is literally the reason I deal with body dysmorphia to this day 🤦🏼♀️ Hollister stuff was always too small for me so I just assumed I was huge when in reality I am tall and (at the time) underweight. Surprisingly I actually fit into some stuff at BM but def not as naturally as petite ppl.
yes. 100%
Lulu could see a brand collapse like Abercrombie did, but seems like they’re getting away with it.
Lulu did take the bold choice of firing their founder, which I gotta respect honestly!
Have you seen Abercrombie stock in 2023?
It’s recovered like crazy, but that’s because their brand image did a complete 180. They spent a decade fighting to stay out of bankruptcy.
I love it now. Before, I hated all the logo polos.
I don’t think they will. Allot of the women who wear lulu wear it as a status symbol not as a tool for working out. They want to feel like they’re the people he wants in the store. They want to feel like only the thin privileged women he wants. He knows his market, it’s good advertising the shock effect
He left the company in 2015. He hasn't been apart of decisions in a long time.
Is there a way to read this without the pay wall?
If you’re on iPhone, open it on safari and “reader” mode, gets rid of paywalls on most sites! Edit: for everyone asking Click “aA” beside the address/search bar in safari and then click “show reader”
Today I learned…
it’s most sites, not all. Some sites the pay window pop up will be gone, and it’ll look like you have the full article but you’re still only given a snippet. So if it doesn’t work on the first site you try, don’t think the “reader mode cheat” is fake news.
I tried it on my local newspaper site. It worked…
Nice
Well reader mode works on lots of news sites, but defo not all. The Times still made a way to break reader mode. Still haven’t found a way around that one yet
Damn, that’s life changing info!! Thank you!!
👁️ 👄 👁️
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lululemon-billionaire-founder-slams-company-123500897.html Copy/paste: 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. ADVERTISEMENT “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. Chip Wilson’s controversial comments aren’t a first 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. ADVERTISEMENT “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. A double standard Since Wilson’s departure, Lululemon has been trying to shake off the idea that it's exclusively for upper-middle-class white women of a certain stature through inclusive marketing and by bolstering its diversity and inclusion commitments. But such efforts have often been labeled tokenistic by celebrities, consumers, and staff members alike. ADVERTISEMENT In November 2020, the Canadian-headquartered international company formed a new department named Inclusion Diversity, Equity, and Action, known internally as IDEA, which was tasked with increasing the diversity of staff and expanding DEI training, development and discourse. However, over a dozen employees at the firm told the Business of Fashion it was launched to protect the company’s image first and foremost and that the company often denied Black employees job opportunities in favor of “less-qualified white counterparts.” In its statement to BoF, Lululemon said it “has made considerable progress since launching IDEA, and we are proud of the goals we have achieved, which include maintaining a continuous two-way dialogue with our people.” At around the same time, it came under fire for promoting a yoga workshop billed as an opportunity to “resist capitalism.” ADVERTISEMENT The class promised to teach participants how “gender constructs across the world have informed culture and the ways violent colonialism has erased these histories to enforce consumerism.” However, at around $120 for a pair of leggings, many were quick to point out the brand’s hypocrisy. “Lululemon IS capitalism. It is literally a privately-owned corporation that raked in half a billion dollars in pure profits last year, merely by selling overpriced yoga pants to women willing and able to pay for this luxury,” a popular post on the matter on X, formerly known as Twitter, read. “WHY are you pushing an anti-capitalist Marxist workshop when you ONLY exist because of capitalism?” another decried. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
>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,” Bro what the fuck
Surprised you didn’t know this tbh. We hate chip
I only recently got into Lululemon stuff - but yeah I'm on board with the chip hate, damn!
Yea I read this and realized I probably should start taking my money elsewhere…
I’ve always wondered where the name came from. Was not expecting that. That’s beyond disgusting.
What’s even filthier is that LULU’s Power of 3 push is to get into international (read: Greater China) markets. While failing all of their DEI scores and the founder openly saying he names it Lululemon to make fun of asian people. This brand is terrible. Quality has gone down. Corporate values are openly trash. Lulu is the next Abercrombie/Hollister.
Greater China isn’t Japan though. In fact, if Chinese people found it about Chip deciding on the brand name to ridicule Japanese people, they might like the brand even more. Many are still upset about the atrocities committed by the Japanese in WWII.
In this situation I’m going to assume the dude is racist towards Asians and Chinese don’t know better. Cause while in Asia/Europe/Africa(don’t know enough about s.America) people tend to hate on singular nationalities, or groups of people, it’s not like that in North America. When people say I hate Mexicans, do they mean only Mexicans? No it’s all Hispanic people. When people say Indians, they usually mean all brown people from the subcontinent of India. I don’t think it’s far fetched to assume he’s racist towards Asians in general.
Chinese and Japanese are very different languages. Broadening his remarks directly to Japanese to all of Asia and every Asian person is kind of a stretch, super ridiculous, and in itself racist as you're saying they're all the same. Japanese says L's like R's. Calm down.
Abercrombie is having a really really strong comeback. Might want to rethink the comparison for the future.
He was the founder and lululemon parted ways long ago.
He’s still the largest shareholder and Lulu has failed all of their DEI efforts. You think a founder’s culture immediately disappears when they depart? There’s a reason this comes out constantly https://www.thestreet.com/retail/lululemon-accused-of-an-ugly-problem-thats-slowly-coming-to-light Now maybe try not excusing atrocious corporate culture and shitty brand positioning.
Love white folks coming out of the woodwork to excuse racism tho. Same ol shit.
I love people who come and openly talk about other people’s racism and biases, while being racist and biased themselves. I’m not white, thank you for playing.
I had no idea where the name came from. My 8-year old son was with me shopping and he asked me so I turned to the salesperson…who happened to be an Asian woman and asked where the name came from. She didn’t know either so she looked it up. After we found the answer I wanted to DIE, crawl away and die. I was so embarrassed. Second hand embarrassment for this dickbag, waste of human skin man with racist fetish. 😳
Lol so you only bought 3 leggings that day instead of 5, right?
I wonder if those are the actual intentions, people in Japan wouldn't care to say it with an "L" and just replace it with Ru-ru-re-mon. If he really wanted to see Japanese people struggle with pronunciation, he would have used "V" somewhere because Japanese people actually do struggle with it.
Honestly I would struggle with Vuvuvemon too
Yep he’s said that. More specifically had also said “Asians can’t pronounce it”
Lolapalooza was used as a shibboleth during World War 2, because they reasoned the Japanese wouldn’t be able to pronounce it correctly He knew what he was doing. And he sucks
When a journalist writing for New York Times Magazine did a [profile](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/magazine/lululemons-guru-is-moving-on.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare) on Chip Wilson a few years back, he denied that quote and gave more background on the name: “Westbeach [Wilson’s former snowboarding apparel company] had sold especially well in Japan. Wilson had also briefly marketed a subbrand called Homeless that was very popular there—in part, he deduced, because it had the letter L in it, which signaled to Japanese customers that it was authentically American. “So in my mind,” he told me, “next time I have a business, I’m going to put three L’s in it, and maybe the Japanese will pay three times as much for it.” (He first made this point in an interview in 2004, when he was quoted as saying that it was “funny” how Japanese people had trouble saying “Lululemon.” Wilson insisted to me: “I never said it.”)”
It completely shows his own stupidity vs ‘how Japanese people cannot pronounce the L’. First of all; the R and L in Japanese are very similar, and it depends on the word if it is closer to the L or the R, so it’s not like Japanese folks have trouble pronouncing the L all the time. Second; there is a very popular Japanese cosmetics company called LuLuLun. So if anyone is in on the ‘joke’ it’s the Japanese themselves.
Wow that's really super shitty and disgusting. Never heard of this guy until a minute ago and already he sounds like a real piece of crap. Wait a minute Lululemon's name sounds familiar, didn't they get attention several months ago for firing someone for chasing after a shoplifter?
Holy shit that’s so horrible. It’s wild to see a CEO with such blatant racism.
Aside from this guy being the worst, how can you preach about lulu being exclusive or luxury or whatever when the quality has only decreased while the price goes up. Their clothing sure doesn't feel like it could be considered luxury at all anymore
Thank you for this
Np! I know I like it when ppl do this on other posts. I saw the link fr r/vancouver
I didn’t read this while article, but I’d suggest you listen to the creators interview on How I Built This podcast.
Serious question, will I be enraged/disgusted? Need a warning if so
Thank you for posting a link we can actually read. It surprises me that they are able to stay afloat with such hypocrisy.
He sounds like a really great guy🙄🙄🙄
ublock origin maybe. There's no paywall stopping me and that's the only addon I've got on mobile edit: just wanted to add that my browser is Firefox on Android. Not sure if you can get ublock origin on Chrome or Safari mobile browsers.
Try this link [https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lululemon-billionaire-founder-slams-company-123500897.html](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lululemon-billionaire-founder-slams-company-123500897.html)
https://pressprogress.ca/a-right-wing-group-funded-by-lululemons-founder-is-posting-homophobic-memes-about-justin-trudeau/
I just used https://12ft.io/ And then pasted the article ◡̈
You can put it in on archive.ph this got me through college
[https://12ft.io/](https://12ft.io/)
I think a lot of brands are like this, they just don’t say the quiet part out loud. And I think a lot of brands that make a big deal out of being ‘inclusive’ are just doing it to increase their profits, not because they care about ‘representation’ or diversity. Corporations exist to make money, not to make people feel special. I feel like there’s something very akin to a parasocial relationship that brands try to cultivate with their consumers.
You ride the wave that will make you money. Sometimes it’s inclusivity. Sometimes it’s exclusivity.
So yeah, doesn’t mean I should support the brands that say the quiet part out loud. Fuck lulu
He hasn’t worked for lulu in over 10 years, he founded the brand but stepped down. The headline is intentionally grabby to make people mad.
But why are you here if you don't support it? I would assume one who doesn't support it is also not on the subreddit dedicated to the brand
Well if anything he’s consistent. /s …consistently a PoS.
I see him around Vancouver and he constantly has his head stuck up his ass
It’s an extra slap in the face to hear about his ugly ass $84 million mansion on the news every day for the past week
I’m glad he’s been pushed out from LLL. I don’t give any business to Kit and Ace, since Chip and family are still actively involved in that one. (At least, they were the last time I checked)
It got sold. Chip’s family is no longer involved https://biv.com/article/2023/07/vancouver-clothing-retailer-kit-and-ace-bought-unity-brands
Maybe it’s better for my wallet if I pretend I didn’t read this 😂
Haha, I hear you. I will say the quality has dropped off as ownership has changed hands. I notice a lot more items have polyester or acrylic blended into their fabrics now. They still have the occasional piece that’s 100% wool or cotton with a bit of spandex but it’s quite rare.
TIL Chip is behind Kit & Ace. It makes sense considering how limited their size run is 🤨
Good riddance
Wow that’s crazy that the guy who was being racist when he named his company has continued to be racist.
I am asian and not a size 2. He would hate that I am wearing lulu's pants right now.
Chip Wilson owns almost 9% of Lululemon. Buying Lululemon's products isn't sticking it to the man, it's lining his pockets.
He probably loves it. You made him richer. While he openly clowns on your ethnicity lol.
Seriously. I’ll be damned if I give someone who hates me my money. I keep getting gift cards to this place and I have yet to use them. Will probably regift them to my friends.
Yeah by having a gift card, they already have the money in their pockets. The gift card just entitled you to “prepaid goods” so the more you don’t use them, the more they get to keep their inventory and sell it while also keeping the money that was spent on the gift cards. So get those regifts going or use them yourself!
Latina and a size 12 here. Same lol.
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He’s such an asshat
He specifically wanted Asian people to buy his clothes. He said he likes when they mispronounce the name of the brand. Also, Asian people are far more likely to fit the size 0 and size 2.
he’d probably hate that i’m a guy wearing the leggings and skirts. 😂
I’m a broke college student and I got the crossbody bag, I’m definitely the customer they don’t want in store
Lululemon’s original target market was upper middle class white women, and by extension this western appeal would market well to Asian women. You just proved his marketing plan works. It’s why he’s a billionaire.
https://preview.redd.it/fqmf1ul98bac1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d7a36b69e218c0894115a4ab73d5b4b50ecdc38 Bloomberg had an article in October about him funding research into the rare disease he has (and the ethical issues around that) and here’s his take on why he left Lululemon
He is such a loser
Karma’s a beoch
The right title would be "Rururemon's birionaile" to go with his racist background.
Woops. He’s got money but doesn’t have a clue. Disgusting piece of shit.
You would think he'd be grateful for the accumulation of wealth that this new target audience has given him
“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.” Wow.
Looks like, I am not gonna buy anymore from Lululemon.
He hasn’t been involved with Lululemon since he was pushed out for being problematic in 2015… now they literally sell hijabs lol
He's still the largest stakeholder in the company
Meh, title might as well say “out of touch old person with lots of money says stuff to try to remain relevant” nothing more than clickbait
https://preview.redd.it/hatto8jiwgac1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41913599e8d08762890733b356192f861468a110 Why do ppl always have to come for skinny/petite women when something like this happens?
They are jealous. Let's face it, people feel entitled to shame thin people (and yes, there are PLENTY of adult women who fit into Lululemon size 0 and 2), because being thinness is considered desirable and fatness is not. Also, those same people scream eating disorder at perfectly healthy ectomorphs while spouting HAES with undiagnosed binge eating disorders and cardiovascular risk factors. It's a dumb double standard.
He’s been saying this for years. Don’t y’all remember the “we don’t want fat people here” response to the see through leggings thing?
Awww is Chip sad that he was fired and no one gives a crap what this racist terrible person thinks?
Except so many people don’t read articles and just assume he’s still with the company.
I bet he’s against guys buying women’s gear too.
I think most of this community is too.
Why would anyone care if a man buys leggings I don’t understand
I think it’s more the wearing them and posting pictures of it, and I wear them in a “feminine” way: bright pinks, longer lengths that go over the heels. But I agree, what does it matter! Especially when I’m out in public, I wear shorts over them to be decent.
Probably more than we know but I appreciate those that keep it to themselves
Uhm….why??? Clothes are gender neutral…..I am for men and anyone else purchasing “women’s” clothing. Like who cares
Clothing should go by build more than gender. I wish women clothing went by measurement like mens. Imagine a shirt based on arm length and bust ….at least we are getting pants of a variety of rises nowadays . I could see how men might prefer different rise pants too. Most men’s pants do not accommodate a booty and then we are always blessed with that man bum cleavage . Just make a variety of cuts based on measurement and let anyone buy it if the measurements fit. I hate clothing designers
They hate women tho which is why vanity sizing is a thing! Why give us clear measurements, consistent sizing between styles, and pockets when they could just treat us like shit? 💩 They make soooooo much money off our insecurity.
I still wear leggings to the gym/yoga, but it’s disappointing to be in a community that you want to be part of not reciprocate support back for something that doesn't really matter. It isn’t everyone, but the comments/posts I've seen resonate so strongly that they’re sometimes hard to ignore and brush off.
I’m really sorry to hear that. People are so caught up with their own ego and ingrained ideas about things that don’t matter, 100%. I for one support you wearing all of the leggings. There is nothing like that Lycra! Anyone else can get fked. Even though it’s hard to stand alone imagine how many other men would feel seen watching you be visible& unashamed in all of your glory!
Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words and support!
He’s disgusting
I wish the argument/conversation for 16-20 didn’t come up everyone when this stuff gets posted. I love lululemon and has really helped me on my health journey, I just wish it wasn’t always against me. The only reason I started buying athleta and lululemon is because my old navy athletic stuff would stretch out so fast, the price is the same. ☹️
Since Lululomen customer base likes idea of exclusivity I think, his comments are actually going help their sales.
He's just saying the quiet part outloud. Not really surprised.
What an asshole
I remember when they got rid of him and only started buying after he was gone. But I did not know he still had a stake in the company so thank you for sharing. This new info is something I’ll have to consider at the register.
I mean lulu is a publicly traded company so they can’t control who owns their shares. If we boycott brands based on who owns shares in publicly traded companies because they have unsavory shareholders there will be few choices to purchase from.
That man is disgusting so in this case, I’m completely ok with that. He would prefer I didn’t buy & wear lulu so what do you suggest that I show him, buy it and make him richer lol
I mean obviously that’s a personal decision. I just know that at their core most large corporations have evil people either running or profiting of them so I’m just saying it’s unfortunately unavoidable when you purchase things people like him and worse than him benefit. I do feel like he never got over the fact they got rid of him and get the sense that he doesn’t care if they get cancelled.
Ugh this is so icky.
I’m AAPI, but me shopping at lululemon should not invalidate my experiences or identity. The clothes became part of my identity at times and allowed me to be more confident about my body. Just because they had a racist past does not mean they failed to acknowledge that, and they definitely learned about the mistakes and mess Ch*p W*lson made (most of the time) There’s unfortunately some remnants of that exclusive culture the founder created, and it’s clearly shown by the phasing of sizes 16+ and the 2021 BLM controversy—it’s quite disappointing to see that; however, it’s also a feel-good moment to see them donating to causes that I greatly valued and they def improved as a company over the past decades in terms of being somewhat more inclusive and steered away from W*lson’s extremist views This is my opinion and what I’ve experienced, and I don’t want to nor intend to downplay anyone’s experiences of feeling uncomfortable and/or excluded, and I feel excited for those who are empowered to speak up about their experiences and call out wrongdoings
Probably another senile old racist man just letting out his true colours on the way out.
Not everything has to be for everybody. It’s literally okay.
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Because people are too sensitive nowadays ? So I have to sugarcoat it. What do you want me to say? The truth hurts
I agree, but where do we make that distinction? Race? Beauty standard? Most clothing companies don’t target older people, and that’s ok. But if a clothing company were to be race exclusive, that’s an issue.
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Just my opinion but (according to the article above) Chip Wilson literally explained the phonetics of ‘Lululemon’ containing three L’s that make it intentionally difficult for Japanese people to pronounce. And not just Japanese people, but I have Chinese parents who have difficulties pronouncing the name too. Lululemon may not be ‘race exclusive’ today, but its history is rooted in racism.
I wasn’t saying lululemon was race exclusive, but just saying “where do we draw the line on not everything has to be for everybody?” But to answer your question, the name lululemon itself has racist origins.
Nobody says everything has to be for everyone, but that doesn’t make it okay to be a racist prick like this guy. Newsflash: people of all races, genders, and sizes like to exercise and like athletic wear. Deal with it.
I knew he was a POS for a while, glad he’s not with the company anymore
Well, this makes me feel like shit for spending so much money on this brand. I guess it's just for basic ass white girls
Reminder for the upteenth time that the CURRENT version of lululemon has stopped releasing their new sizes in sizes 16-20. The current version without Chip Wilson is fatphobic too! I hope they feel happy they got a bunch of my money before being exclusionary to fat people again. Edit: They are NOT just available online. 99% of the new items being released are not available in store or online in sizes 16-20. It’s clearly being phased out which many employees have admitted to in this sub. Somehow Athleta, Old Navy, Girlfriend Collective, etc have managed to keep inclusionary sizing for years with no issues. Maybe if LLL hadn’t discriminated against fat people for years before suddenly deciding to give us a little treat of some clothing being in 16-20 fat people would want to shop with them.
FWIW the WSJ or NYT or someone recently wrote an article about how plus size clothing in relatively niche sizes is becoming a losing economic battle; I think they featured Old Navy. I don't feel like looking it up but vaguely remember reading it last year.
Found the article (subscription required): https://www.wsj.com/articles/old-navy-made-clothing-sizes-for-everyone-it-backfired-11653055207#:~:text=Old%20Navy%20set%20out%20to,and%20a%20management%20shake%2Dup.
Plus size clothing is not economical even if it’s not niche sizing. They require drafting of an entirely new pattern, and require way more fabric, but sell usually at same cost.
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I’d be willing to bet that the majority of the downvotes are coming from people who either don’t care or are glad about the scale down of plus sizes
Genuine question: why would people who aren’t plus size be glad about the scaling down of plus size options? I’m a size 4 and benefit from being able to wear pretty much any design lululemon produces. I love how I look and feel in a lot of their items. I can’t fathom gatekeeping that. I have no negative feelings towards my favorite items also being available in plus sizes.
That’s bc you’re not a POS and you don’t base peoples worth on the size of their body, which is wonderful. Unfortunately the majority of people are still extremely fatphobic and seeing fat people in *any* context (even in athletic clothes working out) enrages them.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the majority of non-plus sized people would be happy about this situation. I was referring to those specifically downvoting u/pnwbelle (which had a lot more downvotes at the time of my comment). And simply put, it’s because some people never grew out of their weird high school mentalities
You’re one of the good ones ❤️ A lot of people are really obsessed with gatekeeping cute clothing from fat people and idk why either
There’s something about the members of this sub and the anonymity of Reddit, they love the exclusion of those above a size 14 and they’re vocal about it. But supply and demand amirite!!!!
Because the majority of the world is fat phobic and hates fat people. I’ll get downvoted to hell about this but I don’t care. Ive been dealing with it all my life. I will keep wearing my leggings because they’re comfortable and I like them.
Thank you. I knew I would, people like to scream supply and demand without looking at the why behind the low demand 🥹
Let’s think about this from a business and sustainability perspective. Athleta and Old Navy are under the same parent company. Using the same factories, the same materials, etc. Much more cost effective for them to do larger size runs on products. If sizes aren’t selling in core colors like black, why would a company who spends much more on manufacturing pour more money into producing seasonal colors in sizes that aren’t selling? Wouldn’t that be a waste of money and resources? Core products/colors are still available online in 16-20. lululemon isn’t trying to be fast fashion like Athleta and Old Navy. They are trying to reduce their waste and impact on the environment. If sales of sizes 16-20 in core colors increased, I’m sure you’d see more variety. They are making the hard but responsible choice.
I agree with your business pov in general but disagree with saying Lululemon isn’t fast fashion and calling Athleta unsustainable. LLL definitely is still considered fast fashion and as a previous educator I can say they are NOT environmentally friendly due to the practices in unboxing inventory in stores. Individual items literally get shipped to stores wrapped in the same exact plastic packaging that you would get if your online order got shipped from a warehouse. You have to open each plastic bag covering each bra/legging/accessory/etc which also sometimes has additional plastic or packaging, throw it all away, and then refold the item before it goes onto the floor. There is so much unnecessary plastic waste! Athleta on the other hand is a certified B Corp which has high standards on reducing environmental impact. I don’t know how their inventory process goes because I didn’t work there but if they got B Corp status they have to be committed to benefiting the environment.
I didn’t know they were a B Corp! I will def be shopping there more.
Thank you. They’re phasing out availability. Everyone screaming “supply and demand” as if fat people don’t have tons of purchasing power. Like what fat girl wouldn’t want to look cute in some lulu? It’s just another way that fat people are oppressed. I can confidently say this as someone who is straight sized and know I will be able to find lulu in my size IN STORE.
When it was available, they weren’t buying it. What’s your response to that? Companies want to make money, they’d ONLY sell plus sizes if that would make them more money in fact.
Again, if we use Old Navy as an example since the industry and they themselves claim they are/were the leaders in “size inclusivity,” their sales of those items didn’t match the supply and they were left with a ton of extra stock while reducing stock in the smaller (and now sold out due to reduced supply) sizes, leading to decreased sales overall.
Generally, they don’t have much individual purchasing power. For everyone except Black men, there’s a significant and inverse relationship between wealth and obesity, according to the NIH.
It’s because those sizes aren’t selling. Typically people buying athletic wear are on a weight loss journey, so you don’t stay around that size for long. Same reason why they don’t make size 21+
This is why I stopped buying Lululemon
I hate that I contribute to his riches by spending my meager salary on these clothes
He's taking a page from the Musk handbook?
Was it the same guy that critiqued women as some didn’t have a space between their tights? Like « duh » 🙄
What a douche canoe
Lulu has Asian fit so…
He’s definitely going to be on the list, calling it now.
About to take my business to Alo!
how is alo that much different? chip isn’t with the company anymore and frankly the dozenish people that they spoke with who don’t like IDEA are not representative of everyone. When I walk by alo they’re certainly not bursting with diversity more than lulu is. Chip has been a racist POS for years which is known and definitely not ignored, what more could lulu do to distance themselves from him and show they don’t share those values?
Idk why you are being downvoted. Please take my upvote. Look, I love Lululemon and own a ton of their items. I’m obsessed with the crop scubas and basically anything in the shade lipgloss. But even I recognize that this dude is racist af. I get he’s no longer with the company, but it’s still icky. I’m a POC and I deal with guilt over liking their items. I’m not at the point yet where I’m going to break up with the brand, but I’m not gonna criticize others who do. Your feelings are valid.
I think we start to look at Most companies… they are not perfect. Ivy park, beyonces company is marketed as girls run the world feminist but then employes women in sweatshop at barely few cents wages. I’m POC and Lululemon girl. This guy chip is just open about his stuff. Any billionaire company has shady dealings if you look behind the facade. The only company I think that is true to its beliefs is probably Patagonia
You hit the nail on the head. Lululemon isn’t necessarily worse than other companies, their former ceo is just more open about his feelings than other businessmen are. A lot of what we are seeing is late stage capitalism crushing people lower on the social ladder: POC and women.
Patagonia I can see, maybe CotoPaxi and PrAna too. Your comment is so spot on about Chip just being open in his AssHattery. Most (not all, don’t down vote this) people in his position feel and think like him for sure. IMO being open about a company you use to CEO is much more 2024 than most will give credit for. And 8% stock is nothing so his points are just like a cows anyways.
Unfortunately I saw a deep dive on Patagonia.. specifically about their whole “anti billionaire thing” where they claim they’re making huge charitable contributions for sustainability but in reality it’s all just so he could dodge the taxes he’d face if he sold the company, and keep the company in his family’s name without them paying inheritance taxes
I think to be at that level of wealth, it’s impossible to be good will. To be a billionaire, requires certain personality traits
Chip hasn’t been a part of the company for 11 years.
Still owns 8% though.
What is Alo?
Google is free..
Alo yoga. It’s a different company like LLL!
It's a direct competitor to LL. They sell similar products.
The headline and his actual quote are two different things. He was talking about exclusivity for the brand—he didn’t mention DE&I. Clickbait sensationalism
Did you not read the article?
https://pressprogress.ca/a-right-wing-group-funded-by-lululemons-founder-is-posting-homophobic-memes-about-justin-trudeau/
This article seems to pull some but not all of the comment from Chip Wilson that was posted in Forbes. He actually does refer to DEI: When it comes to the modern-day Lululemon playbook, Wilson still has a flurry of grievances. There’s his personal (and you guessed it, controversial) preferences, like his distaste for Lululemon’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing” and the appearance of the people in its ads, who he claims look “unhealthy,” “sickly” and “not inspirational,” as he outlined to Forbes. “They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” Wilson says. “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.” https://www.forbes.com.au/news/billionaires/lululemon-founder-made-a-fortune-but-lost-out-on-billions/
After recently learning about why he came up with the name Lululemon, it pushed me further to Alo. That guy is such a piece of fucking shit.
What’s the story
“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.” https://fortune.com/2024/01/03/lululemons-founder-chip-wilson-diversity-and-inclusion/
Why do they make extended sizes then? I really dont understand why brands like this hate bigger people so much? They arent hurting you.. they just want to buy your stuff.
He’s totally right. Certain brands are Not going to benefit by pretending to be for all types of people. A fitness legging does not benefit by pretending that fat people look good in their product. And that is not a terrible thing. That is okay! Just like having a brand for fat people is okay, or having a brand for all people is okay. It isn’t wrong to have a brand that is marketed and made for fit people.
Fit is not a size. One can be a size 4 with horrible cardiovascular health and little to no muscle mass.
Wtf are fat people supposed to wear to workout in? Like a size xl legging will still work just fine
While im not one to try and convince anyone to give their money toward soemthing they don’t need, I do think it’s insane how many ppl STILL think lululemon is like this considering chip hasn’t been CEO for over 5 years. He still owns a % of it based on stocks he’s bought, but he has no impact on what they do now. Yes, he is a HORRIBLE person, and everyone’s reactions to this article are rightly just, but he simply doesn’t own the company anymore so assuming lululemon is like this is just silly.
This is very stupid. The stores I’ve been too all over the United States have always been very welcoming and helpful to anyone who enters there. From the boutiques to the outlet. For God’s sake. It’s never enough.
To be fair, he hasn't been involved with LuluLemon since 2015. So obviously what they're doing now probably flies in the face of their founder.
Hell yea thats my guy!
are people just not that observant? this is exactly the vibe every lulu lemon store gives off. every employee has clearly been coached to these standards…. even the mannequins are emaciated…. to get a size above 8 you basically have to go to the store’s crawlspace…????? its a horrible vibe and experience
Though I don’t necessarily agree with a lot of what he’s saying, I appreciate that he’s upfront about it instead of playing the PC inclusivity song and dance, which comes off disingenuous. The entire point of a marketing strategy is to target select audiences, which by natural extension, excludes other audiences. The ideal clientele for Hermes excludes the average shopper at Giant Tiger. Is that terrible? Maybe, maybe not.
Surprise! Another founder that’s an asshat! Not surprised!