Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) continues to be a hot topic into the new year. And founder and former CEO of Lululemon Chip Wilson has a lot to say.
In a recent interview with Forbes, Wilson openly aired his grievances, discussing how he dislikes Lululemon’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing.” Indeed, Wilson didn’t shy away from controversy, also alluding to his distaste for the models being used in ads, who he described as looking “unhealthy,” “sickly,” and “not inspirational.”
The billionaire added that, “They’re [Lululemon] trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody.” “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,” said Wilson.
What exactly does the policy say that Wilson is so upset about? According to the company website, Lululemon’s “Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA) mission” is to “[e]xpand being well to encompass a culture of inclusion where diversity is celebrated, equity is the norm, and action is the commitment.”
A message from Calvin McDonald, Lululemon’s current CEO, is also posted on the website, reading in part: “At lululemon, we are in the midst of a journey to drive meaningful, lasting change in the world and promote well being across our communities. As part of our Impact Agenda we are accelerating programs to become a more inclusive and diverse company.”
The seemingly innocuous mission does not seem that dissimilar to the many other DEI initiatives that sprung up in the wake of the apparent racial reckoning the U.S. underwent after the police murder of George Floyd.
But, Lululemon’s IDEA initiative made headlines last November as merely being a front to promote good public relations. The Business of Fashion published a story after interviewing 14 former and current employees ranging from sales associates to managers and ambassadors in both Canada and the U.S. The consensus: “a corporate culture that is unwelcoming of Black people,” Newsweek reports.
But Wilson’s provocative statements aren’t exactly surprising considering the origin of the popular athleisure company’s name. In 2004, the former head “not[ed] that he came up with [Lululemon] after his observation of Japanese people pronouncing names with the English letter ‘L’ in it.”
“L is not in their vocabulary. It’s a tough pronunciation for them. So I thought, next time I have a company, I’ll make a name with three Ls and see if I can get three times the money,” Wilson told the National Post Business Magazine. “It’s kind of exotic for them. I was playing with Ls and I came up with Lululemon. It’s funny to watch them try to say it,” Wilson continued.
In response to Wilson’s latest provocative remarks, a company spokesperson released the following statement to Newsweek, “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 statement continued.
“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,” the spokesperson added. “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.”