The founder of Lululemon has blasted the athleisure apparel company’s embrace of diversity, equity, and inclusion in its marketing, saying the models in the ads look “unhealthy,” “sickly,” and “not inspirational.”
Lululemon’s billionaire founder Chip Wilson — who has a history of enraging the woke news media with his public statements — told Forbes in a recent interview that he is unhappy with the direction Lululemon has taken, saying the brand is trying to “become like the Gap, everything to everybody.”
“I think the definition of a brand is that you’re not everything to everybody,” Wilson said. “You’ve got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in.”
He blasted the retailer’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing,” saying the models in the ads look “unhealthy” and “sickly.” He said some of them are “not inspirational.”
Lululemon has featured plus-sized models to promote its clothes for overweight people.
Wilson stepped down as CEO in 2013 and left the board two years later.
“Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs,” a Lululemon spokesperson told The New York Post.
“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.”
In the past, Wilson hasn’t been shy about expressing his opinions when it comes to athletic apparel.
In 2013, he told Bloomberg News a certain line of yoga pants didn’t work for all women’s bodies after customers complained they were see-through..
“Because even our small sizes would fit an extra-large. It’s more about the rubbing through the thighs, and how much you’re using it,” he said.
The mainstream news media interpreted his rather anodyne comment as “fat-shaming.”
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