The founder of Lululemon is blasting the athleisure apparel company's push to include diversity, equity, and inclusion in its marketing— specifically by featuring overweight, plus-size women to model their clothes.
Billionaire Chip Wilson is taking swings against Lululemon's DEI programs, saying they are destroying the company he created that once featured fit, healthy women in its ads.
"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," Wilson said, adding that the brand is trying to "become like the Gap, everything to everybody."
Wilson said that the models being used in the ads, who are clearly obese, look "unhealthy," "sickly," and "not inspirational."
Wilson stepped down as CEO in 2013 and left the board two years later after saying that "some women's bodies just don't actually work" in Lululemon's popular yoga pants. The woke media claimed Wilson was "fat-shaming" despite clearly being the size of Lizzo.
In response, Lululemon defended the company's DEI programs and distanced itself from the founder.
"Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs," a Lululemon spokesperson said. "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."
After his interview with Forbes, the woke publication claimed that Wilson's comments prove he is not the "person to run a 21st-century retailer." DEI initiatives promote men and women of all colors, shapes, and sizes, but according to Wilson, this is a massive branding issue for Lululemon.