(NewsNation) — Lululemon’s billionaire founder Chip Wilson is blasting the company’s push toward diversity and inclusion.
Wilson, who stepped down from the company 10 years ago, spoke with Forbes recently and criticized Lululemon’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing.”
“They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody,” Wilson said in an interview with 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.”
Wilson, whose net worth is almost $7 billion, resigned as Lululemon’s chairman in 2013 and left the company entirely in 2015. Wilson’s resignation followed controversial comments stating that Lululemon’s leggings “actually don’t work” for some women’s bodies after the company was criticized for selling see-through yoga pants.
A spokesperson for Lululemon told Newsweek that 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 and its CEO, Calvin McDonald, say they are “committed to an equitable, inclusive future that fosters growth — without exception.”
The company’s website details the progress they’ve made since launching IDEA (“Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action”) to “help foster a culture of inclusion where diversity is celebrated, equity is the norm, and action is the commitment.”
