Lululemon's founder lashes out at the company, saying it has 'completely lost its way'

MW Lululemon's founder lashes out at the company, saying it has 'completely lost its way'

By Bill Peters

Chip Wilson, who has been trying to reshape Lululemon's board, said the company didn't care about product development or quality

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson took another shot at the company's board, saying it was steering the company in the wrong direction.

After Lululemon Athletica faced backlash over its new line of Get Low workout wear, founder Chip Wilson went off on the yoga-wear company and placed the blame squarely on the company's board.

The remarks in a LinkedIn post late Wednesday were the latest escalation in Wilson's fight to reshape Lululemon's (LULU) board, which he said has lacked vision as the company faces growing competition and questions about fashion relevance.

"I've believed that Lululemon has lost its cool for some time, but it is now evident to me that the Company has completely lost its way as a leader in technical apparel," Wilson said.

"For years, Lululemon's results (particularly in North America) have shown how the Company has struggled to deliver products that are compelling and beloved; now it is unable to simply deliver products that work," he continued.

Lululemon said Tuesday it had paused online sales of its new Get Low collection of workout wear, "to better understand some initial guest feedback and support with product education," after some customers complained the items were too sheer. The products were still available in North American stores. Afterward, some Wall Street analysts expressed concerns about Lululemon's product quality.

In the post, Wilson said he didn't blame Lululemon's employees. The fault, he said, lay with Lululemon's board, which he said lacked experience in creative businesses, was uninterested in product development and quality, and focused on "short-term, self-interested priorities."

"What product quality testing did the board review?" he said. "How often does the board review the product pipeline? Are leaders empowered to make the best product decision or simply pushed to the lowest cost decision?"

He said a "leading board" would have a brand product committee that would be asking these questions.

Lululemon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shares edged up 0.9% in premarket trading on Thursday, but were headed for a third straight weekly decline. It has tumbled 50.4% over the past 12 months through Wednesday.

Over recent weeks, Wilson has launched a proxy battle against Lululemon, saying last month that he was nominating three director candidates to "restore shareholder confidence." Wilson last month cheered the ouster of Lululemon's chief executive. Semafor reported on Monday that Wilson was trying to force private-equity firm Advent off Lululemon's board.

Lululemon in 2024 pulled its Breezethrough leggings. In 2013, it recalled a popular line of yoga pants after issues with the fabric being too sheer.

Wilson, as MarketWatch reported at the time, suggested to Bloomberg that the sheerness issues then were an issue with some women's thighs. When an interviewer asked: "Not every woman can wear a Lululemon pant?" Wilson replied: "I think they can, it's how you use it."

Wilson later apologized for the remarks, which offended some customers, and stepped down as chairman of Lululemon's board. He left the board altogether in 2015, but still holds a sizable stake in the company.

-Bill Peters

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January 22, 2026 07:44 ET (12:44 GMT)

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