Lululemon Athletica

This is yoga!

Summary

Lululemon athletica is a healthy lifestyle inspired athletic apparel company for yoga, running, training and most other active pursuits.. creating transformational products and experiences which enable people to live a life they love. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional designs.. Lululemon works with yogis and athletes in local communities for continuous research and product feedback.

History

Founded in 1998 by Chip Wilson in Vancouver, British Columbia Lululemon’s initial public offering in July 2007 raised reportedly $327.6 million. Christine Day- former co-president of Starbucks- became CEO in 2008. In 2013 the company made its third successive listing on Fortune’s Fastest-Growing Companies. That year Chip Wilson announced his resignation as Chairman and revealed that Laurent Potdevin would be CEO.

In 2012 Lululemon filed a lawsuit against Calvin Klein and G-III Apparel Group for infringement of its design patents for yoga pants. The case was settled out of court. In 2014 Lululemon opened its first store in Europe: a flagship in Covent Garden, London. The following year Wilson announced he was resigning from the board and would be replaced by Michael Casey. In 2018 CEO Laurent Potdevin resigned due to misconduct.

The following year Lululemon announced an investment in Mirror: a fitness startup that sells an interactive mirror with a camera and speakers for home workouts. The companies planned to create content for the device beginning with meditation classes. In June 2020 Lululemon announced a $500 million deal to purchase Mirror inspired by an increasing trend of people focusing on virtual workouts at home instead of a gym- due to the pandemic.

Vision

Lululemon Athletica envisions creating components for people to live long, healthy and fun lives.

Mission Statement 

To elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness.

Awards and Recognition

Lululemon took the ninth spot in Glassdoor’s 14th annual Employees’ Choice Awards honoring the 100 Best Places to Work in 2022

Products and Services

Lululemon retails athletic wear including tops, yoga pants – a product that the company invented- shorts, leggings, sweaters, jackets and undergarments as well as accessories, bags, yoga mats, water bottles and personal care products such as deodorant and dry shampoo. Lululemon trademarked its original fabric, Luon, which included a higher-than-average amount of nylon microfiber in 2005. Since then the company has produced several different fabrics including compression and moisture-wicking designs. In 2019 the company launched a luxury streetwear brand called Lab in a few of its stores.

Leadership Team

  • Meghan Frank (Chief Financial Officer)
  • Celeste Burgoyne (President of Americas and Global Guest Innovation)
  • Michelle Choe (Chief Product Officer)
  • Andre Maestrini (Executive VP of International)
  • Julie Averill (CTO)
  • Howard Brett Tubin (VP of Investor Relations)
  • Shannon Higginson (Sr. VP, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer)
  • Allison Reid (VP of Corp. Communications)
  • Susan Gelinas (Sr. VP of People and Culture)

References