Fri Dec 29, 2006
My girlfriend was telling me about her Bikram yoga class today and how you pay $20 a class to just sit there like a pretzel and sweat and feel nauseous and have acid bile rise up your throat at each contortion. Wow, what fun. Anyway, apparently all the other ladies at yoga sport Lululemon outfits. This was the first time I’d been introduced to this apparently wildly popular brand.
Needless to say, inspired by the “yes men” video, I looked into the company and was pleased to see they were based in Vancouver and produced all their clothes here. Basically, the company seemed an ethical, homegrown success that supported the local economy and made Vancouverites justifiably proud of their stylish yoga apparel.
I dug a little deeper and was dismayed to discover that Lululemon has become so popular that they have sprung up all across North America and started outsourcing all their production in China. Not only that, but according to this Tyee article, the owner, Mr. Chip Wilson thinks child labour is a great idea and that we should even implement it in Canada to give the street kids something to do.
Mr. Wilson is hardly politically correct. Here’s another example - The name Lululemon was supposedly chosen by Wilson because “he thinks the trouble Japanese people face pronouncing L’s works as an extra marketing tool for his product in that country.” “It’s funny to watch them try and say it,” he adds.
Mmmmmm… All this leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. Here’s a little tongue twister for you Mr. Wilson: Lululemon is for losers.