Lululemon’s Controversial Apology
Lululemon Athletica Inc. was in the business of manufacturing yoga inspired from athletic apparels and had international presence (Lululemon, n.d.). In the fall of 2013, Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon appeared in Bloomberg television to promote his company’s products. During his interview he blamed some of his customers for the piling problem in the yoga pants. He was of the opinion that some women’s body shapes were not fit for their company’s clothing line (Kim, 2015). He said, “ "Frankly some women's bodies just don't actually work for it" and "...it's really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it ” (Lululemon, 2013).
This remark created an outrage against Wilson in the media, which resulted in a 50 second apology video on YouTube by the company (Kim, 2013). In this apology video, Wilson apologized not to the customers he offended by his words, but to his own employees. He said. “I'm sad for the people at Lululemon who I care so much about that have really had to face the brunt of my actions," Wilson said. "I take responsibility for all that has occurred and the impact it has had on you. I'm sorry to have put you all through this” (Lululemon, 2013). Throughout the apology video he never mentioned his customers. According to ABC News (2013), Wilson’s apology was a kind of disaster for not addressing the offended customers directly. Later in the year this controversy became one of the reason leading to Wilson's resignation as chairman from the company (Kim, 2013). …show more content…
The apology was only directed towards the employees and not towards his customer, against whom he had made the
Lululemon Athletica Inc. was in the business of manufacturing yoga inspired from athletic apparels and had international presence (Lululemon, n.d.). In the fall of 2013, Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon appeared in Bloomberg television to promote his company’s products. During his interview he blamed some of his customers for the piling problem in the yoga pants. He was of the opinion that some women’s body shapes were not fit for their company’s clothing line (Kim, 2015). He said, “ "Frankly some women's bodies just don't actually work for it" and "...it's really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it ” (Lululemon, 2013).
This remark created an outrage against Wilson in the media, which resulted in a 50 second apology video on YouTube by the company (Kim, 2013). In this apology video, Wilson apologized not to the customers he offended by his words, but to his own employees. He said. “I'm sad for the people at Lululemon who I care so much about that have really had to face the brunt of my actions," Wilson said. "I take responsibility for all that has occurred and the impact it has had on you. I'm sorry to have put you all through this” (Lululemon, 2013). Throughout the apology video he never mentioned his customers. According to ABC News (2013), Wilson’s apology was a kind of disaster for not addressing the offended customers directly. Later in the year this controversy became one of the reason leading to Wilson's resignation as chairman from the company (Kim, 2013). …show more content…
The apology was only directed towards the employees and not towards his customer, against whom he had made the