Lululemon Head Steps Down After Controversy, Chip Wilson's Apology was Not Enough to Save Job
Lululemon co-founder Chip Wilson resigned from the company after he ignited controversy after insisting that "some women's bodies just don't actually work" when talking about company's yoga pants.
Lululemon announced on Monday that they named Michael Casey as the new Chairman of the Board.
The controversy started when Wilson was discussing the company's high-end fitness brand on Bloomberg TV's "Street Smart" segment.
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Earlier this year, Lululemon received flak for distributing transparent yoga pants, which Chip said was the result of a technical error in the material used, according to the Huffington Post.
More recently Lulelemon consumers are complaining that yoga pants are not pilling. Priced anywhere from $82 to $108, yoga enthusiasts are upset what they believe are inefficient yoga pants from the store.
Wilson defended his product insisting Lululemon is not to blame for the fabric problems this time- it's women's bodies are the cause of the pilling, he said.
"There's always been pilling," he said. "Women will wear a seat belt that doesn't work. Or a purse that doesn't work, and quite frankly, some women's bodies just don't work for [our pants]."
When the show's host prompted him further, Wilson reiterated that "they just don't work for some women's bodies."
"It's really about the rubbing of the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it," he added, much to the chagrin of Twitter users everywhere.
In an attempt to soften his tone, Chip's wife Shannon chimed in, adding that other causes for pilling should be considered.
"What's the use and what's it being up against? Are you sitting on a cement ground," she said.
In response, Twitter users have voiced contempt for the brand and its founders on Friday.
"In other news, Chip Wilson says you're too fat to wear #lululemon," posted Shannon Scott.
Other comments on Lululemon's founders' explanation by Twitter users included "infuriating" and "ignorant," while Alyssa added, "I might boycott Lululemon after reading this."
