Founded by Chip Wilson in Vancouver, Canada in 1998, lululemon is a yoga-inspired, technical athletic apparel company for women and men. What started as a design studio by day and yoga studio by night soon became a standalone store in November of 2000 on West 4th Avenue in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. The vision for their store was to create more than a place where people could get gear to sweat in, they wanted to create a community hub where people could learn and discuss the physical aspects of healthy living, mindfulness and living a life of possibility. It was also important for them to create real relationships with their guests and understand what they were passionate about, how they liked to sweat and help them celebrate their goals. Today, they do this in their stores around the globe.
Lululemon’s first designs were made for women to wear during yoga. Through plenty of feedback from their guests, ambassadors and elite athletes, they now design for yoga, running, cycling, training and most other sweaty pursuits for women and men. Not to mention, their designers are athletes and sweat-minded people, too. A constant that has never wavered is their desire to empower people to reach their full potential through providing the right tools and resources, and encouraging a culture of leadership, goal setting and personal responsibility. Lululemon’s core values of quality, product, integrity, balance, entrepreneurship, greatness and fun are lived by their people every day and are at the heart of their unique company culture.
Their manifesto is one way they share their culture with the community. It’s an evolving collection of bold thoughts that allow for some real conversations to take place. Lululemon live a life they love. They set their goals to align with their vision, and it’s why, so often, their one-year goals become today’s reality.