Chip Wilson

Last updated

Chip Wilson
Born
Dennis J. Wilson

(1955-04-25) April 25, 1955 (age 68)
NationalityCanadian
Education University of Calgary (BA)
Occupation(s)Businessman, investor, philanthropist
Known forFounder of Lululemon Athletica
Spouses
Children5

Dennis J. "Chip" Wilson (born April 25, 1955) is an American-born Canadian businessman, investor, and philanthropist who has founded several retail apparel companies, most notably the yoga-inspired athletic apparel company Lululemon Athletica Inc. [1] [2] Wilson is widely regarded as the progenitor and a pioneering figure of the athleisure phenomenon, in which the trend has permeated mainstream North American society since its emergence in 2014. [3]

Contents

In 2016, he organized his personal and business interests into the Vancouver based holding company Hold It All Inc. [4] [5]

Early life

Wilson was born in San Diego,[ citation needed ] California, in 1955. [6] [7] Both of his parents were athletes at college, and his father later on was a physical education teacher. [7] In 1980, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Calgary. [8]

Business career

In 1979, Wilson founded his first retail apparel company, Westbeach Snowboard Ltd, which sold apparel targeted at the surf, skate, and snowboard markets. He sold Westbeach in 1997 and founded Lululemon Athletica Inc in 1998. [9] As of 2016, his personal and business interests are maintained through Hold It All Inc. [5] [4]

Wilson was CEO of Lululemon until 2005, when he sold a 48% stake to private equity firms Advent International [10] and Highland Capital Partners. [11] In 2007, an IPO was offered by Lululemon Athletica Inc. on Canadian and US exchanges. [12] In January 2012, Wilson retired from his executive post as chief innovation and branding officer, but remained chairman of the board of directors. [11] In December 2013, he stepped down from his role as non-executive chairman. [13]

In June 2014, Wilson raised concerns that the Lululemon board was not aligned with the core values of product and innovation on which the company was founded, and on which it thrived. [14] Six months after the board's reconstitution, the company's share price rose from a June 2014 low of $36.26 to $65.33, a change in market capitalization of over $4 billion. [15]

In August 2014, Wilson sold 13.85% of his ownership in Lululemon to Advent for approximately $845 million. [16] [17] [18]

In February 2015, Wilson stepped down from Lululemon's board of directors, saying, "I have achieved the goals I set when I came back, and after careful thought, I believe that now is the right time to step away from the board. I leave behind a new and talented management team and new board construct." [19]

In December 2015, in an interview with Bloomberg Business, Wilson said, "Three years ago, when I was chairman and Lululemon was worth twice as much as Under Armour, I personally was thinking of buying Under Armour." [20]

In June 2016, Wilson published an open letter to shareholders of Lululemon stating that it had "lost its way" and given up market share to Nike and Under Armour, after he was denied the opportunity to speak at the company's annual meetings. [21] [22] [23]

In 2016, Wilson created Hold It All, a holding company that includes Wilson Capital, Wilson 5 Foundation, and Low Tide Properties, [24] with a vision to "create possibilities for people to live longer, healthier, more fun lives." [25]

In 2019, Wilson sold millions of shares while the stock rallied, further reducing his stake in the company. [26]

Personal life

Wilson has five sons, two from his first marriage to Nancy Herb. [27] He is married to Shannon Wilson, who is one of the original designers of Lululemon and co-founder of Kit and Ace with his son JJ Wilson. They reside in Vancouver, British Columbia. [2]

Wilson was diagnosed with a subtype of muscular dystrophy called facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy at age 32. [28] He has donated 100 million Canadian dollars towards research. [28]

In 2004, Ernst & Young named Wilson its Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year for Innovation and Marketing. [29] As of 2012, Forbes ranked Wilson the 10th-wealthiest Canadian and 401st in the world, with an estimated net worth as of March  2013 of $2.9 billion. [2]

Awards and honors

In 2012, Wilson was named Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year by University of Victoria's Gustavson School of Business, with Gustavson stating that "Chip Wilson exemplifies the values of a visionary entrepreneur...We tell our students to do something they are passionate about. Chip is an excellent role model for them — he's built an enormously successful organization doing what he loves." [30]

In 2014, Wilson and his wife, Shannon Wilson, received honorary doctorates from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. [31] One year later, they received honorary doctorates from the Kwantlen Polytechnic University. [32]

In 2018, Wilson was inducted into the Business Laureates of British Columbia Hall of Fame.

Wealth and investments

Wilson is listed on the Forbes World Billionaires List, currently ranked the 574th richest person [33] in the world. He is also credited by Business Insider and Forbes as being the 8th richest person in Canada. [34]

Wilson is a partner [35] with Anta Sports, a sportswear company based in Jinjiang China, with whom he purchased Amer Sports [36] after looking to acquire Amer on his own. Wilson acquired a 20.65% stake [36] in the joint venture that acquired Amer, along with Anta and FountainVest Partners.

While no longer the CEO of Lululemon, Wilson remains the largest individual shareholder [37] in the company, with 10,955,225 shares or 8.75%, as of July 2, 2021.

Other activities

In 2007, Wilson and his wife, Shannon Wilson, launched imagine1day, a charity dedicated to improving education conditions in Ethiopia. The organization's goal is for all Ethiopians to have access to quality education free of foreign aid funding by 2030. [38] As of June 2016, imagine1day had 487 partner schools, 35 of them built from the ground up by its team. Also, 1,130 school clubs had been created, with half run by girls. 66,420 books, 180 science kits, and 160 sports sets had been provided to students. Imagine1day estimates that over 252,000 lives are transformed annually through its education and training. [39]

The Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University [40] is a $36 million project. Chip and Shannon Wilson pledged $12 million [41] to the school with the goal of solidifying the future of BC's technical apparel industry. Lululemon, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and the Province of British Columbia are additional financial partners. The school broke ground in fall 2013 and will include new teaching studios, gallery space for student exhibitions, and a "usability lab" where students can design, prototype, and market product concepts. The school was scheduled to open in 2015 and was expected to increase the number of design students by 57%. [42]

Wilson and his wife are sponsors of the annual Child Run. The Child Run is the largest family fun run in Vancouver, with a 5 km for runners and walkers on a route through Queen Elizabeth Park and a 1 km fun run, followed by a carnival celebration. Proceeds support British Columbia's Children's Hospital and its fight against childhood cancer. In 2014, the run had over 6,000 participants and raised over $1 million. [43]

In 2013, Wilson and his spouse launched Whil.com, a website designed "to convince professionals to meditate a few times a day in increments of just 60 seconds" by making it more accessible. [44]

Frequently involved in the funding, acquisition, and donation of public art, Wilson has donated a number of public artworks he has funded. This includes A-maze-ing Laughter, by Yue Minjun, [45] and the Trans-Am Totem, by Marcus Bowcott. [46]

Wilson has pledged $8.4 million towards the Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station (PODS), through his Wilson 5 Foundation, [47] including $7 million towards construction, $1 million towards operating costs, and $400,000 for start-up costs associated with the project. The facility is scheduled for completion in 2022. [48]

Controversies

On the founding of Lululemon, in a 2004 interview with National Post Business magazine, Wilson said "The reason the Japanese liked [my former skateboard brand, ‘Homless’] was because it had an L in it and a Japanese marketing firm wouldn’t come up with a brand name with an L in it. L is not in their vocabulary. It’s a tough pronunciation for them. So I thought, next time I have a company, I’ll make a name with three Ls and see if I can get three times the money. It’s kind of exotic for them. I was playing with Ls and I came up with Lululemon. It’s funny to watch them try to say it." [49]

In 2013, on Bloomberg Television, when asked by a reporter concerning customer's complaints on why there was pilling on the fabric of Lululemon's yoga pants, to which Wilson replied, "Frankly some women’s bodies just actually don’t work for [wearing Lululemon pants]… it’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it." [49]

In a 2009 blog post on Lululemon's website titled "How Lululemon came into being," Wilson wrote: "Women's lives changed immediately. Men's lives didn't change however and they continued to search for a stay-at-home wife like their mothers. Men did not know how to relate to the new female. Thus came the era of divorces." In the same blog post, Wilson also shared his views on birth control, writing "Females no longer had to 'make' relationships work because with birth control came a sense of financial and life control. A sense of equality was established because women no longer had to relinquish their independence to a male provider." [50]

In the book titled Little Black Stretchy Pants, Wilson wrote that he is not necessarily opposed to child labor, as "working young is excellent training for life. In North America, I noticed that there were some kids not made for school, who dropped out with nowhere to go. In Asia, if a kid was not 'school material,' he or she learned a trade and contributed to their family. It was work or starve. I liked the working alternative." [51]

In early 2024, Wilson expressed concern over his former company's diversity and inclusion policy, saying in a Forbes interview: "they’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody." The company was quick to distance themselves from Wilson's comments, saying "Chip Wilson does not speak for lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs." [52]

In the media

Chip has often given interviews to media outlets in Canada and abroad. He has also acted as a contributor to online outlets, including Forbes. [53]

Vancouver Sun, CBC, and others covered the creation and opening of The Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design at KPU, [54] which officially opened January 3, 2018. [55]

Wilson appeared in a CBS interview in 2015 where he apologized for past statements regarding the Lululemon yoga pant scandal, saying, "I'm responsible for what comes out of my mouth. And if that's what was interpreted then I fully apologize. Yeah. I'm sorry." [56]

On November 18, 2013, Wilson was the subject of The Colbert Report 's "Alpha Dog of the Week"; Stephen Colbert sarcastically criticized Wilson for his views on the influence of birth control and for having said that some women's bodies "just actually don't work" for his company's pants. [57]

In 2014, it was announced that Wilson would receive an honorary doctorate from Emily Carr University, along with his wife. [58]

In 2020, he spoke to Vikas Shah Mbe at ThoughtEconomics, touching on how he spots and invests in trends, the growth of specific trends and markets, and the future of retail. [59]

In 2021, after a lengthy search for investment, [60] the BC Parks Foundation acquired three at-risk, bio-diverse islands in British Columbia, with a $4 million donation from Wilson and his family. The islands - West Ballenas, Saturnina, and part Lasqueti - will not be developed, as a result. [60]

Influences

Wilson has often mentioned the influence of philosopher Ayn Rand on shaping his entrepreneurial and personal philosophy, often alluding to passages from the novel Atlas Shrugged . This influence was so strong at Lululemon that they once produced shopping bags with the phrase "Who is John Galt?" printed on them. [61]

Lululemon's company culture was based around a collection of ideas, philosophies, and books prized by Wilson, such as: Landmark Forum, the work of Brian Tracy, and The Secret.

Wilson has often discussed his business influences and how he creates the framework for his businesses, including a reliance on face-to-face interactions, [62] the distinction between "athleisure" and technical apparel, [63] and "trusting your gut." [64]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Bezos</span> American businessman (born 1964)

Jeffrey Preston Bezos is an American businessman, media proprietor and investor. He is the founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing company. He is the second wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of about US$205 billion as of April 5, 2024. He was also the wealthiest from 2017 to 2021, according to both the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Arnault</span> French businessman (born 1949)

Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault is a French businessman, investor and art collector. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company. Arnault is the richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$233 billion as of April 2024, according to Forbes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwantlen Polytechnic University</span> University in Greater Vancouver

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is a public degree-granting undergraduate polytechnic university in British Columbia, Canada, with campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Cloverdale, Whalley, and Langley. KPU is one of the largest institutions by enrolment in British Columbia garnering a total of 20,000 students and 1,400 faculty members across its five locations, encompassing the gestalt of the Metro Vancouver district. KPU provides undergraduate and vocational education including bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, apprenticeships, and citations in more than 140 diverse programs.

David Ross Cheriton is a Canadian computer scientist, businessman, philanthropist, and venture capitalist. He is a computer science professor at Stanford University, where he founded and leads the Distributed Systems Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lululemon Athletica</span> Multinational athletic apparel retailer

Lululemon athletica inc., commonly known as lululemon, is a Canadian-American multinational athletic apparel retailer headquartered in British Columbia and incorporated in Delaware, United States. It was founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and other yoga wear, and has expanded to also sell athletic wear, lifestyle apparel, accessories, and personal care products. The company has 711 stores internationally and sells online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Gilbert</span> American businessman (born 1962)

Daniel Gilbert is an American billionaire, businessman, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and majority owner of Rocket Mortgage, founder of Rock Ventures, and owner of the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilbert owns several sports franchises, including the American Hockey League's Cleveland Monsters, and the NBA G League's Cleveland Charge. He operates the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, home to the Cavaliers and Monsters. As of January 2023, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$18.3 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Blakely</span> American businesswoman

Sara Treleaven Blakely is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, Blakely was named in Time magazine's "Time 100" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, she was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Klein (fashion house)</span> Fashion by the Americans

Calvin Klein Inc. is an American fashion house which markets its eponymously branded products worldwide. The company, which became famous for its designer underwear and denim lines in the 1980s, specializes in mass-market ready-to-wear clothing for all genders and age groups as well as leather products, lifestyle accessories and shoes, home furnishings, perfume/cosmetics, eyewear, jewelry and watches in the mid-price segment. Its high-end runway fashion division, which represented the top level of the various Calvin Klein sub-brands, was discontinued in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aritzia</span> Canadian clothing store chain

Aritzia LP is a Canadian clothing retailer targeted towards young North American women. The company was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, by businessman Brian Hill in 1984. Aritzia sells a variety of lifestyle apparel through various upscale retail stores across Canada and the United States and online. Aritzia describes itself as "everyday luxury" brand at attainable prices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advent International</span> Global private equity firm

Advent International Corporation is an American global private equity firm focused on buyouts of companies in Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on international buyouts, growth and strategic restructuring in five core sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rubin (businessman)</span> American businessman (born 1972)

Michael Gary Rubin is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of Fanatics, a global digital sports platform that consists of several businesses, including licensed sports merchandise, trading cards and collectibles, sports betting and iGaming, special events, and live commerce. He is also a board member of Rue Gilt Groupe, which includes RueLaLa.com, Gilt.com, and ShopPremiumOutlets.com. He previously founded GSI Commerce in 1998, selling it to eBay in 2011 for $2.4 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoga pants</span> Non-binding stretch pants originally worn as athletic or leisurewear

Yoga pants are high-denier hosiery reaching from ankle to waist, originally designed for yoga as exercise and first sold in 1998 by Lululemon, a company founded for that purpose. They were initially made of a mix of nylon and Lycra; more specialised fabrics have been introduced to provide moisture-wicking, compression, and odour reduction.

Shannon Wilson is a Canadian fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She is best known for her former role as lead designer at the yoga apparel company Lululemon Athletica. In 2014, she founded Kit and Ace, a technical luxury apparel company.

Ivivva Athletica, styled as ivivva, was a youth brand founded by lululemon athletica in 2009. ivivva was created in order to cater to a younger demographic and focused on creating athletic sportswear for girls ages 6–14. The company launched with its first store in Vancouver, Canada in December 2009, and had over 70 stores and pop-up shop locations across Canada and the United States. In 2012, ivivva opened its first American stores in New York, Chicago, Boston, Bellevue and Orange County. ivivva’s clothes were designed for athletic pursuits such as dance, running, yoga, ice skating, gymnastics, and on-the-court sports.

Fabletics is a global, active lifestyle brand that sells both men's and women's sportswear, footwear and accessories, commonly referred to as "activewear". The company operates on a membership model and is known for its e-commerce business approach and also has over 85 brick-and-mortar stores. The brand has a membership program that allows shoppers to become "VIP Members", with access to special membership discounts and perks. Fabletics offers its members personalized outfits chosen for them based on their lifestyle and fashion preferences and releases capsules weekly in sizes XXS-4X for women and monthly in sizes XS-XXL for men.

Christine M. Day is a Canadian retail executive. She has been the CEO of the Vancouver-based food company Luvo Inc. since January 2014. From 2008 through December 2013, she was the CEO of the Canadian clothing company Lululemon Athletica. Prior to taking her post at Lululemon she worked for Starbucks' Asia-Pacific division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit and Ace</span> Canadian clothing brand

Kit and Ace is a Canadian clothing brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athleisure</span> Fashion trend featuring clothing designed for athletic activities

Athleisure is a hybrid style of athletic clothing typically worn as everyday wear. The word is a portmanteau combining the words 'athletic' and 'leisure'. Athleisure outfits can include tracksuits, sports jackets, hoodies, yoga pants, tights, sneakers, flats, Birkenstocks, uggs, leggings and shorts that look like athletic wear and pair well with it. Characterized as "fashionable, dressed-up sweats and exercise clothing," the growth of the athleisure trend took root during the mid-2010s, which grew out of the popularity of yoga pants that emerged throughout the mid to late 2000s. The convenience of wearing clothes that matched and paired well with yoga pants gave mainstream North American women the option to exhibit their casual fashion sensibilities for the sake of convenience in multiple occasions without having to change frequently throughout various settings while going on and about their daily lives. Since the mid-2010s, the pervasiveness of the athleisure phenomenon has experienced a significant surge in popularity across Canada and the United States, particularly within the everyday life and daily routines of mainstream North American women. The atheleisure trend entails casual clothing choices that give North American women the option to incorporate athletic clothing as part as of their everyday attire, irrespective of their actual engagement in physical activities or not.

Lindsay Hudyma is a Canadian curler from Vancouver, British Columbia. She currently skips a team on the World Curling Tour.

Outdoor Voices is an American clothing company focused on the design and sale of athletic apparel. The company was founded in 2013 by Tyler Haney in New York City, and is now headquartered in Austin. The company's products are sold online. On February 25, 2020, Haney tendered her resignation, and Cliff Moskowitz, the president of a fashion-oriented private equity firm, took over as interim CEO.

References

  1. "From California to Calgary".
  2. 1 2 3 "Forbes profile: Chip Wilson". Forbes. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  3. "The Arrival of Athleisure: Five Companies Conquering the Trend of Technical Apparel". Techvibes. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Hold It All". www.holditall.com. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Hold It All: Chip Wilson's Vision - Danes In Hawaii". Danes In Hawaii. October 23, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. Wallace, Amy (February 2, 2015). "Chip Wilson, Lululemon Guru, Is Moving On". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Chip Wilson's Design Made Lululemon A Winner - Investor's Business Daily". investors.com. June 8, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  8. "Dance, sing, floss and travel". Archived from the original on August 21, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2004.
  9. "Chip Wilson's Design Made Lululemon A Winner" . Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  10. "Advent International". Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson steps down from management, will stay on board". The Star. Toronto. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  12. "Lululemon tries IPO on for size" . Retrieved March 27, 2007.
  13. Rohit T. K. and Chris Peters (December 6, 2013). "Lululemon names new CEO; founder Chip Wilson to step down". Reuters.
  14. "lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Votes Against Re-Election of Outside Directors". Yahoo News. June 11, 2014.
  15. "lLululemon Billionaire Chip Wilson Quits Board, Moves Into Performance Cashmere". Forbes. February 2, 2015.
  16. "lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Votes Against Re-Election of Outside Directors". August 7, 2014. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  17. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. "Power shifts at Lululemon as Chip Wilson seals deal". Globe and Mail. June 11, 2014.
  19. "Lululemon Billionaire Chip Wilson Quits Board, Moves Into Performance Cashmere". Forbes. February 2, 2015.
  20. matt_townsend, Nick Turner SFNick Matthew Townsend (December 14, 2015). "Lululemon Founder Says He Considered Acquiring Under Armour". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  21. "Lululemon Founder Slams Company, Now That He's Allowed To". BuzzFeed. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  22. Mau, Dhani (June 2, 2016). "Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Created a Whole Website to Criticize the Company". fashionista.com. Fashionista. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  23. "Elevate Lululemon". Elevate lululemon. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  24. "PORTFOLIO". Hold It All. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  25. "VISION & VALUES". Hold It All. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  26. "Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Sells Millions of Dollars of Stock".
  27. "Chip Wilson: Life After Lululemon | Vancouver Magazine". Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  28. 1 2 Judd, Amy (March 8, 2022). "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson donates $100M to find cure for his illness, 30 years after diagnosis | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  29. "Focus on your future" (PDF). Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  30. "Lululemon Founder UVic's 2012 Distinguished Entrepreneur - University of Victoria". www.uvic.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  31. "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson receiving honorary doctorate from Emily Carr University of Art + Design". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. April 24, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  32. "Chip & Shannon Wilson to receive honorary degrees from KPU | KPU". Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  33. "Forbes Billionaires 2021: The Richest People in the World". Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  34. "Top 10 richest people in Canada according to Forbes as of March 7, 2021". www.businessinsider.in. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  35. Flannery, Russell. "China Sportswear Billionaires Cut Anta Stake In Sale Nearing $1.5 Billion". Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  36. 1 2 "Here's what a morning with Vancouver billionaire Chip Wilson is like". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  37. MarketScreener. "LULULEMON ATHLETICA INC. : Shareholders Board Members Managers and Company Profile | US5500211090 | MarketScreener". www.marketscreener.com. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  38. "Imagine1Day - WE". we.org. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  39. "imagine1day: Get to know us" . Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  40. "Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design". design.kwantlen.ca. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  41. $12M donation from Lululemon founders helps launch new Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen "VancouverSun.com" December 7, 2012
  42. Partnership designed for continued success at KPU Archived November 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine "Newsroom.gov.bc.ca" December 7, 2012
  43. "Global News: Child Run 2014" . Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  44. "Why Lululemon's Billionaire Founder Is Making One-Minute Meditation His Next Big Project". Business Insider. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  45. "YUE MINJUN A-maze-ing Laughter" (PDF). vancouver.ca.
  46. "Trans Am Totem saved by $250,000 donation from Chip and Shannon Wilson". vancouversun. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  47. "Charity Data". www.charitydata.ca. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  48. "Lululemon founder pledges $8.4M for new BC marine science centre | Urbanized". dailyhive.com. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  49. 1 2 Shaw, Hollie (December 10, 2013). "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson's 5 most controversial quotes". Financial Post. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  50. Greenfield, Rebecca (November 7, 2013). "A Shocking Retrospective Of The Lululemon Founder's (Many) Offensive Comments". Fast Company. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  51. Taylor, Kate. "Lululemon's controversial founder reveals in his new book that he isn't entirely opposed to child labor and that his own children have worked since age five". Business Insider. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  52. Delap, Leanne (January 5, 2024). "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson is Canada's most embarrassing fashion success story". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  53. "Chip Wilson". Forbes. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  54. "$12M donation from Lululemon founders helps launch new Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen (with video)". vancouversun. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  55. "Design school named for Chip Wilson opens in Richmond, B.C." CBC News. January 3, 2018. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018.
  56. "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson on past controversy, new family business Kit and Ace". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  57. "Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Slammed On 'The Colbert Report' (VIDEO)". HuffingtonPost.ca. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  58. "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson receiving honorary doctorate from Emily Carr University of Art + Design | Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly". The Georgia Straight. April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  59. DL, Vikas Shah MBE (March 31, 2020). "A Conversation with Chip Wilson, Founder of lululemon athletica". Thought Economics. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  60. 1 2 "Private donors step in to save B.C.'s rarest forests" . Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  61. Edwards, Jim. "12 Utterly Bizarre Facts About The Rise Of Lululemon, The Cult-Like Yoga Brand". Business Insider. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  62. Wilson, Chip. "How I Built A Culture Of Direct Communication At Lululemon". Forbes. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  63. Wilson, Chip. "Why The Word "Athleisure" Is Completely Misunderstood". Forbes. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  64. Wilson, Chip. "Trusting Your Gut Is The Best Business Tool You've Got -- If You Can Listen". Forbes. Retrieved July 6, 2021.