Lululemon
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
A yoga-apparel brand founded by Canadian entrepreneur Chip Wilson in 1998. Wilson started making butt-flattering yoga pants in an effort to capitalize on what he saw as women’s desire to look good while working out. Lululemon’s apparel was an instant hit and soon had a fanatical following in the U.S. Women took to wearing the stuff to coffee shops, on the subway, even at work, spurring a larger athletic-wear-as-style movement.
Though Lululemon has experienced a handful of PR setbacks—including see-through pants, which Wilson initially blamed on women’s inner thighs rubbing against the material—its growth has continued. The brand has added men’s apparel and an outdoor line, and now has a market cap of almost $10 billion. Wilson resigned from the board this past February to launch a technical cashmere brand called Kit and Ace.
A Brief History of Dudes Doing Yoga
400 A.D. Patanjali compiles the Yoga Sutras, a foundational text.
1849 Henry David Thoreau becomes an intermittent practitioner.
1998 Lululemon launches; offerings include a small menswear collection.
2012 Events company BrewAsanas pairs yoga with beer.
2014 Brogamats designs a mat bag that looks like a burrito.