Lululemon and Conscious Capitalism

The Ethics of Lululemon

The Canadian apparel company Lululemon is a large, publicly traded organization that is primarily known for selling relatively upscale athleticwear. Its clothing is priced higher than, for example, comparable clothing that might be found at Target or Old Navy. The fact that it is particularly well known for its yoga gear has raised ethical questions regarding the anti-corporate, anti-capitalist ethos of yoga. Lululemon attempts to uncomfortably straddle its lifestyle branding of ethical consumption with its profit-making and price point. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Lululemon’s founder, Chip Wilson, resigned in 2013 after he made comments about how his company’s clothing was not for overweight women (the company has since added plus-sized models to its website) (Helmore, 2020).

The Guardian also revealed that despite Lululemon partnering with the United Nations in an initiative to reduce stress levels and improve the mental health of aid workers, it sourced its clothing from a Bangladesh factory where women workers were repeatedly beaten and assaulted (Helmore, 2020). Again, for a company which has primarily marketed itself to women as an ethical brand that embodies the values of yoga, this is problematic. Its most recent controversy was generated when the company (valued at $45b) promoted a workshop hosted by a Lululemon ambassador and yoga teacher with the stated aim of teaching attendees how to resist capitalism (Helmore, 2020). For a company which has profited so much from capitalist enterprise, this seemed profoundly hypocritical.

Lululemon is therefore a very interesting company to study in the age of conscious capitalism. Many companies use their sustainability efforts as part of their marketing. However, Lululemon is unusual because as a yoga-focused company, it has ethically linked itself to an ideology that is focused upon an ethics of kindness and anti-consumption. Yet yoga and Lululemon itself have made a great deal of money based upon its branding and promotional techniques.