WASHINGTON – Lululemon founder Chip Wilson has apologized — sort of — for the comments he made to Bloomberg TV that the quality of the company’s $100 yoga pants were not to blame for pilling and ripping seams, but that women’s rubbing thighs contributed.
But Wilson’s apology was not to customers. It was to his employees.
“I take responsibility for all that has occurred and the impact it has had on you. I’m sorry to have put you all through this,” he said in the 52-second video apology posted on the company’s YouTube account:
Here’s a transcript of what he said:
“Hello, I’m Chip Wilson. I’m founder of Lululemon athletica. I’d like to talk to you today about the last few days of media that’s occurred around the Bloomberg interview. I’m sad. I’m really sad. I’m sad for the repercussions of my actions. I’m sad for the people at Lululemon who I care so much about, that have really had to face the brunt of my actions. I take responsibility for all that has occurred and the impact it has had on you. I’m sorry to have put you all through this. For all of you that have made Lululemon what it is today, I ask you to stay in a conversation that is above the fray. I ask you to prove that the culture that you have built cannot be chipped away. Thank you.”
Wilson created an uproar after he told Bloomberg, “They (the pants) don’t work for some women’s bodies … It’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there.”
Watch the full interview below. The conversation on the quality of the pants begins around the second minute.
Lululemon has been under fire over its yoga pants since last spring. First issues were raised about their sheerness, then about their quality..
(h/t:The Huffington Post)
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