Lululemon Founder Chip Wilson Launches a New Athletic Brand Venture

Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon, announced on April 17, 2026 that he is building a new business focused on small athletic brands, operating out of Vancouver and structured around both new brand creation and the acquisition of existing early stage labels. Wilson has hired an operating partner for the venture, which sits within his broader House of Wilson family holding structure.

Wilson’s Frustration With Lululemon

The announcement arrives as Lululemon’s stock has declined 48% over the past five years, a performance Wilson has publicly criticized alongside what he calls the company’s “underwhelming” board and loss of brand identity. In March 2026, Wilson nominated three independent directors to Lululemon’s board, pushing for changes to the brand and creative strategy. He has repeatedly argued the company has strayed from the technical apparel focus and distinct consumer targeting that drove its early growth, describing its current direction as trying “to become like the Gap, everything to everybody.”

What the Venture Covers

The new business will operate across two tracks: incubating new athletic brands from the ground up and acquiring small existing brands with technical apparel potential. Wilson has not publicly named any of the initial brands or disclosed investment figures. The venture reflects a model Wilson has used before. He holds a near 21% stake in Amer Sports, the parent of Arc’teryx, Salomon, Wilson Tennis, and Atomic, built through approximately $1.1 billion in Lululemon share sales. In late 2025, he also relaunched Westbeach, the snowboard and surf brand he founded in 1979, installing entrepreneur Braden Parker as CEO.

Context

Wilson founded Lululemon in Vancouver in 1998, stepping down as chair in 2013 following public controversy. He estimates his net worth at approximately $6.3 billion as of March 2025 and remains one of Lululemon’s largest individual shareholders. The new athletic brand venture is his most direct reentry into the early stage apparel market since leaving the company he built, and positions him simultaneously as a competitive reference point and a structural critic of the brand that made him wealthy.