November 22nd 2023.
Lululemon has faced some major issues regarding its practices when it comes to diversity and inclusion. The company, which according to Business Of Fashion, has been hit with complaints at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from six ex-employees at one of its Chicago store, has been called out for having a culture that is not welcoming to Black people. This has been further supported by 14 additional current and former employees.
In June 2020, following the George Floyd incident, Lululemon made a pledge to create a more diverse workplace, issuing a statement vowing to fund Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action within the organization. However, according to the employees who spoke to Business Of Fashion, the central part of Lululemon’s platform, its Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action department, was not allowed to have any significant impact.
Konesha Armstrong, who was the store operations lead at the Hyde Park location, said she felt as though it were a game of smoke and mirrors during her time at the company. Armstrong further noted how the company makes employees feel like it is supportive, when really it is not.
Lululemon has long been accused of catering to a specific clientele, namely white women with money. This was further supported when its founder, Chip Wilson, reportedly claimed that the name in part was chosen because he took pleasure in watching Japanese people try to say it. Wilson later denied making the statement, but the company still faced backlash when Instagram users called on the brand to change its name.
The company's arrival at Chicago’s South Side was heralded as another sign of the area’s encroaching gentrification. Michael Collins, the store manager at the Hyde Park location, said he was instructed to hire more white and Asian workers in order to better reflect the population of the University of Chicago. Collins, who also filed an EEOC complaint, pressed on with his initial plan.
Stacia Jones, a corporate lawyer who was hired to lead the IDEA team, was also the head of employee relations, which complicated things when it came time to investigate claims of racial discrimination from employees. According to Amber Cabral, a DEI strategist unaffiliated with Lululemon, the way the company structured the roles can lead to confusion about what should be clearly defined organizational roles.
Armstrong summarized her feelings about her time with the company, stating that the company started out being prejudiced, only wanting tall, blonde, white women of a certain size, and that a lot of the language still supports the foundation of what the company is.
Lululemon has a lot of work to do in order to break the narrative of its past and create a more inclusive workplace. It is clear that the company, as well as its leadership, needs to make sure that it is actively working towards ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion are their central focus. Only then will it be able to move forward and create a welcoming and supportive environment for all its employees.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
