Founder Profile
Chip Wilson
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Chip Wilson?
Chip Wilson is a founder of Lululemon Athletica Inc., which was founded in 1998.
- Company founded
- Lululemon Athletica Inc.
- Founded
- 1998
Background
Before Lululemon, Wilson founded Westbeach, a Vancouver surf, skate and snowboard apparel company, where he gained experience with technical fabrics and specialty retail.
Founding Story
Chip Wilson is a Canadian entrepreneur who founded Lululemon in Vancouver in 1998 after noticing that cotton clothing performed poorly in yoga classes. He served as CEO until 2005, stepped down as chairman in 2013 after public criticism of his comments, and left the board in 2015. He remains the largest individual shareholder with about 8.7% of the stock. In December 2025 he launched a proxy contest, which ended in a May 2026 settlement that added two of his nominees, Marc Maurer and Laura Gentile, to the board.
Chip Wilson was born in 1955. Education: University of Calgary.