Iconic Canadian entrepreneur, Chip Wilson is best known as the founder and former Chairman of the yoga-inspired company Lululemon Athletica, and as a visionary in the technical elements of active apparel and fashion. Over the past three decades, he has charted a path of remarkable success through a constantly shifting landscape of media, business, and culture. It’s a journey that confronts questions of identity, subjectivity, and the legacy we must all leave behind.
Chip Wilson is an entrepreneur and business leader, best known as the founder and former Chairman of the yoga-inspired company Lululemon Athletica, and as a visionary in the technical elements of active apparel and fashion. In 1979, he founded his first retail apparel company, Westbeach Snowboard Ltd., which sold apparel targeted at the emerging surf, skate, and snowboard markets. He went on to sell Westbeach in 1997 and founded Lululemon Athletica in 1998.
In 2004, Ernst & Young named Chip Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year for Innovation and Marketing and in 2012 the University of Victoria presented him the “Distinguished Entrepreneur” award. In 2014, Chip received an honorary doctorate from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Recently, Chip started a new venture with his wife Shannon called Whil; a 60 second meditation designed as a way to temporarily shut down the brain, set personal commitments, and power forward to boost productivity. Chip also serves as a mentor to his wife’s and son’s new apparel company Kit and Ace.
Chip is also the pioneer of numerous philanthropic ventures. He and his wife founded the Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, committed to educating students in innovative design for fashion, interiors, graphics, product and technical apparel. Additionally, they established Imagine1Day, an organization set out to fund schools, train teachers, and educate youth in Ethiopia. Chip also enjoys giving back to his home city, Vancouver. He sponsors a yearly children’s run with B.C. Children’s Hospital and in 2012 he donated funds to restore 14 of the city’s most beloved statues. He is the proud father of five sons.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx