Founded in 1998, Lululemon is now practically synonymous with yoga apparel in North America. The company, which designs and sells pricey yoga apparel and accessories, says its 'vision' is 'elevating the world from mediocrity to greatness.'
Lululemon Athletica Inc. went public in 2007. Unlike a lot of companies that have flamed out since their IPOs, the company's shares have continued to do well. Share profit surged 77 per cent in the second quarter, beating analysts' estimates, although the company has lowered its outlook for the third quarter. (Moe Doiron/The Globe and Mail/Moe Doiron/The Globe and Mail)
Lululemon refers to its store clerks as 'educators.' The company says its goal is to train its staff so well they can positively influence their families and communities as well as customers coming into the stores. Here, employee Laura Stuve, right, tells customer Maureen Eyers about the features of a yoga top. (Laura Leyshon for The Globe and Mail/Laura Leyshon for The Globe and Mail)
Surfing and snowboarding enthusiast Chip Wilson founded Lululemon in 1998, shortly after taking his first yoga class in Vancouver. What began as a single design studio by day and yoga studio by night has grown into a multi-store North American chain selling yoga apparel and accessories. (Laura Leyshon for The Globe and Mail/Laura Leyshon for The Globe and Mail)
Cotton used to the be the go-to apparel choice of those who do the downward dog. Lululemon's moisture-wicking fabrics have proved so popular with the yoga crowd that now everyone's getting into the game: Nike, Gap and even Loblaw's Joe Fresh have developed their own yoga lines. (Laura Leyshon for The Globe and Mail)
Lululemon's corporate manifesto is printed on its bags. The company's recent decision to include a reference on some of its bags to Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged, which advocates self-interest as the path to a better world, has raised eyebrows with some of its devotees. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail/Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
Lululemon sponsored free yoga classes on Parliament Hill in the summer. Some sessions topped out at more than 500 attendees. That's a lot of posing. (Lululemon/Lululemon)
The Lululemon name was chosen in a survey of 100 people. The company's distinctive logo is a stylized A, a leftover from one of the rejected names. Some people think it looks like a woman's flip hairstyle. (Charla Jones for The Globe and Mail/Charla Jones for The Globe and Mail)
to get it and come back to see the ad in front of this gallery.
