It seems natural that as the co-founder of a company that sells yoga-inspired clothing, Dennis "Chip" Wilson would know something about flexibility. But few would recommend the Lululemon's chairman demonstrate such an ability by putting his foot in his mouth again and again and again.
Mr. Wilson's talent was on display earlier this month when he appeared on Bloomberg TV's "Street Smart" and partly blamed the problems some female customers have with his company's yoga pants on their bodies.
"Sometimes this material doesn't work for certain people's bodies," he told Trish Regan, the show's host. "It's really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it."
If Mr. Wilson were given the benefit of the doubt, it could be argued he was simply trying to make the point that Lululemon's fashions look more flattering on some customers than others or that some women, because of their lifestyles, are harder on clothes than others. Even so, his less than artful response combined with past statements he has made on a variety of topics has made Mr. Wilson a subject of derision and jokes, including a comedic takedown on a recent "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central.
Among Mr. Wilson's low-lights include an admission that he named his company Lululemon because of the mistaken view that Japanese people have trouble pronouncing the L sound. Mr. Wilson posited that the Japanese would think his company more authentically North American because it presented them with a phonetic challenge. He is reported to have told the National Post, "It's funny to watch them try and say it."
Mr. Wilson has also advocated for child labor in garment factories and tied divorce rates to women having access to birth control pills since the 1970s and no longer needing "to make relationships work" because they had options other than giving birth and becoming stay-at-home moms.