lululemon

Lululemon, commonly styled as lululemon (/ˌluːluˈlɛmən/ loo-loo-LEM-ən; all lowercase), is a Canadian-American multinational athletic apparel retailer headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, and incorporated in Delaware, United States, as Lululemon Athletica Inc. It was founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and other yoga wear, and has expanded to also sell sportswear, lifestyle apparel, shoes, accessories and personal care products. The company has 767 stores (as of fiscal year 2024) and also processes sales online through its website.

Lululemon was founded in 1998 by Chip Wilson in Vancouver, British Columbia, with its first standalone store opening in November 2000. In 1997, Wilson had been doing yoga and had an idea to make yoga apparel for women using a proprietary skintight fabric he developed to enhance their appearance. Wilson deliberately chose a name with multiple 'L's (Japanese: ルルレモン, romanized: Rururemon) because he thought it was funny to use a letter that Japanese speakers often have difficulty pronouncing. He said the name otherwise "means nothing" but included three 'L's to make it sound "Western" and "exotic" to Japanese buyers. He later remarked,