Transcript
Introduction
Zack
This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital. And today, we're breaking down Lululemon athletica. The Canadian company founded by Chip Wilson in 1998 has grown from a pop-up store in a yoga class to a $45 billion apparel business. Along the way, it pioneered the trend of athleisure and forever changed what women and men wear to work out in.
To break down the business, I'm joined by John Zolidis, President and Founder of Quo Vadis Capital. We explore the origins of Lululemon's direct-to-consumer growth strategy, how it has remained relevant in an industry known for fleeting success, and how its business model compares to the apparel giants like Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. Please enjoy this breakdown of Lululemon.
More Than Just An Apparel Brand
Zack
All right, John, thank you for joining us to tell the story of Lululemon. When we were talking about the business at a high level, there are a lot of things about LULU that make it just beyond an apparel brand. And maybe just to start, if someone is not familiar with the business, what is it? How big is it? How does it make money?