The brand has grown into a global leader in activewear, marketing an image of mindfulness, empowerment, and community. Its stores function as curated lifestyle hubs, reinforcing the idea that lululemon is more than clothing—it is a culture of aspirational wellness.
Behind this image, lululemon’s practices and associations have drawn sustained criticism. Testing has identified toxic PFAS chemicals in its garments, contradicting its claims of health and sustainability. The company has sourced from Delta Galil Industries, a manufacturer operating in illegal Israeli settlements, and sells products through Factory 54 stores located in occupied Palestinian territories. The brand’s identity also rests on the appropriation of yoga, transforming a South Asian spiritual tradition into a luxury commodity marketed largely to Western consumers.
lululemon earns a Medium Impact rating for embedding systems of harm into both its operations and public image. Its products have been found to contain cancer-linked PFAS chemicals. Its founder’s statements have reinforced a brand culture that normalizes exclusion, fatphobia, and racial bias. While promoting wellness and empowerment, lululemon has marketed its identity through the commodification of yoga and the erasure of its Indian roots.
The company’s political complicity is also material. It has sourced from Delta Galil Industries, which operates in illegal West Bank settlements, and sells through Factory 54 to sell products in settlements in the West Bank and Golan Heights—territories recognized as illegally occupied under international law. These ties embed lululemon in the infrastructure of dispossession and apartheid.
lululemon’s global reach gives it cultural authority and it uses that power to whitewash harm.