Lululemon" is a special brand unlike any other. The interview was so full of surprises that we could say so.
Lululemon was founded in 1998 as a yoga wear brand in Vancouver, Canada, and this year marks its 20th anniversary. The brand now has 420 stores worldwide, and the words of Kyoyo Hayase (Keiju-san), the president of the Japanese subsidiary of Lululemon, were filled with new hope.
Lululemon is not a sports or apparel brand, but a lifestyle brand. We believe that we are here to encourage people to live healthier, happier, and more enjoyable lives, and to do so, we are here to encourage active lifestyles.
Since the 2010s, the term "lifestyle" has come to symbolize a rise in consumer activity that spans both goods and services. Lululemon is truly a pioneer of this trend. If we go one step further into the reason why Lululemon has gained such a strong fan base around the world, we find the keyword "community.
We call it "Sweat" and in Japan we offer free yoga and run events twice a week. There is no common program. Every store in the world has a different program. We have three stores and showrooms in Tokyo, Ginza, Shinjuku, and Harajuku, and they all do different things. Each store takes the initiative in creating programs together with people active in various fields.
Under the phrase "one sweat a day," Keiju adds, "We want to advocate a casual approach to sports, just like going to a café. People who participate in the Lululemon community enjoy the activities and are surprisingly open to each other, even if they have never met each other before.
. I think there is a common sense of "club activities" among Japanese people. . Because we have shared activities with our friends, our hearts are connected, and we can cry at the last game. . There is such a feeling underlying our run events as well. However, in our case, we do not divide people according to their sporting abilities or disabilities, but rather, we work together with everyone. It is more fun when people from all walks of life can work together, not just athletes.
The keyword "club activities" is also common to the "MIDORI so." shared office space in "Nagatacho GRID" where Lululemon is located, Keiju continues.
. this place is like a club, too. There are all kinds of things here, and all kinds of companies are here, working hard at their respective jobs. Sometimes we get together and have parties. The Lululemon team makes the office lively, and they always tell us to come to their parties (laughs).
Shared office space has been spreading rapidly in recent years. How do tenants see the appeal of these shared offices?
." "Lululemon is all about the in-store connection with our customers, so our organization is an inverted triangle. The head office is at the bottom. The head office office is at the bottom, supporting the stores. . Considering the small number of people and the system that allows for light footwork, a shared office is the best from a managerial standpoint. Most of Lululemon's meetings are held remotely via teleconference, and it is not unusual for me to be the only one in the office, or for no one to be in the office at all. To be honest, I came from a typical company, so there were times when I felt a gap, but I think it is healthier now than in a pyramid-like organization. I think it is healthier now than in a pyramid organization, where everyone rides at the top.
In "MIDORI so.", there is a nap space hidden between the bookshelves!
Lululemon" practices a completely different management philosophy from existing brands and companies, and adheres to the values nurtured there. MIDORI so." was the perfect place for a company with a start-up mindset to gather. Lululemon's store has one clear rule.
. "In the Lululemon community, we don't care at all what you wear from start to finish. We never ask. We call our store staff educators (people who give advice), and the most important thing for us is that they should never try to sell you things."
You are a store staff member and should not try to sell things. What on earth does this mean?
When a customer comes into the store, the first thing I ask them is, "What sport do you play?" I often ask them, "What kind of sport do you play? What do you want? What are you looking for?" . If I want to ask, "Please come to my yoga class sometime. . It's just enough to say, "Please come to my yoga class next time. . maybe 10 percent of the people at our events are wearing Lululemon. There are times when our clients apologize to us, but we really don't care at all."
Lululemon continues to overturn stereotypes. . The ultimate example is the culture in which all employees call each other by their first names.
The rooftop space will also host Lululemon's yoga events and other events.
Even new educators who just joined us were asked, "What do you usually do, Keiju? Hee! Kaju is the president! (laughs). There is a big meaning here. "Keiju" is a given name for an individual, and its meaning is different from that of a family name, which is a surname. It is easier to speak to each other if you call each other by your first name. President Hayase! and it is hard to give a hug, isn't it (laughs)? . It is tremendously meaningful to have a company where people call each other by their first names in Japanese culture and society. Even if Lululemon grows from now on and the number of people increases, I will never change this culture. The president has no dignity, but only friendliness is enough (laughs).
Lululemon" takes a fresh and open-minded stance that has never been seen in Japan before, both as a business and as a culture. Yoga, the brand's roots, is a sport that encourages people to confront themselves rather than compare themselves with others. It can be said that the spontaneous and relaxed culture that respects the individual is a value that is commonly found in yoga.
No other brand is so special and attractive, offering a new way of life in the society of the future.
. Below you will find a collaborative collection with the Vancouver boutique Roden Gray.
This special collection consists of four military-like tops and three bottoms. The reflective artwork "LXRG-9807" expresses the connection between Lululemon, founded in 1998, and Roden Gray, founded in 2007.
The launch is at "lululemon GINZA SIX". Those who share our ideology are welcome to visit.
Text_Taiyo Nagashima
lululemon GINZA SIX
Address: 6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-5537-5387
info.lululemon.com/stores/jp/tokyo/ginza-six
*The collaboration collection is available only at GINZA SIX.
