is building up a business of
, according to a person familiar with the matter, setting up new avenues for potential growth for the billionaire founder of
.
The venture will include
new brands as well as existing small brands
, the person said. Wilson hired an operating partner to be part of the new business,
, another person with knowledge of the plan said.
Wilson, whose wealth is estimated at US$7.2 billion, is a major investor in
, the company that owns bigger brands like Arc’teryx apparel, Wilson tennis gear and other sporting lines. He holds nearly 13 per cent of the shares in Amer as of March 18 through his entity Anamered Investments, according to data collected by Bloomberg. Amer went public in a 2024 initial public offering.
“Chip Wilson has been an investor in technical apparel for years,” a spokesman for Wilson said in an emailed response to Bloomberg News. “Chip has recently created a new structure to bring additional focus to its investments in early-stage, founder-led companies. Chip remains passionate about supporting founders and leading innovation in the technical apparel space.”
Wilson has diversified his holdings since building up his fortune with Lululemon, which
pioneered the athleisure category
and experienced exponential sales growth after going public in 2007. More recently, Lululemon’s business has stagnated, leading Wilson to become increasingly critical of the company’s management and push for an overhaul of its board.
He’s also co-founder of the House of Wilson holding company, which manages the “initiatives, investments and community impact efforts of the Wilson family” and has holdings in private equity and real estate, along with charitable endeavours.