Jonathan Cheung has been named global creative director of Lululemon and will lead Lululemon’s global design team.
He succeeds Phil Dickinson, who died last May.
Cheung reports to Sun Choe, chief product officer for Lululemon.
In addition, JJ Collier has joined Lululemon’s global design team in the newly created post of vice president, design, outerwear, and will report to Cheung.
Both posts are effective Monday and will be based in Vancouver.
“Jonathan and JJ have proven track records in product innovation and their leadership will accelerate our goal of delivering products that both disrupt the industry and resonate with consumers, while building upon the expertise we have in creating technical innovations,” said Choe. “I’m thrilled to have Jonathan’s deep understanding of global consumer needs guiding our creative vision, and excited to see how JJ’s technical design expertise continues our growing outerwear offering.”
Cheung brings more than 30 years of experience in creative and business leadership to Lululemon. Most recently, he was a consultant to brands such as Gap Inc., Mattel Inc., Merrell and Pangaia, and has advised multiple start-up companies at the intersection of material science and technology. Earlier, he was senior vice president of design and design innovation at Levi’s. Cheung has held roles in the U.S., U.K., Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and China, and has worked with Franco Moschino and Giorgio Armani.
As global creative director, Cheung will be responsible for shaping Lululemon’s global creative strategy and creating a road map for product design that defines Lululemon’s leadership as a global destination brand for innovative apparel, footwear and accessories.
“I’ve been forever fascinated by physical culture and design, so Lululemon feels like a calling,” said Cheung. “I’m very lucky to have this opportunity to work on high-quality beautiful products and learn new things with brilliant people.”
Collier will lead Lululemon’s men’s and women’s outerwear teams with an amplified focus on delivering guest-centric category innovations across Lululemon’s performance and casual assortment.
“I’m excited to activate Lululemon’s global reach and redefine outerwear product experiences for our guests around the world,” said Collier. “We have a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation in outerwear design and change the market and industry in the process.”
Most recently, Collier founded and led Collier Brands, a design consultant company for high-profile and emerging outdoor and lifestyle apparel and equipment brands. Earlier, he spent 20 years in senior design roles in the U.S. and France, creating Salomon‘s first ski collection, leading Ralph Lauren’s technical outerwear design team for RLX, as well as leading design at Spyder Active Sports.
During his tenure at VF Corp. as senior director apparel innovation concepts, Collier led sustainable design across several apparel brands, including The North Face, Vans, Dickies, Timberland and Altra. Earlier in his career, he was a professional snowboarder.
In releasing Lululemon’s results for the third quarter ended Oct. 29, Calvin McDonald, chief executive officer, said, “Our women’s business increased 19 percent [in the quarter], fueled by new product launches, strength in bottoms and ongoing performance in key franchises,” he said, pointing specifically to the brand’s new Wundermost bodywear, featuring what the CEO said was “our softest fabric ever.”
Lululemon is also building in men’s, but has more work to do in the category, which grew 15 percent in the quarter, on par with the growth rate seen during the pandemic.
“We’re also gearing up to launch men’s footwear in the first quarter of 2024, which will be an important moment for Lululemon and we will have much more to share as our pipeline of innovation continues to generate newness and versatility for our male guest,” said McDonald.
In other Lululemon news, the company on Friday named PGA Tour player Min Woo Lee as its newest golf ambassador. The 25-year-old had three top 10 finishes in 2023 including the Australian PGA Championship in November. As an ambassador for the brand, Lee, whose style is described as cool, swaggy and fun, will test and offer feedback on product. He will be playing in the American Express Tournament in La Quinta, Calif., next week as well as the Phoenix Open in February.
