Shannon "Summer" Wilson is a Canadian fashion designer, businesswoman, artist, and philanthropist. She is best known for her former role as lead designer at the yoga apparel company Lululemon Athletica.[1] In 2014, she founded Kit and Ace,[2] a technical luxury apparel company.[3][4]

Education

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Wilson received her BFA in fashion design from the University of Victoria.[5]

Business

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In 2014, Wilson and her stepson JJ Wilson founded Kit and Ace, a luxury T-shirt retailer made with a proprietary cashmere blend. The first studio pop-up location opened in Vancouver in July of that year.[citation needed]

Other activities

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In 2007, along with her husband, Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon Athletica, she established imagine1day, a nonprofit organization committed to bringing primary education to 80 percent of children in Ethiopia by 2030.[6] In 2012, the Wilson family donated $1.5 million to the Vancouver Biennale.[7] The donation paid for a metal sculpture designed by Yue Minjun, titled A-maze-ing Laughter, which currently sits in Morton Park, Vancouver.[8]

In 2022, the Wilsons donated $100M to the BC Parks Foundation, the largest conservation donation in Canadian history, to protect and preserve British Columbia's ecosystem.[9]

In 2024, Wilson debuted her first art collection, Organic Formulas.[10]

Awards and honours

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In 2014, Wilson received an honorary doctorate from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design.[11] In 2015, she and her husband received an honorary doctorate from Kwantlen Polytechnic University.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Chip Wilson's Design Made Lululemon a Winner "Investors.com" June 8, 2012[dead link]
  2. ^ "Kit and Ace: Smart, Easy to Love, and Made to Last Apparel for Men and Women. | Kit and Ace". www.kitandace.com.
  3. ^ Lululemon Founder's Wife, Son Launch New Clothing Line in Vancouver "Huffington Post" August 6, 2014[dead link]
  4. ^ Reprints, Susan Berfield susanberfield (October 15, 2015). "Lululemon's Founding Family Gets Revenge with Cashmere". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 29, 2016.(subscription required)
  5. ^ Lululemon Founder Named UVic's Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year "Ring.uvic.ca" January 27, 2012
  6. ^ Hands on philanthropic action: building schools in Ethiopia with imgine1day "ecosalon.com" May 23, 2012
  7. ^ Chip and Shannon Wilson's A-maze-ing gift to the people of Vancouver, laughter celebration and freeze flash photo "InsideVancouver.ca" August 9, 2013
  8. ^ Yue Minjun gives Vancouver the last laugh "TheGlobeandMail.com" July 23, 2012
  9. ^ "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson gifts $100M to help protect nature in B.C." cbc.ca. September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Organic Formulas". summerwilson.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "Lululemon founder Chip Wilson receiving honorary doctorate from Emily Carr University of Art + Design | Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly". The Georgia Straight. April 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "Chip & Shannon Wilson to receive honorary degrees from KPU | KPU". Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
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