De zomer van... Sarah Clark van Lululemon

The Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan
‘I recently went on a gravel cycling trip with friends to Kyrgyzstan. We love exploring new frontiers through cycling, and we were very excited to ride some sections of the Silk Road. It was great to be back together as a community of cyclists from all across the globe, which we hadn’t been able to do since Covid.’

Marketing book
‘I am currently very keen on an app called Blinkist, which enables me to read snapshots of business and marketing books, when commuting or travelling. It certainly allows a broad understanding of some of the latest concepts, and is accessible via my phone, which is very important when you are bike-packing with limited space!’ If I was advising someone on which marketing book to take on their holiday, I would always recommend Start with Why by Simon Sinek. This has invaluable first principles insight into the role of brands in first bringing emotions, motivations and experiences to a consumer, before worrying about what they are proposing or selling.’

Best and worst holiday experience
‘My best holiday experience was in the Solomon Islands, when we were lucky enough to take my husband back to the areas where he grew up and revisit his school and where he used to play. He used to go swimming out in the Pacific around the shipwrecks as a child of 5! The Pacific is simply stunning and a great place to transport yourself into a different mind-space and pace of life.
My worst holiday experience was when I travelled back from a cycling holiday via Charles de Gaulle airport, and my beautiful custom-built bike went missing for four days. It was very stressful… although I did try to distract myself by designing the paintwork for a potential replacement bike. Both happily and sadly it was not needed!’

Great start of 2023
‘It’s been a great start to the year for Lululemon in EMEA which we shared in June when we announced our Q1 fiscal 2023 results. We have continued to go from strength to strength in terms of our growth across the region and I look forward to seeing how this continues for the rest of the year.’

Plans for fall 2023
‘The fall is set to be another busy period for Lululemon EMEA. We’re especially excited to share our 2023 Global Wellbeing Report which provides insights into wellbeing trends and themes from around the world as we lead up to World Mental Health Day in October.’

Best marketing moment so far
‘[As a woman/female athlete] launching our FURTHER initiative was a huge highlight for me. This initiative demonstrates how far women can go when they’re properly supported with resources and product innovations typically reserved for men. FURTHER will include a holistic scientific research program to address the existing sex and gender data gap on endurance performance, new women-first product innovations, community activations, and a giveback component to support young women. It is grounded in our purpose at Lululemon to unlock greater possibility and wellbeing for all.’

Favourite summer brand
‘Lululemon, of course! I am loving my morning workouts in our Align™ shorts at the moment. The perfect way to stay cool in the summer heat. Another must-have for summer are sunglasses and I’m loving the brand Waterhaul, a tiny Cornish sunglasses brand, who make their product from recycled fishing nets that they have removed from the sea.’

What’s your latest news?
‘Opening our second store in Amsterdam this month (August 2023) is a big moment for us. Amsterdam is a really vibrant and active city that is very much in tune with our own ethos as a brand. With that in mind, it’s really exciting to be able to continue growing our presence in the region and extend our product offering to its residents with the opening of our new store in the Leidsestraat.’

What are you most proud of in your time at Lululemon?
‘It’s impossible to name one single thing - the whole experience has been incredible! I feel very proud and privileged to have the opportunity to work for such a special brand that means a lot to so many people. In particular, I am proud that we stay centred on our special culture of inclusion and caring for the whole person, despite our meteoric growth.’

What would be your dream for Lululemon’s future?
‘I am very excited about what the future holds. My ambition is to maintain the essence of the brand as special as this one, while delivering the best possible experience to our guests and creating community across our different markets. The exciting thing about our growth is that it gives opportunities for more employees to live into and thrive in our internal culture and for more guests to be inspired and enabled to feel the medicine of movement and live into their best lives.’