The owners of athletic clothing brand LuLulemon Chip and Shannon Wilson have combined $8 million of their own wealth with a $4 grant from LuLulemon to establish a New School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Richmond, British Columbia. According to a press release on the Arc’teryx website, “The provincial government is matching the $12-million total donation, with Kwantlen putting up the remainder of what is estimated to be $36 million in total going toward the design school.”
Interestingly, many of the staff at Vancouver-based outdoor clothing manufacturer Arc’teryx are graduates from Kwantlen. So obviously, as a company they are very excited by this development. Both school and business will benefit from their close proximity as students interact with industry on internships.