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The Incident at the Great Wall Lululemon, a Canadian-headquartered activewear brand, has apologized after a promotional event on the Great Wall of China appeared to mistakenly feature a Japanese drum, prompting an uproar. The event, which took place in late May, was advertised as promoting Chinese culture and wellness, and attracted over 2,000 participants. The Drum Performance and Backlash The event featured a drum performance by a group called Hiiko, which included a Japanese taiko drum rather than a traditional Chinese dagu drum. The performance was posted on social media by Chinese actor Zhu Yilong, who was booked to perform at the event. Weibo users quickly accused Lululemon of cultural insensitivity, with many describing the use of a Japanese drum as inappropriate and insulting. The Data Analysis: Public Reaction Over 50 million views on Weibo discussing the drum controversy Zhu Yilong's studio called on Lululemon to respond to the controversy The Impact Analysis: Cultural Sensitivity in China The incident highlights the risks for western brands hoping to expand in China of falling foul of domestic political and cultural sensibilities. Lululemon is not the first brand to face criticism in China; others, such as Arc'teryx and Dolce & Gabbana, have also faced backlash for cultural insensitivity. The Prediction: Future Events and Cultural Awareness Lululemon has pledged to learn from the incident and adopt a more rigorous attitude for future events. The brand has removed all content related to the drum event from its website and social media. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of cultural awareness and sensitivity for brands operating in China.

The Great Greenwashing: When Sustainability Meets Fast Fashion It was always about the money, wasn't it? For a while there, it seemed like the execs opining "sustainability is not a trend, it's the future" actually meant it. But when yet another global brand drops its net zero goals or stops talking about DEI, you do wonder. Recent headlines include Stella McCartney adulterating her eco gloss with a sustainable capsule collection for H&M; – don't worry, she's just "infiltrating from within" – and Lululemon being investigated for PFAS. The letdowns keep coming. The Everlane-Shein Merger: A Collision of Ideals Now the internet is reeling from a report that Shein plans to acquire Everlane, the San Francisco-based sustainable basics brand built on "radical transparency". Shein is the Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant epitomising murky supply chains and crazy-cheap landfill fashion. They release up to 10,000 styles a day, and have been making headlines of their own over secrecy and alleged links to forced Uyghur labor. Fashion reporter Lauren Sherman reported the acquisition plans this week, though neither Shein nor Everlane have confirmed. Everlane appears to be losing money fast. After layoffs in 2020 and 2023, the brand confirmed in April it was closing its San Francisco office. The Financial Calculus Behind Sustainable Fashion's Fall According to Sherman, Shein sees value in the brand's supply chain and was the only one willing to stump up the US $100m asked by Everlane's majority owner, private equity giant L Catterton (which is backed by LVMH, and owned RM Williams before Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest bought it in 2020). Shein can afford it – last year, their sales topped £2bn in the UK and $1.5bn in Australia. For my money, I bet it's not just the practical capabilities of the supply chain that interests Shein, it's the story. They could use a green glow-up. The Shifting Landscape of Ethical Fashion The Everlane tragedy follows last month's Allbirds comedy. Another publicly listed sustainable fashion company driven by Silicon Valley hype, Allbirds has given up making sneakers out of carbon neutral materials in order to flog AI. The surprise pivot came with a name change – NewBird – and a cynical cash grab. The old bird had been leaking money; the new one sent stock surging 600%. I visited Allbirds HQ the same year I interviewed Preysman. We discussed their B Corp journey, material innovation and how co-founder Joey Zwillinger reckoned "at the end of the day, people don't buy sustainable products, they buy great product experiences". I titled the podcast episode 'The Eco-Awesomeness of Allbirds – Sustainable Shoes for Changemakers'. The Future of Sustainability: Beyond Greenwashing So how do we navigate this moment? Accept it: sustainability is not hot right now. OK! This was never meant to be a popularity contest. The movement needs to get back to basics. Circularity won't save us – we must focus on workers' rights and the just transition. Have hard conversations about overproduction. Dismantle consumerism as the dominant narrative and define a properly radical approach to system change. You can't take the politics out of this, but why would you want to? As the last few months have shown us, when sustainability becomes purely about the business case, it stops meaning anything at all.