Late-night business plan workshop with Victoria Textile, Lululemon's fabric supplier The essence of the athleisure industry: an intensive evening with a premium fabric company Last night, I led a very special training session late in the evening.
The venue: Victoria Textile, a company that supplies high-end fabrics to **premium athleisure brand Lululemon**.
“Athleisure” has long been a mainstream term, but looking into the business model of a premium fabric company at the heart of the industry, one that creates real value, was a fresh experience for me, too.
The topic of this guest session: how to write a business plan.
Rather than just teaching the format, we ran it as hands-on training: participants actually built, analyzed, and debated.
KRW 100 billion (≈ US$74,816,700) in revenue, 20% net margin… surprising numbers for a fabric maker While researching for the business plan structure, I was stunned by Victoria Textile’s financial profile.
Revenue of roughly KRW 100 billion (≈ US$74,816,700) and a net profit margin of around 20%.
These figures differ greatly from how typical textile and fashion fabric makers are perceived.
The reason was simple.
This was less a simple fabric supplier than an advanced-materials company.
Item Figures and assessment Annual revenue About KRW 100 billion (≈ US$74,816,700) Net profit margin About 20% Key
Customers Lululemon and many other global athleisure brands Fabric features High-stretch, water-repellent, antibacterial, sustainable materials Technology-based Looking at these figures, it struck me that technology-driven materials companies are no longer just contract manufacturers. They are the brand itself and the core of its competitive edge.
A hands-on session: “We were amazed by the quality of the business plan!” Rather than just handing over a PPT template, this session was built around a sample business plan I wrote myself, which I demonstrated live and then discussed with participants for feedback.
Along the way, I demonstrated AI tools for organizing materials and visualizing data, and the response was enthusiastic.
Key training
Content Live reactions Business plan structure “The paragraph structure and flow are practical enough to use right away.” AI demo “I didn’t know it could be this fast and well organized.” Number-driven messaging “Numbers become a story.” Open-discussion format Live discussion with the executive vice president and managing directors When the EVP said, “At this quality, we could use it as internal investor material,” I felt proud as an instructor, too.
Left at 11 PM, reaching Daejeon in the early hours… and now on a train to Changwon When I stepped out after training, it was already past 11 PM.
After a two-and-a-half-hour drive home to Daejeon and a short nap, I boarded a dawn train.
The destination: Changwon.
I can’t tell whether the day is starting or ending, but I suspect days this intense are what’s shaping me now.
Time Event 11 PM Training ends; leave Victoria Textile 1:30 AM Arrive in Daejeon 5 AM Wake up and get ready 6:30 AM Board the train to Changwon Lululemon chose this fabric for a reason
Why does Lululemon, the globally acclaimed athleisure brand, choose Victoria Textile as a key
why it was chosen as a partner became clear to me firsthand in today’s meeting.
Technology-driven R&D, a materials strategy tied to brand value, ESG-based sustainability efforts, and a content strategy for global customers. Together, these took the company beyond a mere 'materials supplier' and made it **'a core partner in the athleisure market'**.
The day continues
I’m on a train to Changwon now.
Next up is my third appointment.
This is when I should be worn out, yet on days like this my mind seems to grow even clearer.
Because meeting good companies and good people turns fatigue into energy.
