There’s a brand new day dawning at Eddie Bauer.
The corporate is debuting a model repositioning and enlargement technique that features an up to date brand and messaging to embrace its outside roots, a heightened concentrate on wholesale and an enhancement of its presence outdoors of North America.
One 12 months in the past, the Bellevue, Washington-based outside model introduced Tim Bantle on board as chief govt officer. Bantle had an intensive background within the outside trade, serving as normal supervisor of VF Canada, in addition to in key roles at The North Face, Black Diamond Gear and Patagonia.
Upon becoming a member of the corporate Bantle realized there have been quite a lot of missed alternatives for development. “What I encountered was that the enterprise was at a pivotal level,” he mentioned. “I spotted it had heritage and authenticity, but it surely didn’t have a well-established wholesale or worldwide enterprise.”
The corporate was based in 1920 by a Pacific Northwest sportsman named Eddie Bauer and was virtually solely direct-to-consumer, promoting by means of its personal fleet of shops within the U.S. and Canada, in addition to on-line. Whereas it did have a take care of Kohl’s to promote its outdoor-inspired product and there had been restricted worldwide distribution, neither was sufficient to actually transfer the needle.
So Bantle began to place the wheels in movement on a “average repositioning and rebranding” that might deal with these missed alternatives.
The first step was to immerse himself within the firm’s wealthy archives, even studying as a lot as he may from the paperwork left by Eddie Bauer himself.
“If you come right into a 100-year-old model, the very first thing it’s a must to guarantee is that you just do no hurt,” he mentioned. “This is without doubt one of the nice Americana outside manufacturers and it was very open to a refresh. However I shortly acknowledged that our model mark may use some love.”
The brand was truly the title Eddie Bauer in script. Not solely was it difficult to placed on product, however younger individuals right this moment are now not taught to learn cursive writing, so it wanted to be modified.
The brand new model contains a goose in flight together with the corporate’s title in block letters, the phrases Out of doors Outfitters and the date of its founding. “We introduced again the goose,” Bantle mentioned, including that it had been used on and off for the reason that firm’s inception.
Eddie Bauer’s new brand.
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The brand will probably be used on the corporate’s e-commerce and social websites this fall and can make its look on product subsequent 12 months, he mentioned. “It’s a very huge transfer, however we’ll do it with quite a lot of humility.”
Then he turned his consideration outdoors the borders of North America. Though Eddie Bauer had labored with licensees in Japan and Europe prior to now, when the corporate was bought by Genuine Manufacturers Group in Could of 2021 that enterprise “paused,” he mentioned. “It went darkish for round 18 months.”
However shops and shops-in-shop in Japan will start opening subsequent month, and they’re going to incorporate the brand new branding, he mentioned. That will probably be adopted shortly after by the U.Okay. and Northern Europe, after which Central Europe.
Eddie Bauer operates 260 of its personal shops within the U.S. and Canada, most of that are mall-based, and they’re break up between full-price and shops. Bantle mentioned there aren’t any quick plans to considerably add to that quantity, however the retailer fleet will probably be “refined opportunistically.”
As a substitute, the first development will come from wholesale. “We’ve a partnership with Kohl’s that began two years in the past and we’re constructing that enterprise,” he mentioned, including that the reasonably priced retailer is including outdoor-inspired outlets to its shops and Eddie Bauer is “a key companion” in that initiative.
The corporate additionally works with Costco on an “item-level foundation,” and that additionally represents an enormous quantity alternative.
Tim Bantle
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Bantle mentioned when he joined Eddie Bauer final 12 months, wholesale represented solely 10 p.c of gross sales. Right now that quantity has doubled, however he mentioned he would in the end prefer to see a fair break up between wholesale and direct retail.
Turning to product, Bantle mentioned Christopher Bevans, the designer that his predecessor employed in Could 2022 with a lot fanfare as the corporate’s first inventive director, is now not with the model. As a substitute, the gathering is being designed by an inner staff.
Whereas it might have its roots in outside merchandise, Bantle mentioned sportswear — or “on a regular basis efficiency” product — represents over half of gross sales. This is without doubt one of the differentiators between Eddie Bauer and the opposite key outerwear manufacturers comparable to Canada Goose.
Plus, Eddie Bauer’s costs are rather a lot decrease. A down jacket can value $100 to $200 at Eddie Bauer however promote for $400 or extra at Patagonia, $900 or extra at Canada Goose and effectively greater than $1,000 at Moncler.
Eddie Bauer is understood for its down jackets.
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“We do issues which are rooted in authenticity,” he mentioned. “We try to be broad, democratic and extremely inclusive,” he mentioned. “I enterprise to say our competitors is the alternative. We’ve the chance to be a trusted, reasonably priced outside model. We’re not going to compete the place we will’t win.”
He mentioned that greater than half of People usually take part in outside actions. “So we’ve got a possibility to handle that and be the place individuals store.”
Partnerships can even be essential to Eddie Bauer going ahead. The corporate was a pioneer within the discipline by inking a take care of Ford Motor Co. in 1983 for Eddie Bauer-branded SUVs. Extra not too long ago it has teamed with Tenting World on a line of RVs. It additionally licenses backpacks, footwear and baggage and works with Huckberry on a Skyliner down jacket.
However whereas different licensees might come on board, Bantle mentioned to not count on many collaborations from the model going ahead. Previously, the corporate has collaborated with The Nice, Baja East, A$AP Rocky and others. “I feel we’re previous the height with collaborations as an trade,” he mentioned. “However licensing is a really huge a part of what we do.”
Because the rebranding and repositioning achieve steam, Eddie Bauer will talk its new messaging by means of its social media and e-mail channels. And within the fall, when the up to date product and branding hit shops, he expects to be extra vocal in regards to the updates.
“We’ll have a variety of launch occasions, however after individuals can truly purchase the product,” he mentioned.
