It’s festival time, and a young music-lover’s fancy turns to thoughts of mud – and how best to survive it. The latest jeans? The hippest technological labels? No. Blame it on the retrenching caused by the recession, but a scan of the clothing worn by attendees at Glastonbury (last day on Sunday) will yield a panoply of heritage brands, from wellie maker Hunter to Barbour, LL Bean, Levi’s and Dickies. This summer, the old dull is the new hot.
“We’re seeing a younger generation of men and women looking for items that have trustworthiness and authority,” says Arthur Wayne, director of communications for Brooks Brothers. “But it’s not worn in conservative ways: they mix patterns, they take a bowtie and wear it as a head band. We did a collaboration with Wilson [sporting goods] as a result, making Brooks Brothers football and duffle bags, as well as a partnership with Moon Boots, and we’re into two years of a collaboration with Junya Watanabe, where he’s reinterpreting the classic navy blazer.”
No wonder Barbour is preparing to issue a limited edition of redesigned classics (prices start at £179/$295), and Woolrich Woolen Mills is being sold at such hip outposts as Barneys and Steven Alan. And this year Hunter will announce a pure fashion collection involving six equestrian-inspired leather styles.
Companies are sniffing around with acquisition in mind, too. Last year, Collective Brands purchased bootmaker Sperry, while in 2006 the Pentland Group, which owns Lacoste, Speedo and Ted Baker, bought Hunter. Brooks Brothers recently acquired Southwick Clothing, who makes its suits.
Neil Fiske, chief executive of Eddie Bauer, attributes the trend to people wanting to get back to basics, physically and sartorially. “People are interested in the great outdoors because it strips away all pretence and gives you a fresh perspective on what’s important,” he says. “Stay focused, get down to things that really matter, weather the storm – people find a lot of parallels. It’s about testing the boundaries of human achievement and finding the balance of what we can do. The outdoors is a source of ideas and inspiration for people, and Eddie Bauer was the original expedition outfitter.”
Indeed, Eddie Bauer outfitted Jim Whittaker, who became the first American to reach the summit of Mt Everest in 1963. Now they are sponsoring a “dream team” of Everest mountaineers who are wearing a line they call First Ascent; visitors to the company’s website can follow the progress of the climb.
Craig Reingold, president of Sperry, echoes Fiske. “The brand conjures up an image of the ocean, and people love the smell of the salt air, the waves, the birds. It’s an aspirational feeling, but about being able to accomplish things.”
“That’s something that has appeal in this economy, because it’s about triumph,” adds Fiske.
Syl Tang tracks trends and runs HipGuide Inc. She can be reached at ceo@hipguide.com
The changing face of rock festivals
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Details
www.barbour.com
www.brooksbrothers.com
www.dickies.com
www.eddiebauer.com
www.hunterboots.com
www.levistrauss.com
www.llbean.com
www.sperrytopsider.com
www.woolrichfabrics.com
