Winter Warmer
Woolrich’s bid to dress a new generation of active urbanites globally
America’s oldest outdoor clothing label Woolrich is undergoing a major remaking as it prepares to double its retail footprint in the next 3 years. While the brand has been best known for its iconic buffalo check plaid that has covered the backs of North American outdoorsmen, it is now making a play for a younger, more urban, and more global audience.
The past 2 months saw the opening of the first 4 Japanese Woolrich stores in Sapporo, Tokyo, and Osaka. The openings coincided with the company’s new winter collection, which featured parkas and streetwear. In the meantime, the brand’s Spring 2019 Collection leaned toward a more European sensibility, with feminine takes on outerwear staples such as windbreakers, parkas, and bomber jackets. They came in delicate shades of pink, with prints ranging from ink splotches to a parrot-and-flower motif. Andrea Canè, Woolrich’s creative director, said the Fall 2019 Collection will unveil a new aesthetic for the label and a logo that has been created with Pentagram.
Behind the new openings stand Italian shareholder WP Lavori in Corso and Woolrich Japan, Woolrich’s Japanese operational arm that was co-founded with technical outdoor wear company Goldwin, following its acquisition of a minority stake in Woolrich International in 2017. It looks like the brand has American heritage, Italian design and Japanese tech all sewn up.
Sources: The Monocle Minute (September 28, 2018) | WWD (September 21, 2018) | Image: Joe Mabel