Woolrich, Inc.

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Woolrich, Inc.
legal form Inc. (AG)
founding 1830
Seat Woolrich, Pennsylvania
management Nicholas P. "Nick" Brayton (President)
Number of employees approx. 200
sales $ 250 million
Branch textiles
Website www.woolrich.com
Stand 2013

Logos of the various Woolrich collections

Woolrich, Inc. is an American clothing company founded by John Rich in Pennsylvania in 1830 and still in existence today. It was initially known for its rustic outdoor clothing for men and its red and black wool check pattern on the self-made fabrics .

Company history

In 1830 the founder of English immigrant John Rich at the age of 25 years on Licking Creek stream in Plum Run, in Clinton County Pennsylvania , a woolen mill and sold initially simple woolen goods to neighboring loggers -families. In 1845 a new spinning mill was inaugurated approx. 200 km northeast at Chatham Run, the building of which still exists today and is part of the modern company building complex. Its location on the Susquehanna River allowed for better use of spinning machines powered by water wheels. During the construction of the railroad in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century, the company flourished, targeting the male working class with 'workwear' products such as robust wool sweaters , weatherproof parkas , functional vests and resistant flannel shirts . In 1852, a son Rich joined the company and the company traded as John Rich and Son . As early as 1880, the male customer was able to dress completely with Woolrich products and by the turn of the century the name Woolrich was known throughout America. The red and black checked wool pattern on jackets, flannel shirts and trapper hats is still a trademark today . In 1888 the company went to three sons of Rich Jr. and was consequently renamed Woolrich John Rich & Bros. Two miles from Chatham Run, the community of Woolrich (initially 'Richville') was created, where the company's headquarters are to this day. The company is said to have been the first in the world to use zippers in men's pants. Over the years the product range has been expanded, because in addition to the railway workers and woodcutters, anglers , hunters , trappers etc. have also been included in the target group. In the 1920s, casual clothing was devoted to wool swimwear and golf pants . With the advent of the automobile , the company produced Überwurf- blankets (throws), from which developed in 1928 a separate division within the company. In 1930 Woolrich already had over 250 employees. 1939, 1940, 1941 and paid Woolrich on behalf of the US government Antarctica - expedition of Admiral Byrd made. Uniforms and blankets were made for the US Army during World War II and later wars . By the middle of the 20th century at the latest, Woolrich finally moved away from robust clothing for workers towards equally functional outdoor clothing with a focus on all four seasons. In the 1960s, Woolrich was a popular clothing brand among college students. With the development of synthetic materials Woolrich could further enlarge its product range and to meet the needs of the pure wool assortment away Natursport enter -type active. Down products such as down jackets were added to the range in the mid-1970s .

International expansion

International expansion followed in the 1980s , initially to Canada , Italy and Japan . In 1984 - initially for Italy, from 1998 for the whole of Europe - the Woolrich license and the distribution rights were granted to the Italian clothing manufacturer WP Lavori in Corso from Bologna . The license business for accessories followed. In the late 1980s, Woolrich had 3,000 employees in America, 10 manufacturing facilities in the United States and one in Canada, and revenues of $ 200 million. In the early 1990s, the competition for Woolrich grew. The strategies of fellow competitors such as Columbia Sportswear or Timberland were followed and the products were no longer produced exclusively with materials from their own weaving mill in the USA, but also made overseas. The company had to lay off employees and close locations. The name Woolrich was started to be visible from the outside in the form of labels on clothing in order to better position the brand. Materials such as Gore-Tex and Thinsulate were used. In the late 1990s, Woolrich manufactured approximately 20% of its range entirely in Woolrich, Pennsylvania, 40% was produced by other manufacturers and 40% was made overseas. Campaigns have been launched to attract a younger audience. Targeted product placements in the Hollywood film Der Pferdeflüsterer (1998), for which the company made over 300 articles available, brought the name Woolrich back into fashion. The fleece range was expanded on the American market and a Woolrich fur hooded parka was very popular in Europe, particularly Italy, Germany and France. WP Lavori in Corso, launched at the end of the 1990's own Woolrich John Rich & Bros collection for the European and Japanese markets. Since 2000, Woolrich can also be ordered in the USA via the self-distributed mail order catalog. At the beginning of the 2000s, the home textiles division was expanded and the licensing business expanded again.

Woolrich today

Woolrich, Inc. was until 2016 limited company in privately owned by members of the Rich family in the sixth and seventh generation, as well as employees of the company. Global business was managed through the holding company John Rich & Sons Investment. The sales of Woolrich, Inc. in 2008 was approximately 800 employees to about 115 million dollars. The company goes by the nickname 'The Original Outdoor Clothing Co.'. To this day, Woolrich, Inc. sells almost unchanged design items that date from the founding years, such as the 'Railroad Vest', a vest with many pockets designed for railway workers, or the 'Buffalo Check Shirt' (since 1850), a plaid Wool shirt. The wool mill in Woolrich is the oldest in the USA.

As a result of WP Lavori's involvement in Corso in Italy and the Woolrich collections developed by the company itself, the staid American outdoor specialist developed into an international, fashionable lifestyle company from the end of the 1990s. In 2008 WP Lavori in Corso was entrusted with the worldwide distribution of the Woolrich brand under the direction of company founder Cristina Calori. After Italy, Germany is the most important international sales market. In 2010 the company celebrated its 180th anniversary with a special collection limited to 180 pieces worldwide.

In 2014, a closer cooperation between Woolrich USA and the European licensee was agreed for the purpose of a more uniform market presence. In 2016, the American parent company and Woolrich Europe, controlled by WP Lavori in Corso, merged to become Woolrich International , which was based in London. The Rich Family still holds a little less than 10% of the shares. In 2017, the clothing manufacturer Goldwin, founded in Japan in 1950, bought shares in Woolrich International from WP Lavori in Corso. The sub-brand Woolrich Outdoor Label emerged from this partnership . In 2017, revenues of around 180 million euros were achieved. At the end of 2018, the Luxembourg investment company L-GAM Advisors Sarl took over the remaining Woolrich shares from Calori and thus became Woolrich's majority owner. This went hand in hand with the abandonment of the production site in Woolrich, Pennsylvania. The company WP Lavori in Corso has been pursuing other projects since then.

Collections

In addition to the classic Woolrich line, WP Lavori launched the Woolrich John Rich & Bros collection in Europe in 1998 and, after a 10-year 'test phase', launched it in the USA in 2009, where it is also sold in upscale retail. This collection was established worldwide as a bridge collection.

The Woolrich Woolen Mills collection was launched in 2006 . This high-priced "Made in USA" catwalk collection should take up the roots of Woolrich in a modern context under the Japanese designer Daiki Suzuki, who imported American outdoor clothing to Japan as a fashion buyer in the 1990s and runs his own label Engineered Garments . Following the motto "you are at the most fashionable if you try not to be fashionable", this pure men's collection with untreated materials into smaller sections , a tribute to the original work clothes. The collection is WP Lavori in Corso mainly in Europe, Japan and Hong Kong . In the USA, the Woolen Mills collection is only sold in high-priced stores such as Bergdorf Goodman , Bloomingdale’s or Barneys. The Woolen Mills collection ranks hierarchically at the upper end of the Woolrich portfolio. Suzuki was replaced by former J.Press designer Mark McNairy in 2010 after his five-year contract expired . When his contract expired in 2014, the line was discontinued.

From 2009 there was a collaboration with the sneaker manufacturer Converse , in which shoes in the black and red Woolrich pattern are offered. There was also a collaboration on women's clothing in Woolrich style with the London premium department store Liberty (department store) .

Since the merger of the European and American divisions, there have been collaborations with Lauryn Hill (2018), Studio Griffin by Jeff Griffin (2018), IZIPIZI glasses (2018), Aimé Leon Dore (2018) and others.

current collections:

  • Woolrich John Rich & Bros (from WP from 1998 in Europe and Japan, as well as from 2009 introduced in the USA, medium-priced bridge collection in the sportswear sector for women, men and children; since 2014 worldwide)
  • Woolrich Outdoor Label (outdoor collection launched in 2019 in collaboration with shareholder Goldwin)
  • Woolrich Penn-Rich (from 2009, WP initially mainly produced a youth sportswear collection in the lower mid-price segment for Italy)

former collections:

  • Woolrich (in the USA by Woolrich, Inc. itself via catalog, e-commerce, own stores and wholesale, low-priced outdoor collection for women and men; discontinued in 2016)
  • Woolrich Woolen Mills (distributed by WP, designed by Daiki Suzuki (2006–2010) and Mark McNairy (2010–2014) in New York and manufactured in the USA, high-priced catwalk collection for men)
  • Woolrich Elite Series Tactical (functional clothing of the American division, which is aimed, among other things, at sport shooters and was sold in the USA through specialty stores from 2007; sold to ATS Tactical Gear in 2013, naming rights expired in 2016)

Boutiques

Before the merger with the European division, Woolrich, Inc. operated a flagship store and four outlet stores in the USA in Woolrich, Pennsylvania . Only items from the low-priced American Woolrich collection were offered there. In addition, the brand was sold through retail outlets in the United States. The American Woolrich line was not available outside of the United States. WP Lavori in Corso entertained for the sale of higher-priced European collections alongside shops-in-shop in Paris and Italy official Woolrich boutiques ( mono-label stores ) in Stockholm , Cortina d'Ampezzo , Forte dei Marmi , on Formentera and Sylt in Keitum on a franchise basis . These have been operated by Woolrich Europe SpA since the merger . There were also locations in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart and Munich as well as Amsterdam, Antwerp, Gothenburg, London, seven locations in Italy, Maastricht and Tokyo (as of 2019). There are also Woolrich stores in North America in SoHo (Manhattan) (since 2014), Boston (since 2015) and Toronto (since 2017) as well as outlets in Woolrich, Pennsylvania and Central Valley, New York. The American businesses are subordinate to the John Rich & Sons Investment Holding Company, Inc. The worldwide distribution of Woolrich takes place through the high-end retail trade.

See also

The originally American clothing company Gant USA was eventually bought up by its Swedish licensee.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Bob Rolley: Woolrich Inc. passes the torch. SWilliamsport Sun-Gazette, May 15, 2013, accessed July 21, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Textile industry: Woolrich is a piece of America  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (December 1, 2005)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.textilwirtschaft.de  
  3. ↑ Textilwirtschaft: Woolrich: First mono-label store in Germany (January 29, 2008)

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