Dive Brief:
- Seattle-based outdoor brand Filson is expanding into womenswear beginning in August, per a Thursday news release.
-
Initially, the collection will offer 32 styles including outerwear, shirting and accessories, with sizes ranging from XS to 2XL and prices ranging from $98 to $995, per the release. The line will launch first in the U.S. and a global rollout is expected to follow afterward, according to a brand representative.
- Filson’s new womenswear designs were created in partnership with Alex Carleton, the company’s chief creative officer, and Cristina Calori, co-founder and president of WP Lavori, an Italy-based licensor and distributor that took a minority stake in Filson in 2020, per the release.
Dive Insight:
Filson has created women’s styles before, but has primarily focused on rugged outerwear and apparel for men, in addition to outdoor lifestyle accessories and gear. This new line is the brand’s biggest foray into womenswear and is meant to attract a fashion-forward customer, per the release.
The womenswear collection will be sold through the brand's e-commerce and retail stores and via select retail partners.
For creative inspiration, Carleton and Calori dug into the archives of the 127-year-old heritage brand, which was originally created for Yukon prospectors. Calori, whose company launched an e-commerce website in 2021, is also the distributor for outdoor footwear brand Blundstone in select Europe markets including Italy, Spain and Switzerland. She said in the release that expanding Filson’s line to include womenswear, especially in the American market, “is a logical step, given existing e-commerce and store success catering to a female clientele with specific needs.”
“On the other hand, entering the younger Filson European market is a risk,” said Calori. “However, I believe it could effectively enhance and promote the men's collection, providing a strategic boost for the entire collection, its values, and its quality.”
In 2021, Filson named WP Lavori exec Paolo Corinaldesi as the sixth CEO in its company’s history. He joined the brand “as part of his role with WP Lavori,” per a release about the appointment. Corinaldesi was formerly CEO of Woolrich International, a company WP Lavori owned for two years before selling its assets in 2018. Corinaldesi left the CEO position in June 2022 and became a member of the board, said a brand representative. Filson doesn't have a CEO at this time, the brand representative added.
Filson is owned by Texas-based investment firm Bedrock Manufacturing Company, which also owns watch and leather goods brand Shinola. The firm named Awenate Cobbina as CEO in 2021. Prior to that, Cobbina led operations as a member of the Biden-Harris Transition's executive leadership team, and was an executive for the Detroit Pistons. BMC was founded in 2005 by Tom Kartsotis, who also founded watch brand Fossil.
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify Corinaldesi's role at Filson.
