First Ascent
Eddie Bauer
Business Stage:
Re-Emerging Authentic
Outdoor Brand
Category:
Mountaineering Apparel
Client:
WERX Role:
Vision, Design, Develop
Intro
Guiding a lost brand back to it's AUTHENTIC beginnings.
The Eddie Bauer recruitment office reached out seeking technical outerwear assistance to build a pinnacle mountaineering division for their brand, bringing the founding spirit of the brand back to the forefront. With the position the Eddie Bauer brand had been in for the prior decade, and still lacking the needed story presented, the WERX team was not able to visualize the program for the first or second request.
Once the WERX team was brought out to EBHQ to meet the CEO and guide leadership, we could see the dedicated direction for what they were trying to embark on, a no compromised guide lead mountaineering collection to bring the outdoor credibility back to the Eddie Bauer Name. This was something we were very much interested in helping them.
Goals
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Design & develop a system based apparel collection from base layer to 8,000M Down Summit Suits to outfit the guides with everything they need and nothing they don’t to summit Mount Everest. With that create complimentary products that would also be commercially successful in the Eddie Bauer retail stores.
The Collab
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The Eddie Bauer recruitment office reached out seeking technical outerwear assistance to build a pinnacle mountaineering division for their brand, bringing the founding spirit of the brand back to the forefront. Not seeing the vision initially, the WERX team was not able to accept the program for the first or second request. Once the WERX team was brought out to EBHQ to meet the CEO and guide leadership, we could see the dedicated direction for what they were trying to embark on, a no compromised guide lead mountaineering collection to bring the outdoor credibility back to the Eddie Bauer Name. This was something we were very much interested in helping them.
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The program kicked off with an introduction to the world class mountaineering guide team that was assembled to lead the overall brand to the top of the world's tallest mountains. Figuratively and physically. A download of their wants and frustrations of past products laid the path for how we were going to create a purpose built mountaineering line with no exceptions.
Ideation
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There are not many outdoor brands as old as Eddie Bauer, and even fewer that have built such an impressively curated archive of their history of products than them. Being able to go through their history or products from materials, color finishing, quilting patterns and design aesthetic allowed us to ensure as we approached this collection we would keep the heritage of Eddie Bauer mountaineering very much alive in the new line.
Eddie Bauer Archive pieces
circa 1950-60's
WERX Designed
First Ascent pieces
Challenges
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Although the EB already had a large internal product team, the product and resources they had been utilizing over the prior years had been more aimed towards lifestyle apparel.
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Another challenge was to work with the guide team to design a line that gave them the performance and function they knew they needed, as well as giving them features and performance they didn’t realize they needed.
Approach
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Sourcing fabrics and factories to call upon to help develop and produce an advanced mountaineering collection was one of the first steps to establish the new resource base. We sourced some new factories for EB’s program and worked in-factory with their established factory partners to ensure they were comfortable to use advanced construction methods needed for this line.
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Several trips to Asia to work on the development of these pieces was needed, as unlike a lot of apparel we develop, these pieces could be the difference between LIFE and DEATH
Process
Given the great opportunity to work with some of the world’s best mountaineering guides was the biggest highlight of this project. Their experience is unmatched, and given their insight into how we can create from the ground up a wearable layering system to keep them comfortable and performing at their peak.
From the first sample rounds we were able to have in-person reviews in the Eddie Bauer HQ to look at fit and materials. As the sample rounds went on, the Guides were able to head up to Mount Rainier where they train to put the gear to the test in real conditions.
For the final samples the team headed to Argentina to climb Aconcagua. Now that's Testing!
THE RESULTS
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The first success was being able to create a collection that was constructed to the expectations and level as intended, maintaining the Eddie Bauer founding aesthetic.
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The second and most important success was found as the collection was tested on expeditions until we refined the product until it was ready for the ultimate product test, to reach the top of the world. The product helped bring these top guides to the summit of Mount Everest.
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Physical garment features: From the softest cloud base layers, highly commercially successful quilted down and fleece mid-layer pieces, fully ultrasonic welded shell jackets, and welded baffle walled heavy down parkas and suits that all layer perfectly together to create a mountaineering collection not found by these world class guides before.
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Why it’s successful: The success of the product by the guide team over the next several years all over the world, created a runway for the Eddie Bauer brand to return to the world stage as a credible and teechnical outdoor outfitter.
Where are they now?
After a successful 12 years working along the guides to promote the authentic roots of the Eddie Bauer Outdoor brand, The "First Ascent" branding was brought back to "Eddie Bauer" branding, and the next evolution happened for the company.
The Products and initiative that we undertook was recognized by the industry as the saving force for the company, and brought back the foundation of the brand's inception.
Unfortunately the guides are no longer a part of the company, but the products remain as being strong drivers and sellers for the Eddie Bauer product range.
CLIENT
TESTIMONIAL
Mike / WERX is a highly skilled, very talented, and reliable Apparel Designer who works effectively within a large and complex team to achieve and exceed the targeted product results aesthetically and financially. Michael is clearly passionate about the Outdoor Sports arena. He "lives it" and studies it!
Michael was a key asset to our team, a great spirit, and I would hire him again in a heartbeat!
- Tony Krohn
VP Product
Eddie Bauer