With seashore season right here and tote baggage nonetheless vital for a lot of within the trendy set, L.L. Bean isn’t about to get left behind on the pattern.
Why ought to it because the Freeport, Maine-based firm first invented the rugged tote 80 years in the past. To rejoice that endurance, L.L. Bean has teamed with menswear label Wood Sleepers to curate a group of 24 of its classic Boat and Totes. Each manufacturers have a shared sensibility, since Wood Sleepers’ founder Brian Davis focuses on all issues Americana, whether or not that be workwear, outside, navy, or “Ivy Fashion”-inspired clothes.
His arsenal contains hard-to-find L.L.Bean gear and attire. So when Davis approached L.L. Bean a couple of attainable collaboration centered on curated, thematic drops of L.L. Bean’s most iconic items, “we have been thrilled,” an organization spokesperson mentioned Wednesday. The Boat and Tote was first created in 1944 to haul ice and might maintain as much as 500 lbs., in keeping with L.L. Bean.
Wood Sleepers and L.L. Bean have joined pressure for a collaboration.
Photograph Courtesy Wood Sleepers
The $1.7 billion outdoors-focused L.L. Bean model has been collaborating with smaller, buzzy labels in recent times. By way of an alliance with Summersalt, the corporate rolled out restricted run attire, solar protecting swimwear and seashore gear, together with a paddleboard, this summer time.
True to Wood Sleepers’ classic roots, the baggage have their share of damage and tear to “replicate the distinctive tales they carry,” Davis mentioned. (Suppose splattered paint, water marks and frayed edges.) As of 9 a.m. EST Thursday, customers can vie for twenty-four one-of-a-kind totes within the L.L. Bean x Wood Sleepers assortment that retail from $95 to $165 on Wood Sleeper’s web site. The truth that a number of of the chosen iconic merchandise are celebrating milestone anniversaries together with L.L. Bean’s 80-year-old Boat and Tote and its 50-year-old subject coat solely heightened the attraction of the deal for Davis. The model’s Norwegian sweater is one other private favourite of the Wood Sleepers’ founder, who described the corporate founder Leon Leonwood Bean as “the best American clothes designer.”
Totes from the L.L. Bean x Wood Sleepers assortment.
Photograph Courtesy Wood Sleepers
The L.L. Bean model has through the years been carried by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Chloe Sevigny, Sarah Jessica Parker and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. From Davis’ standpoint, classic L.L. Bean was “made extremely nicely and is type of trend-proof.”
The ironic Boat and Tote pattern that kicked off on social media in 2023 spiked gross sales for the equipment merchandise to a 10-year excessive at L.L. Bean. Earlier this 12 months Dealer Joe’s tapped into the demand with a mini model of a tote bag that was harking back to L.L. Bean’s signature model. A viral blitz worn out Dealer Joe’s stock, which has but to be replenished. The grocery retailer chain just lately rolled out a $3.99 insulated cooler model, which additionally offered out after going viral.
Requested about Dealer Joe’s model throughout an interview in April, L.L. Bean’s chief executve officer and president Stephen Smith mentioned, “Imitation is the sincerest type of flattery. Look, if persons are into shopping for baggage, and shopping for sustainable baggage, they need to purchase ours.“