The Making of an American Icon? The company seems at once old and out-of-style. Are they chic anywhere? I supposed in Seattle or in New England maybe. But for the rest of the world, L.L. Bean seems to have lost it's luster. A friend recently accidentally left his Christmas gift ideas list in a conspicous place and his girlfriend saw that under her name, he had written, "L.L. Bean clothes."
That did not stand. "Do you know me at all? Is there anything in this magazine that you would like to see me in?!"
Certainly, not too many people in there 20's or 30's are buying L.L. Bean. They're buying J. Crew, Gap, American Eagle or the like. Even for outdoor gear, Columbia or REI is a better option than L.L. Bean. Not to mention the numerous popular companies making jackets, hats and shirts like Burton or Patagonia or Oakley or DC who have trascended the snowboard community. I don't think I would even buy L.L. Bean for my parents. Oddly enough, they have a decent website and some of their stuff isn't too horrible but...still. Has my style just changed that much or does the L.L. Bean brand just not carry the same whipping stick it did in the 80's and 90's?
2 comments:
hey, great idea with the conference call. we should do that all the time. that was fun and very efficient. (tapping in at the end of the discussion was very efficient also...) :) jules
Also noteworthy is the full extended version of this American Icon's name... the "L.L." apparently stands for Leon Leonwood. Good thing that never became part of our American traditions... "i know, just add wood to his first name and call it a middle name! Pete Peterwood Kearney, we'll call him PP". heyO!
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