16 | COVER |
OOBE
“The idea is to take root in people’s lives … and this gives us a platform to do it in a really unique way.” Lee Norwood, chief creative officer of OOBE
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05.27.2016
OOBE continued from PAGE 15 “The OOBE line and the Van Willem line will really halo the rest of our business,” said Norwood, a recently hired 22-year Ralph Lauren veteran and Charlotte native. “It sounds terrible, but if it’s to support and to halo our other businesses… it’s almost marketing.” Starting with just 10 pieces, Van Willem seeks to be a lifestyle brand that blends performance and style with a “heritage feel,” says Norwood. The line draws inspiration from Greenville and the Southeast, from the indigo crop boom and legacy mill industry to key landmarks such as the Blue Ridge Mountains and Edisto Island. “It could be for the outdoors, or just for normal casual wear,” says Norwood, who says price points and marketing strategies have not yet been decided for Van Willem. “We want to be aspirational for the younger guy, but we don’t want to be too young for someone 40-plus.”
Values and opportunities Clemson alumni Mike Pereyo and Tom Merritt founded the company in 1994 as a premium outdoor performance apparel brand. Their products – called the OOBE line – were sold primarily through trade shows and specialty retailers, however. Van Willem’s brick-and-mortar store on King Street in Charleston will not only be its first stand-alone location, but “an outward expression of those [OOBE’s] core values,” said Pereyo. “This line will let our global brands and partners know that we’re not just trying to be an apparel company; we’re trying to be a company that wants to do life with people,” he said. “We do actually believe it’s going to be very profitable … but it’s not just the product that moves through that pipeline, but the opportunities that it makes.” Norwood said the project is funded through the company via a “reallocation of resources” by phasing out work with uniform apparel firm Wolverine World Wide as well as local Greenville firms Southern Tide and Coast >>