Eddie Bauer's Getting The North Face Purple Label Treatment
Remember Eddie Bauer, the century-old American outdoor brand? Yeah, it's a cool Japanese brand now.
In April 2023, the @eddiebauer_jp Instagram account quietly crackled to life. It announced that, for Fall/Winter 2023, Eddie Bauer was to be reborn in Japan. Here we are in September and everything's falling into place: Eddie Bauer Japan is preparing to launch its web store and clothes are rolling out to stores.
An age-old outdoor brand relaunching in Japan is nothing new — hello LL Bean, Coleman — and it takes more than a regional collection to raise an eyebrow. This is where Eddie Bauer Black Label comes in.
Eddie Bauer Black Label is being positioned as the higher-end Eddie Bauer Japan offering, a line of outdoor clothes that gets back to the heart of the Seattle label's longstanding legacy.
This is the same stuff that JJJJound tapped into whenever it's brought Eddie Bauer into its uncomplicated mold: simple vests and down jackets ideal for layering and designed for winter's worst.
The Japan-only Eddie Bauer Black Label debut encompasses some archetypal items, including the Skyliner Jacket, Downlight Vest, and cotton twill trousers, all accompanied by ample archival imagery to emphasize that these all have historical basis.
Eddie Bauer Black Label's stylized approach, attractively understated product, and quietly elevated construction — these new Skyliner Jackets are a silk/poly blend — immediately recall The North Face Purple Label, the Japan-exclusive and immensely cool TNF sub-label overseen by nanamica founder Eiichiro Homma.
Like The North Face Purple Label, Eddie Bauer Black Label is delivering simple, wearable stuff inspired by tradition. Unlike TNFPL, Eddie Bauer Black Label is incredibly specific, only selling a few clothes thus far.
Eddie Bauer Japan would also benefit from a more defined visual language.
TNFPL has really dialed in its distinctive vision of semi-preppy outdoor gear, honed through references to The North Face's post-hippie roots in San Francisco.
Eddie Bauer is leaning into its Pacific Northwest heritage by publishing archival imagery, patent illustrations, and photographs of its genial, grandpa-looking founder, but it hasn't translated that kind of visual interest into design language or campaign photography just yet.
But these are merely inklings of what's to come. Eddie Bauer Japan has partnered with influential retailers like UNITED ARROWS and JUN-owned store BIOTOP for some exclusive iterations of its signature pieces, suggesting that there's demand for this sort of pared-back outdoor gear in the crowded cool-outdoor market.
Gotta compete with the likes of DAIWA somehow! It's a good start: all Eddie Bauer Japan needs is imagery as elevated as its ethos.
