North Face 2012 Annual Report Download - page 13

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Lee Asia: From Horseback to Fixed-Gear Bikes
Lee® Storm Rider® Jacket in China
Brand history has tremendous power with Chinese consumers, giving
the Lee® brand, founded in 1889, a competitive advantage. This
advantage is multiplied by VF’s deep research into consumer insights,
which enables the Lee® brand to uncover locally relevant ways to
connect new products to its heritage and ensure differentiation in an
increasingly crowded market.
Inspired by the emergence of the fixed-gear bike culture among
Chinese youth consumers in fast-growing urban centers, the Lee®
brand has created an entirely new collection of apparel, including
Urban Riders jeans, that connects back to the brand’s horseback-
riding heritage.
One of the Lee® brand’s most famous products, for example, is the
1933 Storm Rider® jacket — a blanket-lined jacket designed for horseback
riders. In 2012, Lee China released an entirely new Storm Rider® jacket
updated for a different consumer in a different time with a different need.
By today‘s standards, the original Storm Rider® jacket was very thick
and bulky, so the Lee® brand developed a new Storm Stopper
fabric — an advanced, bonded material that is warm, but thinner and
more flexible than the original.
“We are inspired by the Lee® brand’s unique heritage,” says David Tring,
Director, Product, VF Asia Pacific. “But we give it a modern twist by
adding performance and functionality. The jacket gives modern riders
the protection against the weather they demand with a unique story that
no other brand can tell.”
VFis home to two of the most iconic jeans brands in the
world. More important than the story of how the Wrangler® and Lee®
brands became global icons is the story of how they stay global icons.
The Lee® brand introduced the first zipper fly in 1926 in its legendary
101Z jean, and was the first brand to create jeans specifically for women
with the 1949 Lady Lee Riders® jeans. In 1947, the Wrangler® brand
created the 47MWZ jean, a blockbuster product so successful that it
remains part of the cowboy “uniform” to this day.
Behind each historic product is a hidden story of a commitment to
innovation, based on understanding consumer needs and creating new
products to meet them. It’s a commitment that continues to this day.
“We‘ve learned over the years that nothing beats incorporating real-time
consumer feedback into the product development process, every step
of the way,” says Tom Waldron, Vice President , Mass Brands, Jeanswear
Americas. “The insights we get from constant contact with our core
Wrangler® brand consumers have been invaluable in helping us deliver
the style and functional benefits they want.”
Together, the Wrangler® and Lee® brands have more than 180 years
of combined history of consumer-centric product innovation. It’s a living
history that continues today with a unique strategy: the Wrangler® and
Lee® brands grow as global icons by focusing on creating products for
the unique needs of each regional market. This decentralized approach
is one that only a company with the reach and resources of VF can
execute. And it’s working, with both brands stronger than ever and poised
for continued growth.
Storm Rider
The original Lee® Storm Rider® jacket, designed in 1933 for
horseback riders, was thick and bulky to keep them warm and
dry in the backcountry. In 2012, the Lee® brand re-interpreted this
classic product for a new audience — bicycle riders in China.
It‘s now sleek, thin and even warmer. It marks the Lee® brand’s
first use of high-performance bonded fabrics with denim.
2.
Middle Layer
A breathable PTFE
membrane applied as a
film directly to the denim.
It prevents wind from
penetrating the fabric,
and allows the rider to
stay dry.
1.
Inner Layer
A warm, soft fleece lining
that replaces the original
wool with a brushed tricot
fabric. The stripe is a
direct link to the original
1933 jacket.
3.
Outer Layer
A lightweight stretch denim
that allows freedom of
movement, which is vital
for bike riders.
RE-MADE
TO LAST
A focus on consumer-
centric innovation
drives the Wrangler®
and Lee® brands to
constantly invent new
products and reinvent
older ones.