North Face 2012 Annual Report Download - page 21

INCREASE
IN VF’S INTERNATIONAL
REVENUES
GROWTH
IN 2012, VF REPORTED
IN ITS DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER BUSINESS
1
2
GEAR
SHOW
OF THE
2012
GEAR
YEAR
OF THE
2012
4
5
Reef Reaches Beyond the Beach
The Reef
® brand launched two new footwear
collections in 2012 designed to address the
unmet needs of consumers. The REEF RESRV
Collection for men offers more flexibility and more
style. “The RESRV Collection is a premium,
surf-inspired footwear collection that supports a
nomadic traveler’s need for style and comfort,”
says PJ Connell, Director, Marketing. The REEF
Bella Costas Collection for women, featuring
premium leathers and textiles, is a joint
collaboration with artisans in developing countries.
A brushed outsole construction offers women
something more sophisticated than the average
beach shoe. “The launch of Bella Costas opens
the door to so many more new things,” says Kelley
Bruemmer, Director, Women’s Footwear.
Flattering Fit Solutions
10,000: The number of Riders by Lee® jeans, a
leader in the U.S. mass market channel, sold every
hour on Black Friday in 2012.
Patented Perfection
The lucy® brand introduced an innovative pant
with a patented design called the Perfect Booty.
This new product is the latest result of the brand’s
active engagement with women and crafting
solutions for their needs. The Perfect Booty pant
will anchor the brand’s reintroduction to consumers
in 2013, positioning the lucy® brand as a premium
activewear performance brand and revitalizing its
appeal to women.
And the Winner Is … Smartwool
SmartLoft Divide Jacket: Winner of a
“Gear of the Show” award at 2012 SnowSports
Industries America Snow show.
SmartLoft replaces down by using wool as insulation
in a lofted application. The garments capitalize
on the benefits of merino next to the skin and are
among the best insulation solutions on the market.
Men’s HyFi Hoody: Winner of a 2012 Men’s Journal
“Gear of the Year” award.
HyFi is a unique, bi-component fabric that allows
merino to be placed next to the skin, while the
nylon-faced portion of the fabric on the outside of
the garment provides wind resistance and greater
protection to the user. The HyFi midlayer is versatile
for use in numerous cold weather activities, such
as running and skate skiing.
Let’s roll. Let’s carry. Let’s do both.
The Eagle Creek® brand’s revolutionary Flip Switch
wheeled backpack has an innovative feature:
zip-away backpack straps and hip belt that cleverly
store in the bag’s front panel (rather than the back)
for a better carry. The result is a bag that combines
the best features of a rolling bag and a backpack—
without compromise.
3
1
Splendid Loves New York
The Splendid® brand opened three stores in 2010,
five in 2011 and eight in 2012. Most notable is the
brand’s SoHo store, its first in the Northeast. “Our
brand’s anchor is in Los Angeles,” says Jonathan
Saven, President & COO, Splendid® & Ella Moss®
brands. “Having a store in New York, with its
traffic volume and international presence, along
with being able to present the product in such a
unique way, is very special to us.”
JanSport x Benny Gold
The JanSport® brand teamed up with San
Francisco-based Designer and Retailer Benny
Gold to create a one-of-a-kind collection that is
deeply rooted in art, design and skateboarding.
Napapijri Partners Up
The Napapijri® brand expanded its successful
partnership store initiative in its home territory of
EMEA, now reaching 145 doors. The strategy
allows the Napapijri® brand to present its premium
lifestyle brand proposition and achieve high
visibility in strategically important retail locations,
while reducing capital investment and risk. A total
of 350 partnership doors are planned by 2017.
Wear Your Hero, Whether It’s
a Player or a Brand
VF’s Licensed Sports Group (LSG), which includes
the Majestic® brand, found success by creating
new categories and breathing fresh relevance
into older ones. The Majestic® brand drove double-
digit sales increases of Major League Baseball
jerseys with a combination of new designs and a
“Wear Your Hero” campaign launch that reminded
fans why they wear jerseys in the first place.
LSG also launched a new Harley Davidson®
Performance line — apparel designed to protect
riders in all conditions — and transformed itself
from being a licensor to a true design partner.
Responding to the Needs of First Responders
The Horace Small® brand had its most
successful product launch in eight years with
NEW DIMENSION® Plus. The line combines
innovation in fabric and garment design to
improve comfort, mobility and functionality for
law enforcement and first responders.
Change a Shirt, Change a Brand
One new product, the Crew Shirt, has transformed
the entire Red Kap® brand. With purpose-built
design and innovative fabric technology, the shirt
paved the way for the Red Kap® brand to create
and own a new category of workwear: performance
workwear. In 2013, the brand will continue to
expand its reach in the automotive industry through
distribution with AutoZone and a partnership with
West Coast Customs.
OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL JERSEYS
DOUBLE
DOUBLE
DIGIT
SALES INCREASE
350
PARTNERSHIP
DOORS ARE
PLANNED
BY 2 017.
A TOTAL OF
*in constant dollars
8
9
6
7
7
6
9
8
29%*
166
JEANS
SOLD PER MINUTE
25%
®
2
4
3
®
5
®
®
®