Not terribly interesting but the ownership of Howies has changed again – VF Corp have bought Howies’ parent company Timberland. Howies will join a pretty diverse stable of brands including The North Face (stuff), Wrangler and Lee (jeans) and Vans (shoes).

Clicky Clicky

Howies must be gutted. You read the language there and it’s about as far from a genuine love of adventure and respect for nature as you can get. Just corporate language talking about an opportunity to sell stuff to people…
I doubt that was where they wanted to be when they decided to do the deal with Timberland.

Howies must be gutted

well, until they look at their bank accounts.

you sell something, you lose control of it. You only have to look at Body Shop to see how a ‘cuddly niche brand’ can get swept up into a big corporate world.

TO put a positive spin on it, just think of the opportunities this will open up for small Chinese children. They could find themselves earning up to a dollar a day. Not to be sniffed at.

Its always been over priced tat whoevers owned it

You only have to look at Body Shop to see how a ‘cuddly niche brand’ can get swept up into a big corporate world.

Twas never a cuddly company. I know a very senior exemployee who has very little good to say about Ms Roddick and cohort.

and cohort AND COHORTS PLURAL NOT SINGULAR.

Its always been over priced tat whoevers owned it

Have to say that my old (pre-Timberland) Howies t-shirts have lasted considerably better than pretty much any other top I own.

Howies may be pricey, but that’s because its quality kit. I’m convinced My courier bag is utterly indestructible. Which you can’t moan at for fifty quid. And the Merino wool tops are miles better than anything else on the market IMHO.

Whether that will survive this takeover….?

COHORTS PLURAL NOT SINGULAR

I was in a cohort at nursing skool, and there were 120 of us. Anita Roddick must have a massive company! 😀

They were owned by a large corporate that’s been bought by a larger corporate so I’m not sure how this has gone from Howies having their clothes made by asylum seeking yaks in a yurt to belonging to Beelzebub Inc who will fire the yaks and get cheaper, foreign yaks to do the work.

“Aggressively growing the women’s footwear and apparel business”

If you don’t stock our stuff we’ll beat you up?

I wonder how many Howies customers also buy stuff from The North Face, Vans, Eastpak and maybe even Reef.

Hmmm, plenty, I would say.

For all the guff spouted by the likes of Howies, and to a lesser extent the Body shop in early form, the real reason anyone sets up a business is to make money. Perhaps it is only to make enough money to fund their lifestyle as they see it, perhaps it is to make enough money to buy a hollowed out volcano and a white cat, but it is ALWAYS about making money.

Howies jumped the shark years ago, i’m sure Hieatt will be pleased they’ll no doubt now have a bigger advertising budget / be more widely stocked, etc.

I don’t care who makes / sells clothes – I buy them because they look nice / do their job / are reasonably priced.

😆 @ CFH

He speaketh the truth!

I want a hollowed out volcano and a white cat. My minions can double-time it between monorail stations round the complex wearing Howies organic unbleached off-white jumpsuits and non-slip Vans.

They were owned by a large corporate that’s been bought by a larger corporate so I’m not sure how this has gone from Howies having their clothes made by asylum seeking yaks in a yurt to belonging to Beelzebub Inc who will fire the yaks and get cheaper, foreign yaks to do the work.

+1

Howies hasn’t been sold. Its parent has been bought. Is it that difficult for people to understand?

EDIT: oh and the transaction hasn’t happened yet…

I have scoffed at their silly pricing before, but have picked up quite a few items in their sales and it’s almost all been excellent quality.

It’s a luxury brand really isn’t it? Just with a bit of greenwash and cringe-making line in advertising spiel/T-shirt slogans.

And why isn’t anyone complaining that Timerland has sold out? They were much better back when they did that Missy Elliot track.

i’m sure Hieatt will be pleased they’ll no doubt now have a bigger advertising budget / be more widely stocked, etc.

He left more than a year ago, and his wife a couple of months ago. his new venture is Hiut jeans, making jeans in the old jean factory in Cardigan Bay re-employing the people who worked there before it shut down. I suspect these will be too expensive for me to buy.

They have cheap jeans in Tesco if you are price sensitive.

He left more than a year ago, and his wife a couple of months ago. his new venture is Hiut jeans, making jeans in the old jean factory in Cardigan Bay re-employing the people who worked there before it shut down. I suspect these will be too expensive for me to buy.

Oh, i didn’t know that. Are any of the founders left at Howies now then?

Oh, i didn’t know that. Are any of the founders left at Howies now then?

Dave and Claire have both left, but most of the ‘names’ are still there.

Generally their quality is top notch – have 7 year old T-shirts still in regular use from them and they’ve lasted really well….

I’ve got several pairs of Howies jeans, got a pair of their Tomproof jeans on at the moment, and they’ve always felt good to wear and seem to last well. I also like and own quite a few of their tees and various shirts. Having said that, I always buy stuff when it’s discounted, the Tomproof’s were 20% off, and I bought two pairs of end of line jeans for ?
of the list price. I’ve taken to buying Uniqlo stuff now, their Japanese selvedge denims are stunningly good, and very cheap; £40 for the most expensive range on one of their sale days, their flannel shirts are also excellent. As it happens, regarding the new parent company, I’ve always bought North Face stuff, I have a NF fleece that’s well over twenty years old, and I only ever buy Vans skate shoes as well, their fit is perfect for me.