L.L.Bean

L.L. Bean is a reliable source of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear and clothing that has cycled in and out of fashion since 1911. Bean’s is still a family owned company and is still based in Freeport, Maine. They have had a full mail order catalogue since 1927, and the womenswear showroom opened in 1951.
Leon Leonwood Bean founded the business in 1911 with leather and rubber hunting boots. Additional apparel inaugurations were 1924’s field coat, first known as the Maine Duck Hunting Coat, 1928’s chamois shirt, 1944’s the canvas bag now known as the Boat and Tote and in 1965, the L.L. Bean version of the Norwegian sweater. The “Sunrise over Katahdin” logo dates from 1987. In 2020 L.L. Bean initiated partnerships with Zappos, Nordstrom, and SCHEELS, plus collaborations with designer Todd Snyder.
L.L. Bean was twice awarded a special Coty Award for sporting gear and clothing, first in 1976 (not 1975 as often reported), and in 1981. In 1976 the award was shared with Abercombie & Fitch, Gokey’s, Eddie Bauer and others.

These two quotes sum up the L.L Bean aesthetic:

Women’s Wear Daily, 12/12/2006: “In 1976, L.L. Bean won a Coty award, and an 11-minute appearance on NBC’s “Today” show followed for [Leon] Gorman. Asked how it felt to be “radical chic,” he replied that L.L. Bean had never been called “radical” to his knowledge, and he didn’t even know what “chic” meant.”
The Harvard Crimson in 4/21/1981: “Basically, we stay in the same place; we stick to basic, practical footwear and apparel,” Andrews insists. “All that happens is people get interested from time to time.” The Bean family remembers 1976 as an embarrassing year; that’s when it won a Coty award from the fashion industry. And then, “in 1979, the beginning of 1980, this preppy thing began to happen… It’s just one of those things. For a little while, people come in and touch where we are. We stay in the same place.” Another executive insists that Bean’s is “not on the leading edge of fashion — we’re not even near it. Sometimes these trends come in and we just get caught”.

Written by Hollis Jenkins-Evans