Pendleton may never be a megabrand, but there’s something reassuring in its longevity, recognizable looks and detachment from private equity plays as a sixth-generation family-owned and -operated business.
The 100-year-old Pendleton has an authentic image built upon classic wool plaids, pleated skirts, Western wear and Native American-inspired, jacquard-patterned blankets that trace back to the company’s origins. Even those Elmer Fudd-ish “timber” caps with fold-down earflaps have transcended from hillbilly to urban appeal.
Now Pendleton is ready to celebrate its centennial with a flurry of new products and reintroductions hitting stores in September and through the fourth quarter.
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“Overall, we are certainly feeling the effects of what’s going on in the world, but we can pick up market share in times such as this, where consumers look to brands that have stood the test of time — comfort brands that stand for quality and value,” said C.M. “Mort” Bishop 3rd, president of Pendleton, which is based in Portland, Ore.
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While never edgy, Pendleton is pushing the envelope a bit, or as Bishop said, taking the brand “to a new level.” Opening Ceremony, the shop-gallery that has units in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, is blending its younger styling with Pendleton fabrics for outerwear, shirts, skirts and dresses to be sold at its stores and 35 other specialty stores.
Bloomingdale’s is putting in “vintage” Pendleton shops in four doors in October stocked with men’s products inspired from the archives, such as Harding shawl-collar sweaters, bear totem cardigans, Beach Boy blue plaid board shirts and Western-style wool shirts made contemporary with a tighter cut.
In addition, Pendleton is collaborating with Nike, Vans and Hurley on collections, and in light of the 60th birthday of Pendleton’s classic 49er jacket, popularized by Lucille Ball and Susan Sarandon, the company is introducing an 09er version with a feminine, forward look that retains the quintessential flange shoulder, lapel collar and patch pockets. It was the first product made when the women’s division was created in 1949.
Board shirts, worn by The Beach Boys (originally called the Pendletones) have been updated. Comme des Garçons is modifying Pendleton men’s shirts with leather and suede enhancements. The fringed leather jacket, worn by Roy Bishop — one of three brothers who founded the Pendleton mill and was instrumental in getting Native Americans to participate in the Pendleton roundup in 1910 — is being brought back. The roundup is still held in the third week of September each year. There’s also a new Spirit of the Peoples collection, with a jacquard pattern evocative of the company’s trade blankets and symbolizing all those involved in the brand, from consumers to employees.
Pendleton was started by the Bishop family at a mill in Pendleton, Ore., in 1909, where they began weaving trading blankets for Native Americans. Around that time, there were 1,000 wool mills in America. Today, there are just a handful left in the U.S.
“We have spent $50 million over the last 20 years to bring our mills up to world-class status,” Bishop said. “Our mills are able to compete in a worldwide environment. They are really boutique mills. We specialize in small runs, and in an incredibly diverse fabric range that supplies our men’s, women’s and home divisions. We are experts on a number of different types of fabrics so we have been able to adjust with market trends. We are flexible and agile to move from one fabric type to another — stretch fabrics, washable fabrics, seasonless wools, beautiful, incredible finishes.”
Sales are estimated at between $150 million and $200 million, with business running flat lately. The company has facilities for weaving, manufacturing and distribution and is multichanneled and vertically integrated, from purchasing the wool to designing and manufacturing the finished product and operating 70 Pendleton stores.
Bishop said the key to the brand’s longevity has been “working on quality every day, focusing on the long-term goals and stable relationships” with a limited group of big retailers including Dillard’s, Von Maur, Macy’s and Cabela’s, and hundreds of independent specialty stores.
About 60 percent of the volume is in women’s, primarily a coordinated, related separates business, while the men’s wear, primarily an item classification business, and home divisions each represent about 20 percent of the volume. “Right now, our fastest-growing areas would be home and men’s wear,” with particular consumer interest in the Indian blankets, and eco-wise products, whether that’s in wool or working with suppliers for its home division on new dyes that are sustainable and biodegradable,” said Bishop.
“In men’s wear, there is a lot of interest in authentic American outdoor brands,” he added. “We have been seeing it in Japan. Now we see it in this country. We are taking traditional outdoor looks and giving them an urban edge. It’s embracing nature, but with a fashion twist of an urban sensibility.”