Big Dog (company)

Last updated
Big Dog Holdings, Inc.
Company type Public
IndustryClothing
PredecessorSierra West
Founded1983;42 years ago (1983) in Santa Barbara, US
FounderRichard Kelty and Rick Scott
Headquarters
Santa Barbara, California
,
United States
Parent The Walking Company Holdings, Inc.
Website www.bigdogs.com

Big Dog, or Big Dogs, is a sports clothing company founded in 1983. The company is famous for its logo of a Saint Bernard appearing on their merchandise.

History

In 1971, Richard Kelty and Rick Scott founded a camping-gear company called Sierra West. They became the first manufacturer to wholesale products made with Gore-Tex fabric. In their first run, the 1000 jackets Sierra West sold to L.L. Bean contained delaminated Gore-Tex. This resulted in Gore-Tex needing to change their formula. After W. L. Gore & Associates corrected the problem, Sierra West's waterproof clothing became a success. [1] By 1985, Sierra West was one of the top ten backpacking gear companies in the US. [2]

Big Dog Mascot at Parade Big Dog Parade.jpg
Big Dog Mascot at Parade

According to company lore, in 1983, a group of white water rafters were gifted oversized shorts before launching into the water. One of the recipients remarked "Man, these puppies are big!" This later inspired the name "Big Dog" for the brand. [3] However, an alternate version of the story describes Gib Mann, a designer at the company, using the term "Big Dog" throughout conversation when he first joined Sierra West. Mann and Joy Moran designed skirt-like soccer shorts for Patagonia employee and soccer fan, Roger McDivitt. When Kelty and his team saw the shorts they repeatedly said "Man those puppies are big." [1]

In 1990, Sierra West declared bankruptcy. It was reported that new ownership that pivoted the business model to selling in outlet malls negatively impacted the reputation of the brand and led to Sierra West's bankruptcy. [4] The brand's IPO raised $39.2 million in 1997, [2] although it initially hoped for $49 million. [5]

In 2004, The Walking Company (TWC) was acquired as a subsidiary by Big Dogs. At the time of acquisition, TWC operated 72 stores in 28 states. [6] In 2009, TWC filed for bankruptcy but emerged a year later with support from landlords and key vendors. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gore-Tex</span> Trademark for a waterproof, breathable fabric

Gore-Tex is W. L. Gore & Associates's trade name for waterproof, breathable fabric membrane. It was invented in 1969. Gore-Tex blocks liquid water while allowing water vapor to pass through and is designed to be a lightweight, waterproof fabric for all-weather use. It is composed of expanded PTFE (ePTFE), a stretched out form of the PFAS compound polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppy mill</span> Type of commercial dog breeding facility

A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits". They are cited as being a result of increased demand for household pets, especially after World War II. The Veterinary Medical Association of the Humane Society of the United States defines the main characteristics of a puppy mill as "emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit of the Loom</span> American clothing manufacturer

Fruit of the Loom is an American company that manufactures clothing, particularly casual wear and underwear. The company's world headquarters are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Since 2002, it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.

<i>Nintendogs</i> 2005 real-time pet simulation video game

Nintendogs is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was released in Japan, and was later released in: North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions: Dachshund & Friends, Lab & Friends and Chihuahua & Friends. It has been re-released twice, first as a bundled release with a special edition Nintendo DS with a new version called Nintendogs: Best Friends and later as Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends.

Early Winters, Ltd. of Seattle, Washington, United States was founded in 1972 by William S. Nicolai, who formed the company after creating a tent called the Omnipotent. Early Winters was the first company to create and sell a consumer product made with Gore-Tex laminates produced by W. L. Gore & Associates in Elkton, Maryland. The first product made with Gore-Tex fabric debuted in 1976 and was a streamlined, two-person tent called The Light Dimension. The tent was created by Nicolai and William H. Edwards and was marketed by Ron Zimmerman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J.Crew</span> American retail company

J.Crew Group, Inc., is an American multi-brand, multi-channel, specialty retailer. The company offers an assortment of women's, men's, and children's apparel and accessories, including swimwear, outerwear, lounge-wear, bags, sweaters, denim, dresses, suiting, jewelry, and shoes.

<i>Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw</i> 1988 animated film by Pierre DeCelles

Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film based on the Tonka toy line and the Hanna-Barbera television series of the same name, which aired around the same time. It was directed by Pierre DeCelles, and stars the voices of Brennan Howard, B.J. Ward and Tony Longo. This was the only animated feature film produced by Carolco Pictures as well as the first animated film distributed by TriStar Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arc'teryx</span> Canadian outdoor clothing company

Arc'teryx is a Canadian apparel company specializing in outdoor apparel and equipment headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It focuses on technical apparel for mountaineering and Alpine sports, including related accessories. The company's name and logo reference the Archaeopteryx, the transitional fossil of early dinosaurs to modern dinosaurs (birds). Arc'teryx is known for its waterproof Gore-Tex shell jackets, knitwear, and down parkas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petco</span> American pet supply store chain

Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. is an American pet retailer with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet food, products, and services, as well as certain types of live small animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppy</span> Juvenile dog

A puppy is a juvenile dog, generally one less than 12-18 months old.

Steve & Barry's was an American retail clothing chain, featuring casual clothing, footwear and accessories. Headquartered in Port Washington, New York, the chain operated 276 stores in 39 states before liquidating throughout 2008 and 2009.

Merrell is an American manufacturing company of footwear products. It was founded by Clark Matis, Randy Merrell, and John Schweizer in 1981 as a maker of high-performance hiking boots. Since 1997, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolverine World Wide. Products currently commercialized by Merrell include hiking boots, athletic shoes, sandals, jackets, knit caps, gloves, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and socks. Other accessories include backpacks, stuff sacks, and bags.

Halcyon Studios, LLC, formerly known as Sonar Entertainment, RHI Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, Qintex Entertainment, HRI Group and Robert Halmi Inc., was an American entertainment company specializing in the production and distribution of scripted television content, part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. It was founded in 1979 by Robert Halmi Jr. and Robert Halmi Sr. (1924–2014) as Robert Halmi, Inc. The company uses the direct-to-series model for TV series.

Craghoppers Ltd is a British outdoor clothing manufacturer and supplier founded in Batley, West Riding of Yorkshire in 1965 and now based in Manchester, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Express, Inc.</span> American fashion company

Express, Inc. is an American fashion retailer whose portfolio includes Express, Bonobos and UpWest. The Company operates an omnichannel platform as well as physical and online stores. The company consists of the brands Express, Bonobos, and UpWest, and is traded on the OTC Pink under the symbol EXPR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostess Brands</span> American food company

Hostess Brands Inc. is an American bakery company formed in 2013. Its main operating subsidiaries are Hostess Brands, LLC, and Voortman Cookies Limited.

Authentic Brands Group LLC (ABG) is an American brand management company headquartered in New York City. Its holdings include various apparel, athletics, and entertainment brands, which it partners with other companies to license and merchandise. ABG owns more than 50 consumer brands, as well as the likeness rights or estates of celebrities, including Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inotiv</span> Contract research organization and laboratory animal sourcer

Inotiv, Inc. is a contract research organization organized in Indiana and headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana. The company operates two core business units: Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA) and Research Models and Services (RMS). The CRS business unit offers drug development and environmental sciences services, including safety assessment, analytical, metabolism, CMC and regulatory consultancy for small molecule drug candidates, biotherapeutics, and biomedical devices. The RMS business unit provides research models, lab animal diets and bedding and support services.

Edison Brothers Stores, Inc., was a retail conglomerate based in St. Louis, Missouri. It operated numerous retail chains mainly located in shopping malls, mostly in the fields of shoes, clothing and entertainment, with Bakers Shoes as its flagship chain. The company was liquidated in 1999, though some of the chains it operated continued under different owners.

The Walking Company, Inc., is a United States–based comfort footwear company and subsidiary of The Walking Company Holdings, Inc., that was founded in 1991 in Chatsworth, California.

References

  1. 1 2 "Industry Trailblazers: Richard Kelty / Rick Scott, lifelong friends launch Sierra West and Big Dogs". Outside Business Journal . 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  2. 1 2 Ronan, Alex (2016-08-27). "How a big dog became a symbol for white, male America". The Outline . Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  3. ↑ "Our Story". Big Dogs. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  4. ↑ "How Big Dogs' Big Progressive Rebrand Went Wrong". GQ . 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  5. ↑ Vrana, Debora (1997-08-09). "Big Dog Chases IPO, Hoping to Fetch $49 Million". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  6. ↑ Plunkett, Jack (2006). Plunkett's Retail Industry Almanac 2006. Plunkett Research, Ltd. p. 597. ISBN   9781593920555 . Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  7. ↑ "The Walking Company Returns To Bankruptcy Court". SGB Media. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.