Melanzana (clothing brand)

Last updated
Melanzana
Industry Apparel
Founded1994;31 years ago (1994)
FounderFritz Howard
Headquarters Leadville, Colorado
ProductsOutdoor clothing
Number of employees
124
Website melanzana.com

Melanzana is an American clothing retailer headquartered in Leadville, Colorado. [1]

Contents

History

In 1994, Fritz Howard founded Eggplant, an outdoor clothing company. Due to a trademark dispute, the company was renamed Melanzana, which is the Italian word for eggplant. [2] In 1997, the brand's first storefront opened in Leadville, Colorado. In 2008, operations were moved to a space on the town's historic Harrison Avenue. [3] In 2021, Melanzana expanded manufacturing operations to a second location on Harrison Avenue. [4] In 2024, it opened another manufacturing facility in Alamosa. [5]

Operations

Manufacturing

Melanzana products are cut and sewn by hand at the brand's Harrison Avenue facilities using Polartec polar fleece. [6] Fabric rejected by Melanzana may be donated to other small Colorado businesses through the ReMelly initiative. [7] The brand has a Smelly Melly Trade-In program that allows worn gear to be traded in for in-store credit. [5]

Retail

Melanzana predominantly sells its products through its physical store on Harrison Avenue but also sells some items online. [8] [9] It operates both an open store for the public to peruse some items freely, as well as an appointment only store where its full product line is available. [10] During the COVID 19 pandemic, the brand briefly launched the Lock Out Lottery (LOL), where customers could enter to receive a shopping code for their temporary online store. [2] The brand's exclusive nature has garnered Melanzana a cult following among outdoor recreation enthusiasts. [11] [12] [13]

Philanthropy

Melanazana donates part of its profits to 15 local non-profits through the PB & Melly program. [14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Blevins, Jason (July 12, 2012). "Leadville's Melanzana thriving with locally made clothing". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 "This Cult-Favorite Fleece Is Finally Available Online, Sort Of". InsideHook. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  3. ↑ n.a. "About". Melanzana. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Bilow, Patrick (July 21, 2021). "Melanzana expands across the street". Leadville Herald-Democrat. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 Waters, John (2025-03-15). "Melanzana is poised for growth in Alamosa". The Alamosa News. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  6. ↑ n.a. "Featured Partner: Melanzana". Polartec. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  7. ↑ n.a. "ReMelly'd". Melanzana. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Blevins, Jason (28 July 2025). "Melanzana mystique: A peek into the rulebreaking business strategy of Leadville's fleece factory". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Moye, Jayme. "Walk across the sky in the U.S.'s highest-elevation city". National Geographic. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  10. ↑ n.a. "Leadville Store". Melanzana. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  11. ↑ Singer, Daliah (October 2019). "Melanzana Is Colorado's Most Coveted (and Reclusive) Clothing Line". 5280 Magazine. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  12. ↑ Bowden, Tanner. "This May Be the Best Fleece and You Probably Can't Get One". Gear Patrol. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Busch, Laurenz. "'Hey! That's a nice Melly!'". Boulder Weekly. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  14. ↑ Barackman, Jenna (January 24, 2025). "Coveted but covert, one of Colorado's most popular and har-to-buy brands can't fly under the radar despite its attempts". Denver Business Journal . Retrieved April 28, 2025.
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.