Willis & Geiger Outfitters

Last updated March 24, 2023

Willis & Geiger Outfitters was an expeditionary outfitting company in the United States. The company outfitted Roald Amundsen, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Jacqueline Cochran, Sir Edmund Hillary, Jim Fowler, the Flying Tigers, and other legends of the 20th century.^[1]

In 1902, Ben Willis developed his own clothing for his Arctic explorations.^[2] He continued to design clothing, selling it through retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, which outfitted Teddy Roosevelt with clothing designed by Willis. In 1928, Willis brought in marketer Howard W. Geiger; they founded Willis & Geiger Outfitters.

The company picked up a US defense contract for air force pilot jackets in 1931.^[2] In 1936, Ernest Hemingway designed his own bush jacket made by Willis & Geiger Outfitters.^[3] A version of the G-1 military flight jacket was made under contract during World War II,^[1]^[4] designed by Eddie Bauer.

When Abercrombie & Fitch went bankrupt in 1977, Willis & Geiger was its largest unpaid creditor and went out of business, but was independently revived by former Abercrombie & Fitch employee Burt Avedon.^[2]^[5] The company was sold to VF Corporation in 1986, which shut down US manufacturing of the product line before selling the company to Laura Ashley in 1987, who then sold it to the Japanese company D'URBAN.^[5]

Finally, in 1994, Willis & Geiger was sold to Lands' End, and its offices were moved from New York City to Wisconsin.^[5] Sales grew, but conflicts between Avedon and Lands' End management led to the discontinuation of the brand by 1999.^[5]

References and footnotes

1 2 "H. W. Geiger, 84, Dies; Made Expedition Gear". NY Times. January 1, 1991. Retrieved 2008-03-03. During World War II, the company designed and produced Naval flight jackets and one of the first electrically heated flying suits.
1 2 3 "The Story of Willis & Geiger: Don't Make It Cheaper, Make It Better" . Retrieved June 11, 2017.
↑ "Timeline 1936" . Retrieved June 11, 2017.
↑ Nelson, Derek (2002). A-2 and G-1 Flight Jackets: Hell-Bent for Leather. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0-7603-1222-2.
1 2 3 4 Martin, John (March 4, 2013). "The Great Lost Expedition Brand, A Conversation with Willis & Geiger's Burt Avedon". Vice.com . Retrieved 2014-01-21. Here's the history, financially. We had no customers—zero—when we started with Lands' End. By the second year, we were doing $22 million in sales, and we were profitable. We were forecasting $33 million, and we had a plan to do it when they shut us down.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safari jacket</span> Hip-length, belted jacket with two sets of patch pockets and a notched collar

A safari jacket or bush jacket also known as a “shacket” is a garment originally designed for the purpose of going on safari in the African bush. When paired with trousers or shorts, it becomes a safari suit. A safari jacket is commonly a lightweight cotton drill or lighter poplin jacket, traditionally khaki in color, with a self-belt, epaulets, four or more expandable bellows pockets and often with cartridge loops.

Eddie Bauer, LLC is an American clothing store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Eddie Bauer sells its merchandise via retail stores, outlet stores, and online and via phone, with a call center in Groveport, Ohio. Its flagship store is in Bellevue at Bellevue Square. In addition to the three sales channels, the company operates a distribution and fulfillment center in Groveport, Ohio; an IT facility in Westmont, Illinois; and a distribution center in Vaughan, Ontario. Eddie Bauer is also a minority participant in joint ventures in Japan and Germany that include retail stores, catalogs, and websites. The company also selectively licenses the Eddie Bauer brand name and logo for various products sold through other companies including eyewear, furniture, bicycles, and, up until the 2010 model year, upper level versions of Ford Motor Company's Bronco, Explorer, Expedition and Excursion SUVs.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., also known as American Eagle, is an American lifestyle, clothing, and accessories retailer headquartered at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by brothers Jerry and Mark Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc., a company that also owned and operated Silverman's Menswear. The Silvermans sold their ownership interests in 1991 to Jacob Price of Knoxville, Tennessee. American Eagle Outfitters is also the parent company of Aerie.

Roots Corporation is a publicly held Canadian brand that sells apparel, leather bags, small leather goods, footwear, athletic wear, and home furnishings. The company was founded in 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, by Michael Budman and Don Green. In 2015, Roots was sold to Searchlight Capital Partners LP, an American investment firm.

A flight jacket is a casual jacket that was originally created for pilots and eventually became part of popular culture and apparel. It has evolved into various styles and silhouettes, including the "letterman" jacket and the fashionable "bomber" jacket that is known today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruehl No.925</span>

Ruehl No.925 was an upscale clothing brand owned by Abercrombie & Fitch, selling apparel, leather goods, and luxury goods. Themed after New York City's Greenwich Village, the store was meant to attract post-graduate individuals aged 22 to 35, competing primarily with J.Crew, Polo Ralph Lauren, and American Eagle Outfitters' equally short-lived spinoff Martin + Osa. Ruehl was the only brand in the Abercrombie portfolio that sold clothing in the color black.

A&F Quarterly was an American lifestyle periodical by Abercrombie & Fitch. Targeted towards the college-aged youth (18-22), the Quarterly primarily served as a promotional vehicle for the A&F brand. Its contents prominently feature photo spreads by A&F photographer Bruce Weber and also encompassed a variety of articles on lifestyle, sex, entertainment, travel, dining, and celebrity interviews.

Abercrombie Kids is a children's clothing brand owned by Abercrombie & Fitch, introduced in 1998. Originally targeting high school consumers aged 13-18 as "abercrombie" it's focus has shifted to the 7–14 market as "abercrombie kids", the concept is designed as the children's version of its parent company A&F. There are 122 full-price abercrombie kids stores in the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; including standalone retail stores and "carve-outs" in larger Abercrombie & Fitch locations.

David Thomas Abercrombie was the founder of the American lifestyle brand Abercrombie & Fitch. A topographer and expert in the outdoors, Abercrombie opened the company as New York's outfitter for the elite and later partnered up with co-founder Ezra Fitch – both men managed the Company through great years of success.

Alpha Industries is an American clothing manufacturer founded in 1959 in Knoxville, Tennessee and specialises in American military style and fashion apparel. Alpha makes items such as flight jackets and vests, and has made jackets for the military of the United States like the M65 Jacket for over half a century.

Justice is an online (shopjustice.com) clothing and lifestyle retailer targeting the tween girl market, formerly owned by Tween Brands, Inc., later by Ascena Retail Group, and currently by Bluestar Alliance LLC.

Michael Stanton Jeffries is an American businessman who served as CEO of clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014. During Jeffries' tenure, Abercrombie & Fitch grew from a "fashion backwater" losing $25 million yearly to a lifestyle brand grossing $2 billion yearly by 2006. Despite Jeffries' success, he received significant criticism for using semi-nude models in his company's advertising, selling clothes with racially and sexually off-color slogans, and his candid stance that Abercrombie & Fitch markets solely to the "cool kids."

Hollister Co., often advertised as Hollister or HCo., is a retail brand owned by Abercrombie & Fitch Co, selling apparel, accessories, and fragrances. Goods are available in-store and through the company's online store. Hollister uses a narrative of being founded in 1922 in Hollister, California; however, it was founded in 2000 in Ohio by Abercrombie.

The "G-1" military flight jacket is the commonly accepted name for the fur-lined-collar World War II-era leather flight jacket of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. A similar jacket used by the United States Army Air Corps/United States Army Air Forces was usually called the A-2 jacket.

Ibex Outdoor Clothing, LLC is a producer of wool clothing designed for outdoor use sold through a website and retailers. For the year 2001 Ibex made US$1.5 million in sales, and by 2012 had reached US$12 million in sales. Between 2014 and 2017 sales averaged US$20 Million.

Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of February 2020, the company operated 854 stores across all brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Abercrombie & Fitch</span>

The history of Abercrombie & Fitch began in the nineteenth century and extends into the twenty-first century. Key figures who changed and influenced the course of Abercrombie & Fitch's history include co-founders David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch, Limited Brands and Michael Jeffries, the former Chairman and CEO.

Starter, Inc. is an American clothing manufacturer, focusing on major league sports teams. Starter's current licenses include MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL teams. Non-sports agreements include a partnership with Coca-Cola.

Fierce is a men's fragrance by Abercrombie & Fitch. The cologne was first introduced in 2002. Today, Fierce is the signature scent of the Abercrombie & Fitch brand.

Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American publicly traded fashion company that was founded in 1967 by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The company is headquartered in New York City, producing products ranging from the mid-range to the luxury segments. They are known for marketing and distributing products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories, and fragrances. The company's brands include the mid-range Chaps brand, to the sub-premium Lauren Ralph Lauren brand, to the premium Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, and Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren brands, up to the full luxury Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Collection brands. Ralph Lauren licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear; L'Oréal for fragrances and cosmetics; Hanesbrands for underwear and sleepwear; Kohl's and Hollander Sleep Products for bedding; Designers Guild for fabric and wallpaper; and EJ Victor for home furniture.

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.

[nyt-1] 1 2 "H. W. Geiger, 84, Dies; Made Expedition Gear". NY Times. January 1, 1991. Retrieved 2008-03-03. During World War II, the company designed and produced Naval flight jackets and one of the first electrically heated flying suits.

[cavalier-2] 1 2 3 "The Story of Willis & Geiger: Don't Make It Cheaper, Make It Better" . Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[hemingway-3] "Timeline 1936" . Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[4] Nelson, Derek (2002). A-2 and G-1 Flight Jackets: Hell-Bent for Leather. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0-7603-1222-2.

[avedon-5] 1 2 3 4 Martin, John (March 4, 2013). "The Great Lost Expedition Brand, A Conversation with Willis & Geiger's Burt Avedon". Vice.com . Retrieved 2014-01-21. Here's the history, financially. We had no customers—zero—when we started with Lands' End. By the second year, we were doing $22 million in sales, and we were profitable. We were forecasting $33 million, and we had a plan to do it when they shut us down.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]