L.L. Bean is teaming up with a fellow Maine-based business, Flowfold, for its first-ever co-branded Bean Boot since the company’s inception in 1912—further evidence the collaboration era is upon us.
With Flowfold, L.L. Bean will combine the company’s high-tech fabrics with its own classic Bean Boot silhouette that has remained more-or-less unchanged for the last 107 years.
“L.L. Bean Boots remain highly relevant today because of how innovative they were when L.L. first designed them,” Tom Armstrong, CMO of L.L. Bean said. “We’re always proud to continue that legacy of innovation with products designed for everyone to enjoy the outdoors, and this collaboration is an exciting new step for both Bean Boots and our partnership with Flowfold.”
While L.L. Bean will provide the classic aesthetic, Flowfold will contribute its X-Pac sailcloth fabric toward the collaboration. This same fabric was used in a previous collaboration between the two brands, composed of co-branded backpacks, totes and gear bags.
X-Pac is a “laminated sandwich of nylon or Cordura face fabric” with an inner, diamond-patterned layer of polyester yarn that gives the fabric a high-level of tear resistance, according to Flowfold. The X-Pac used for the Bean Boot will be water-proof and designed to stand up to above-average levels of abrasion, stress and moisture.
“We’ve brought together innovation and tradition in one of the outdoor industry’s most iconic products,” James Morin, co-owner of Flowfold, said. “These boots look and feel like no other Bean Boot, and yet they’re authentic to both brands. Collaborations like this are exactly what our industry needs to stay fresh, and we are humbled to be part of the design history of this globally recognized footwear.”
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Both L.L. Bean and Flowfold manufacture their products in Maine, with Flowfold producing more than 30 product lines in a new 7,500 square-foot facility in Gorham, Maine. L.L. Bean employs upward of 500 workers between its facilities in Brunswick and Lewiston, Maine and its million-square-foot distribution center in Freeport, Maine.
Flowfold began as a joint-venture between college friends in Peaks Island, Maine in 2010. The group made wallets and other accessories from recycled sailcloth and other highly technical materials for the “multidimensional adventurer.” Today, Flowfold has fans all over the world and has been featured in L.L. Bean retail locations since 2016, including the first collaboration between the brands last year.
L.L. Bean says the most recent collaboration between the partners is part of the brand’s renewed focus on small-batch silhouettes to drive consumer interest.
The L.L. Bean x Flowfold collaboration is available on the L.L. Bean website and at its flagship retail location in Freeport, Maine for $139.