STRATHAM, N.H., March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Want to be
Timberland's next designer? Now, consumers have that chance.
Leading global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland and Betabrand, a
crowdfunded clothing company, are collaborating on a unique,
crowdsourced product development project to bring Timberland's new
Craftletic™ collection to life. Through this partnership,
Timberland is turning to Betabrand and consumers around the globe
to help shape its new shoe collection through an inspired
co-creation process.
![Timberland Logo. Timberland Logo.](https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnvar/20160308/342024LOGO)
"Partnering with Betabrand gives Timberland the opportunity to
engage consumers in a dialogue in a truly innovative way, and test
new design concepts in real-time, from their infancy through to
creation," said Jay Steere, Senior
Director Timberland Innovation Lead. "Every consumer has the
ability to be a part of this process, not only contributing to
Timberland's style conversation by co-creating the Craftletics™
collection, but also to see which boot consumers are most
interested in buying. We're excited to see which concept wins!"
This partnership will help inform design and product
merchandising decisions for Timberland's new Craftletic™
collection, which marries the brand's hallmark craftsmanship with
an athletic ease-of-wear for faster styling. By tapping directly
into Betabrand consumers for insights, the collection will be built
from the ground up, arriving to market in Fall 2016 to Betabrand
shoppers and through select Timberland distribution channels.
How does it work?
Timberland's
internal design collective sketched the shape and structure of 14
styles across three unisex boot categories, which will later become
footwear for men and women. A two-phase process puts consumers in
the driver's seat:
- Phase 1 / The Timberland x Betabrand Think Tank: Consumers are
invited to interact with the Timberland design collective by voting
and commenting on three unisex Timberland concepts they'd like to
see come to market, while also weighing in on design elements from
materials, color and even if the shoe will be for men or women. The
concepts – Modern Nomad, Urbanization and Neorganic – will be up on
Betabrand's site until March
17th. From there, the best-received idea will get
made into a prototype based on the actual suggestions from the
crowd.
- Phase 2 / Craftletic™ Crowdfunding: The prototypes becomes
available for crowdfunding on May
13th. Consumers will be asked to bid on the
footwear they helped create and within a short window, data will
determine if the chosen Craftletic™ design created enough demand to
go into production.
"Timberland is the largest lifestyle brand Betabrand has ever
collaborated with and we're excited about the impact our
crowd-sourced design process can have on these boots," said
Chris Lindland, CEO of Betabrand.
"Together we're creating an innovative model through a system that
gives new meaning to the term 'fast fashion' – using a quick crowd
sourcing period to inform design decisions and bring
first-to-market product in a faster way than ever before."
Want to be a part of Timberland and Betabrand's unique design
process? Visit Betabrand to help create Timberland's New
Craftletic™ collection.
ABOUT TIMBERLAND
Timberland is a global
leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of premium
footwear, apparel and accessories for the outdoor lifestyle. Best
known for the original yellow boot introduced in 1973, Timberland
today outfits consumers from toe-to-head, with versatile
collections that reflect the brand's rich heritage of
craftsmanship, function and style. Timberland markets lifestyle
products under the Timberland® and Timberland Boot
Company® brands, and industrial footwear and workwear
under the Timberland PRO® brand. Its products are sold
throughout the world in leading department and specialty stores as
well as company-owned retail locations and online. Timberland's
dedication to making quality products is matched by an unwavering
commitment to environmental and social responsibility – to make
things better for its products, the outdoors, and communities
around the globe. To learn more about Timberland, a brand of VF
Corporation (NYSE: VFC), please visit timberland.com or follow us
along the modern trail @timberland.
ABOUT BETABRAND
Betabrand is a
crowdfunded clothing company that releases new products daily from
designers all over the world. Notable creations include:
Dress Pant Yoga Pants, Black Sheep Sweaters, Under-the-Jack
packs, The Suitsy, Executive Hoodies, Cordarounds and many more.
The online retailer is based in San
Francisco and ships to customers on every continent.
Antarctica too.
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SOURCE Timberland