Eddie Bauer LLC was an American outdoor recreation brand headquartered in New York City, NY. Eddie Bauer sells its merchandise online. The company also licenses the Eddie Bauer brand name and logo for various products sold through other companies including eyewear, furniture, bicycles, and, until the 2010 model year, upper level versions of the Ford Motor Company's Bronco, Explorer, Expedition and Excursion SUVs.

The company was established in 1920 in Seattle by Pacific Northwest outdoorsman Eddie Bauer (1899–1986). In 1940, Bauer patented the first quilted down jacket. and announced that all of its stores in North America would close their doors.

History

thumb|Eddie Bauer in [[Toronto]]

1920–1949: Eddie Bauer's Sport Shop

In 1920, at the age of 21, Eddie Bauer, established his first store in downtown Seattle, "Eddie Bauer's Tennis Shop", in the back of a local hunting and fishing store. He first specialized in building and repairing tennis rackets and the shop was only open during the tennis season; Bauer spent the rest of the year pursuing his own sportsman activities. Bauer expanded his line of merchandise to include his own hand-made golf clubs and fishing tackle and he changed the name of his store to "Eddie Bauer's Sport Shop". Bauer developed and patented a standardized shuttlecock in 1934. The Bauer Shuttlecock popularized badminton in the United States. While operating this first store, Bauer developed his creed, "To give you such outstanding quality, value, service and guarantee that we may be worthy of your high esteem", still used by the modern company.

The Skyliner

While on a winter fishing trip in Washington, Eddie Bauer developed hypothermia. He then began trying to develop alternatives to heavy wool garments used by outdoorsmen at the time. He attempted to offset the bulkiness of down by quilting a down jacket. In 1940, Bauer patented the first quilted goose down-insulated jacket in the United States: and introduced it in his store as "The Skyliner". Bauer received over 20 patents on various outdoor clothing and sporting equipment between 1934 and 1937. That same year the first store outside of Seattle opened, in San Francisco.

In 1970, the company's first large store opened in downtown Seattle. In order to appeal to a broader range of consumers, Niemi shifted the company's focus featuring casual lifestyle apparel. The emphasis on women's apparel and accessories was also greatly expanded in all stores.

1971–1987: General Mills and Ford Eddie Bauer branding

In 1971, William Niemi sold the company to General Mills.

In 1987, Eddie Bauer introduced the "All Week Long" concept. This was meant to provide women with clothing they could wear throughout the week, including at work, as opposed to just weekend wear. This concept was sold solely through the catalog until the first All Week Long store opened in Portland, Oregon in the summer of 1991.

In 1983, Eddie Bauer began a cross-branding partnership with Ford Motor Company to produce Eddie Bauer Edition Ford vehicles. In 1984, the first Eddie Bauer Edition Ford debuted: the limited edition "Eddie Bauer Bronco." The partnership ended in 2010, with the 2010 Explorer and Expedition the last two models available in Eddie Bauer edition.

The following Ford vehicles were available in Eddie Bauer editions:

  • Ford Bronco (1984–1996)
  • Ford Bronco II (1984–1990)
  • Ford Explorer (1991–2010)
  • Ford Expedition (1997–2010)
  • Ford F-150 (1994–1996)
  • Ford Excursion (2003–2005)
  • Ford Taurus X (2008–2009)
  • Ford Aerostar (1988–1994)

1988–2009: Spiegel, Inc., and a standalone company

In 1988, Spiegel acquired Eddie Bauer from General Mills. Aggressive expansion continued and within the first year the company had expanded from 60 to 99 stores. By 1996, an additional 300 stores had been opened.

In 1991, Eddie Bauer launched Eddie Bauer Home, a collection of home furnishings, including furniture, tableware, decor items and linens. The collection was meant to appeal to the customers that purchased apparel from the company. The home store maintained a "warm and cozy" theme by presenting beds with thick blankets and floors covered with wool rugs.

left|thumb|An Eddie Bauer store in [[Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan]]

In 1996, Eddie Bauer launched its website. Internationally, Eddie Bauer Japan opened 11 new stores, bringing the total to 24 stores in Japan, along with four outlet stores in various locations.

In 1997, Eddie Bauer Germany opened five new stores, bringing the total to seven Eddie Bauer stores in Germany. Eddie Bauer enters into a licensing agreement with the Lane Company, offering an exclusive collection of Eddie Bauer Home by Lane furniture.

By 1998, over 500 stores had been opened in North America (556), Japan (32), and Germany (9). Eddie Bauer entered into a three-year licensing agreement with Giant Bicycle, Inc., to launch a line of Eddie Bauer Edition mountain bikes for off-terrain and city riding. Eddie Bauer and Signature Eyewear joined to produce the Eddie Bauer Eyewear collection for men and women. Eddie Bauer and Cosco, Inc., joined to build upon Eddie Bauer's "Baby by Eddie Bauer" collection of Eddie Bauer Home merchandise for infants.

Also in 1999, the one-millionth Eddie Bauer Edition Ford rolled off the assembly line.

National Geographic Ventures joined forces with Eddie Bauer to include the corporate sponsorship of a new giant screen film on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Other elements included a multi-tiered travel alliance and Eddie Bauer sponsorships of Radio Expeditions (a National Geographic and National Public Radio co-production) and the National Geography Bee.

In March 2000, Eddie Bauer opened a store in Honolulu, Hawaii, completing Eddie Bauer's entry into all 50 American states.

In April 2000, Eddie Bauer joined forces with American Forests to launch the Wildfire ReLeaf program, established to help in the restoration of land decimated by forest fires in 2000.

In October 2000, Eddie Bauer launched its first exclusively on-line business venture, eddiebauerkids.com.

In January 2001, Eddie Bauer teamed with American Recreation Products through a licensing agreement to launch a collection of camping equipment to be sold by Target Corporation.

Bankruptcies and reorganization

In March 2003, Spiegel filed for bankruptcy. It sold its flagship catalog business and its Newport News women's apparel unit and announced that Eddie Bauer Inc. was up for auction. More than 200 Eddie Bauer stores were closed. The company's corporate headquarters, in Redmond, Washington, was sold to Microsoft for $38 million.

Despite interest from companies including L.L. Bean, Bain Capital, and Cerberus Capital Management, Spiegel pulled Eddie Bauer from auction due to lack of a satisfactory offer. Spiegel then reorganized around the Eddie Bauer business with Eddie Bauer emerging as a standalone company owned partially by Fidelity Investments (11%), Bank of America (6.9%), and J.P. Morgan Chase (6.2%). In May 2006, the company hired Goldman Sachs to explore a possible future sale.

In 2009, the company launched a new line of clothing called FirstAscent that underwent testing under extreme conditions first on Mount Rainier, then on Cotopaxi in Ecuador and finally on Aconcagua in Argentina.

On June 17, 2009, Eddie Bauer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company was acquired at bankruptcy auction by Golden Gate Capital in July 2009 with a winning bid of $286 million.

2010–2021: Private equity ownership

In October 2010, the company partnered with Airstream to launch a special-edition caravan.

In June 2012, Damien Huang was named President and CEO of the company.

In May 2013, Eddie Bauer joined Disney, Nike, Patagonia, Quiksilver, and Todd Oldham to be the first apparel brands to join the Otis Sustainability Alliance, a partnership between the fashion industry and higher education that aims to advance environmental, social and economic sustainability.

thumb|Eddie Bauer in [[Calgary]]

In February 2014, Jos. A. Bank announced that it would acquire Eddie Bauer in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $825 million. However, in March 2014, it was announced that Men's Wearhouse announced the acquisition of Jos. A. Bank and terminated the deal with Eddie Bauer.

In March 2018, Eddie Bauer showcased the Eddie Bauer PET collection in the Global Pet Expo, in collaboration with PetRageous Designs.

In June 2018, Eddie Bauer merged with PacSun, also owned by Golden Gate, to form PSEB.

2021–present: SPARC and Authentic Brands Group

In June 2021, the company was acquired by Authentic Brands Group and SPARC Group LLC.

In August 2022, the company partnered with Arrive to facilitate equipment rental and the resale of used equipment.

In September 2022, Tim Bantle was named CEO of the company.

Its flagship store was located in Bellevue at Bellevue Square. The store closed in June 2025. 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.

In January 2026, it was reported that Eddie Bauer was preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the third time, as well as the liquidation and permanent closure of all of its nearly 200 stores nationwide. The company's manufacturing, e-commerce, and wholesale operations are not expected to be affected by the potential bankruptcy filing, and will continue to remain operational as the licensee transfers to a new owner, Eddie Bauer Outdoor 5, LLC. Eddie Bauer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, and creditor protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act in Canada on February 9, 2026. The company blamed the need to file on inflation, supply challenges, and declining sales. The company also confirmed that all stores will close by April 30, 2026, unless they find a buyer to keep the stores open.

Dismissed lawsuit over deceptive promotions

In July 2020, Jackie Fisher, an Eddie Bauer client, dismissed a lawsuit in which he claimed the company fooled outlet consumers with fake promotions and made-up comparison prices. Fisher said he had purchased jackets on sale because the advertising made it appear that he was getting a great deal.

Joint ventures

Japan

Eddie Bauer Japan, Inc., a joint venture between Eddie Bauer, Inc. and Otto-Japan, Inc., a subsidiary of the Otto Versand, was formed in 1994 to operate stores and mail order in Japan. The company opened its first store in September 1994 in Tokyo. In October 2021, the company announced the closure all of its operations in Japan by December of 2021.

Germany

In June 1995, Eddie Bauer Germany was announced as a joint venture between Eddie Bauer Inc. and two members of Otto Versand (now Otto GmbH): Heinrich Heine GmbH (Heine Group) and Sport Scheck to operate stores and mail order in Germany. In March 2008, the company transferred its interest in the joint venture.

Supplier of clothing in expeditions

Eddie Bauer supplied clothing for several notable mountain expeditions:

  • The 1953 American Karakoram expedition was the fifth attempt since 1909 to climb K2. Team member Art Gilkey died in an apparent avalanche during the team's descent. His body was lost until 1993 when it emerged from the glacier about a mile from the base camp. Gilkey was still wearing his red Eddie Bauer down parka, an item that was standard issue for the members of the expedition.
  • On 5 July 1958, Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman were the first men to stand atop Gasherbrum I, the 11th highest mountain in the world. Eddie Bauer supplied the eight man American expedition with "Kara Koram Parkas" that utilized a ripstop nylon shell.
  • On 1 May 1963, around 1:00 pm Jim Whittaker, who worked for REI and was outfitted in Eddie Bauer outerwear, became the first American to stand atop Mount Everest. The American Mount Everest Expedition had to walk the 180 miles from Kathmandu, Nepal, to base camp with 27 tons of gear, which took a month and 900 porters. At the end of April, expedition leader Norman Dyhrenfurth informed Whittaker that he and Nawang Gombu Sherpa will make the first summit attempt.
  • Three weeks after Whittaker and Gombu reached the top of Everest, four other team members followed suit on 22 May. The four were forced to bivouac and used their Eddie Bauer down clothing for shelter.
  • In 1965, Mount Kennedy was North America's highest unclimbed peak. The National Geographic Society asked Jim Whittaker to lead an expedition to Mount Kennedy in Canada's Yukon. Whittaker's team included Senator Robert F. Kennedy who, on 24 March became the first man to reach the summit.
  • In 1958 and 1965, Eddie Bauer went to the South Pole as part of scientific expeditions. In 1966 the American Antarctica Mountaineering Expedition set out to climb the major Antarctic peaks. All the climbs were successful making first ascents of the six highest mountains in the Sentinel Range. One of the first ascents took place on December 18 when Pete Schoening, William Long, James Corbet and John Evans reached the summit of Vinson Massif, one of the world's "Seven Summits" and Antarctica's highest mountain. Expedition leader, Nicholas Clinch wrote a letter to Eddie Bauer from Vinson Camp II stating
  • Dr. James Morrissey led the American Dhaulagiri Expedition that set out to summit the 7th highest mountain in the world. Eddie Bauer developed the Kara Koram Expedition pants for the Dhaulagiri expedition as well as providing the team with Kara Koram Expedition parkas and sleeping bags. On 12 May 1973, John Roskelley and Louis Reichardt made the first American ascent of Dhaulagiri with Nawang Samden Sherpa. They did so without using supplemental oxygen making Dhaulagiri the highest peak at the time to be summited without bottled oxygen.
  • In the summer of 1977, Galen Rowell organized a 6-man expedition to Great Trango Tower, a 20,623-foot unclimbed granite spire in Pakistan. Expedition member, John Roskelley wrote to Eddie Bauer requesting that he be able to use the down gear originally intended for an unsuccessful spring expedition to Makalu on the Trango expedition and the company agreed. On 21 July, all five climbers of the expedition were the first in history to reach the summit of Great Trango Tower.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+Notable Expeditions outfitted by Eddie Bauer

|-

! Year !! Destination !! Organizer/Leader !! First Ascent

|-

| 1953 || K2 || Charles Snead Houston ||

|-

| 1954 || Makalu || William Siri || First Attempt

|-

| 1953 || Lhotse || Norman Dyhrenfurth ||

|-

| 1958 || Gasherbrum I || Nicholas B. Clinch ||First Ascent: Pete Schoening & Andy Kauffman

|-

| 1958 || Masherbrum || Nicholas B. Clinch ||First Ascent: George Irving Bell & Willi Unsoeld

|-

| 1963 || Everest (South Col) || Norman Dyhrenfurth ||First American Ascent: Jim Whittaker

|-

| 1963 || Everest (West Ridge) || Norman Dyhrenfurth ||First Ascent: Tom Hornbein & Willi Unsoeld

|-

| 1965 || Kennedy || Jim Whittaker ||First Ascent: Robert F. Kennedy

|-

| 1966 || Vinson Massif || Nicholas B. Clinch ||First Ascent: Pete Schoening, William Long, James Corbet & John Evans

|-

| 1973 || Dhaulagiri || Dr. James Morrissey ||First American Ascent: John Roskelley and Louis Reichardt

|-

| 1974 || Lenin Peak || Pete Schoening ||First American Ascent: Pete Schoening, Frank Sarnquist, Chris Kopczynski and Molly Higgins

|-

| 1976 || Nanda Devi (North Ridge) || Louis Reichardt, Ad Carter, Willi Unsoeld & Nanda Devi Unsoeld||First Ascent: John Roskelley, Jim States & Louis Reichardt

|-

| 1977 || Great Trango Tower || Galen Rowell ||First Ascent: Galen Rowell, John Roskelley, Dennis Hennek, Kim Schmitz and Dr. Jim Morrissey

|-

| 1977 || Makalu || John Roskelley ||First American Ascent: John Roskelley

|-

| 1983 || Everest (East Face) || Dr. Jim Morrissey ||First Ascent: Louis Reichardt, Carlos Buhler & Kim Momb

|}

References

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