Lands’ End has officially shut down its contemporary-leaning “Canvas” line, following poor performance and a lack of internal support.
Originally envisioned as a more fashion-forward collection of slimmer-fitting designs, Canvas was launched by former CEO, Federica Marchionni, in an attempt to update the 54-year-old brand’s image.
The imprint never really took, however, and Marchionni was forced out last September after the company posted 10 straight quarters of negative year-over-year sales.
“We’re not producing any more Canvas,” new CEO, Jerome Griffith, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We have an incredibly loyal consumer base. They love our product, and you need to sell product to these people, and to people like them. You don’t need to go out and find a completely different customer who doesn’t share your company’s values.”
It’s been an inauspicious time for the American retailer. They were purchased in 2002 by Sears before getting spun off in 2014, and the hiring of Marchionni in 2015 was supposed to steer the ship toward something resembling the future.
She gave it the old college try, too, even hiring noted feminist, writer, and all-around badass, Gloria Steinem, to be in the 2016 catalog. But, because anti-abortion activists caused such a fuss over the choice, Marchionni eventually scrubbed Steinem’s entire existence from the catalog, and “apologized for the alliance.”
Despite all that’s transpired, new CEO Griffith still thinks Lands’ End should be alright moving forward. Only 14 percent of their sales are made in physical retailers, and they still, somehow, have a booming catalog business.
You can read more at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
