American Recreational Products has sold the women’s activewear brand Isis to the New York company that acquired and the Gerry Outdoor brand in 2010, sources at both companies have told the B.O.S.S. Report.
Studio Ray LLC of New York City acquired Isis prior to the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, a spokesman for Boulder, CO-based American Rec confirmed. American Rec acquired Isis from one of its co-founders in 2010 and moved its operation the next year to Boulder, where it develops and market products for all Kelty, Sierra Designs, Slumberjack, Ultimate Direction and Wenger and a few other outdoor brands.
When contacted last week, Studio Ray Director of Marketing Jason Worth confirmed the transaction, but said Studio Ray was not yet ready to discuss its plans for Isis.
Since acquiring the Gerry trademark in 2010, Studio Ray has launched full collections of Gerry outerwear with a marketing message that focuses on its heritage as a performance outdoor brand and design flourishes meant to appeal to fashion conscious city urbanites. Amazon.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dillard’s, Macy’s and Sports Authority carry the line and Bloomingdale’s carried a limited “capsule collection” called Gerry Mountaineering in Fall 2013.
The Gerry brand traces its origins back to Gerry Cunningham, one of the formative entrepreneurs of the outdoor industry. Gerry Outdoors supplied tents for Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic summit of Mt. Everest and furbished the uniforms the U.S. Olympic Team wore at the 1964 Olympics, but had faded into obscurity by the time Studio Ray acquired it in 2010.
