Descente, the Japanese athletic apparel brand, has established a wholly-owned North American subsidiary, Descente Athletic Americas Inc. (DAA), located in Atlanta, GA, and led by industry veteran, Fritz Taylor.
The move is part of a plan to launch a new, broader collection in Fall 2018 that will extend Descente’s reach in the U.S. beyond the ski channel. The collection will include the brand’s signature Allterrain line.
“The Descente mission is to inspire people to move through design, craftsmanship and quality,” said Taylor, president of DAA. “The sportswear market is at an interesting time where consumers are either gravitating toward disposable fashion, or fewer—but higher quality—garments. Our attitude is that less can be more if it’s beautifully made and well-thought-out. I really believe that with what’s going on in the market and with consumers, there’s a good opportunity for us to build this new business and strengthen market share.”
DAA will have a dedicated U.S. digital presence including a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site set to launch this fall, plus a limited branded brick-and-mortar rollout to follow in key cities in Fall 2019. DAA is also working to secure wholesale distribution through a highly selective group of boutiques and independent stores in target markets and has partnered with Shine United and Linda Gaunt Communications on strategic positioning and brand building, with a “quality over quantity” approach that mirrors the brand’s core values.
“We want to launch in a way that differentiates us from what’s already out there, talks to why we’re bringing Descente in, why Descente is worthy of consideration right now,” said Taylor. “We’re not a chest-thumping kind of brand at all. We’re more of a ‘let’s do this right’ brand. We’ve got product that we believe in, so let’s get people interested. Once they have a chance to touch it, feel it and understand the thought and attention we’ve put into it, I believe they will become hooked.”
Taylor was VP of running for Under Armour, from March 2014 to May 2017 and led Mizuno’s running effort for five years prior to that. He has also held posts at Brooks and Nike.
Descente Ltd. currently distributes product in North America via Descente Mountain Americas (DMA), a subsidiary headquartered in Layton, UT, and Vancouver, British Columbia, that markets, sells and supports all Descente’s snow product. DMA will continue to operate as a separate entity, focusing on distribution to specialty snow shops; the newly formed DAA will offer an expanded lifestyle assortment targeted to an aspirational urban customer with diverse interests and a global outlook when it launches later this year.
