No Country Club for Old Men

Despite being remembered for acid-washed denim, leg warmers, and spandex, the 1980s offered one lasting fashion trend: the ubiquitous polo shirt. Well, technically it was a Japanese maple that adorned the breast of the cult-favorite, nearly-forgotten uber-prep brand Boast. After purchasing the trade...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bloomberg businessweek (Online) 2010-11, p.1
Main Author: Odell, Amy
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Brand names
Clothing industry
Dowling, John
Logos
Repositioning
Tiger, Alexander
Trademarks
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Despite being remembered for acid-washed denim, leg warmers, and spandex, the 1980s offered one lasting fashion trend: the ubiquitous polo shirt. Well, technically it was a Japanese maple that adorned the breast of the cult-favorite, nearly-forgotten uber-prep brand Boast. After purchasing the trademark from founder Bill St. John last year, John Dowling and his partner, Alexander Tiger, have put aside their respective careers as documentary filmmaker and corporate lawyer to revive the brand for a new generation of irreverent prepsters. In late 2007, Tiger flew to St. John's Palm Beach home to try to seal the deal. Tiger and Dowling subsequently raised "under $1 million" for this fall's relaunch and quickly learned that Boast had many fans, including branding guru Andy Spade, the Kate Spade and Jack Spade co-founder. So far, Boast sells three styles of $68 polo shirts and one $1,200 blazer on its Web site, which could easily pass as Royal Tenenbaum's vacation album.
ISSN:0007-7135
2162-657X