Outdoor recreation meets performance fabric — L.L. Bean utilizes CoolMax moisture wicking technology in products
With summer coming to an end and fall approaching, it is the perfect time of year for outdoor recreation. Cool weather makes spending time outdoors enjoyable but with recent rises in temperature, it can still be unbearably hot late into the season. Outdoor enthusiasts have begun turning to performance textiles to enhance their comfort and keep cool when participating in outdoor recreation such as hiking, camping and hunting. Performance fabrics, originally developed for athletes because of their moisture wicking properties, are now being utilized by companies such as L.L. Bean to develop products built for high-performance in outdoor recreation.
L.L. Bean often recognized for their signature bean boots and 100% satisfaction guarantee policy is a leader in the outdoor apparel and accessory market. The company’s mission is to “design products that make it easier for families of all kinds to spend time outside together” so it makes sense that the company would partner with Invista to utilize their CoolMax technology, which was the first moisture management fabric created in 1986. CoolMax technology is engineered to transport moisture away from the body and to the outside layer of fabric where it can evaporate more quickly, keeping the wearer cooler and dry. This fabric technology is crucial for individuals who spend many hours or days at time outdoors and need to stay comfortable. L.L. Bean has always been committed to creating quality products for their customer and their image has been branded based on this principle.
CoolMax is not a widely recognized brand, making their partnership L.L. Bean extremely beneficially in extending their reach to consumers in the outdoor recreation segment. Consumers look to L.L. Bean as a trusted resource for all things outdoor, and are extremely loyal, even in this era of low brand loyalty. On the L.L. Bean website there is a page dedicated to educating customers on the benefits and functions of CoolMax fabric to further cultivate the association of quality and CoolMax products. This benefits CoolMax because L.L. Bean who is a leader in outdoor apparel and known for their high quality products is endorsing them. L.L. Bean benefits from this relationship because they are able to use technology that enhances their products without using time and resources on R&D.
While quality products is something each of these brands excel in, marketing is an area where they lack. There is not much co-marketing that has been done by these two brands except for L.L. Beans educational page (which is challenging to find unless specifically searching for it) and the use of the CoolMax name in product descriptions and names. On the CoolMax website the company promotes multiple brands that utilize their technology such as Guess and Levis but there is no mention of L.L. Bean, even on their outdoor page. It is curious that CoolMax doesn’t promote a billion dollar company that uses their technology in their products. Additionally, CoolMax provides hangtags both in-person and virtually for companies to utilize when selling products but L.L. Bean does not take advantage of this option on their website. Individuals who are not aware of CoolMax and its benefits may see the name on a product but never fully know what they are purchasing. This can hurt both brands if consumers are unaware of the benefits they are receiving, or even prevent purchases if price points are higher due to the added technology.

Overall the partnership between L.L. Bean and CoolMax fabric technologies is a match made in outdoor recreation heaven. It makes sense for the product category; the added benefits and core values of the companies combined, but if marketing efforts do not improve the value of these products could be lost on consumers. Loyal shoppers of L.L. Bean want quality products to improve their outdoor recreation, but if they are unaware of CoolMax fabric, and how it can fill their needs, these shoppers may continue to think performance wear can only be found in sporting good stores. In a market where product differentiation is crucial to gain share from competitors, it is important that L.L. Bean and CoolMax improve upon and streamline their messages to create buzz for these products.
