Eddie Bauer names new CEO

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Sep 28, 2022

Outdoor apparel and lifestyle brand Eddie Bauer has named outdoor veteran executive Tim Bantle as chief executive officer.  

In this role, Bantle will be responsible for the next phase of growth at the company. In particular, he will oversee the label’s mission of reaching a broader audience and will reinforce its sustainability commitments across channels.

He succeeds Damien Huang, who left the company earlier this year, and will report to Marc Miller, CEO of Sparc Group.

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“Tim is a proven industry leader and an outdoor brand champion,” said Miller. “He brings a unique understanding of the outdoor consumer paired with deep technical knowledge that translates into commercial success. I am excited about the future of Eddie Bauer and am confident the brand will thrive under Tim’s leadership.”

Bantle joins Eddie Bauer from VF Corp., where he served as general manager, Canada, since March 2020. Prior to that, he served as global general manager, urban exploration and mountain lifestyle, at The North Face, a division of VF. 

Bantle is also recognized for holding leadership positions at Black Diamond Equipment and Patagonia, where he spent seven years. 

“The team has done an incredible job driving global momentum for Eddie Bauer, and I am looking forward to working closely with them to introduce new audiences to the brand and broader outdoor lifestyle,” said Bantle, in a statement. “Eddie Bauer has distinctive origins in the Pacific Northwest, and I am passionate about finding new ways to parlay elements of its unique and rich heritage into outdoor culture far and wide.”

Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and the Sparc Group acquired Eddie Bauer in 2021 from PSEB Group, an operating company owned by Golden Gate Capital.

As part of the acquisition, the brand’s core operating business became a part of the Sparc portfolio of brands. Its operating platform also includes Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, Nautica, Aéropostale and Forever 21, which collectively generate nearly $8.6 billion in systemwide retail sales annually.

Earlier this year, Eddie Bauer appointed Christopher Bevans as the fashion brand's first-ever creative director. Most recently, it equally entered into a retail partnership for its operations in Japan via a new distribution agreement with local company, Itochu.