L.L.Bean is an American privately held retail company that was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. The company, headquartered in Freeport, Maine (where it was founded), specializes in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment.

Author Lisa Birnbach’s Official Preppy Handbook, satirizing the ascendent yuppie culture, declares Bean’s “nothing less than Prep mecca.” The canonization boosts sales 42 percent and paves the way for preppie imitators like J. Crew and Tommy Hilfiger.

Jun 20, 2023 · In 1980, after “The Official Preppy Handbook” called L.L. Bean “nothing less than a prep mecca” and its Norwegian sweater “the nearest thing to a prep membership card,” L.L. Bean’s catalog and retail store sales soared, surpassing $300 million in 1985.

Jan 21, 2025 · L.L. Bean was now competing with sleek, modern, and trendy outdoor brands like Patagonia, The North Face, and Arc’teryx. These brands were no longer just about utility; they embodied a lifestyle that resonated with the younger, hipper, and socially conscious crowd.

L.L. Bean, Inc. is a leading U.S. catalog company and the largest catalog supplier of outdoor gear in the world. The L.L. Bean catalogs, a tradition since the company's founding, are the engine that drives company sales; in 1999 the company took in $854 million from catalog sales alone.

Dec 19, 2013 · They were invented by Leon Leonwood Bean (L.L. himself) in 1911, because he couldn’t find suitable footwear for duck hunting; the model was first offered for sale in 1912. He had a...

Discover the comfort and classic styles of our Men's clothing, Women's clothing and Kids' clothing along with L.L.Bean Boots, shoes and slippers. Explore the outdoors with our lab- and field-tested outdoor gear for hunting, camping and fly fishing, including everything from tents, backpacks and sleeping bags to kayaks and canoes.

Mar 29, 2016 · When three million people a year show up at the twenty-four-hour L.L. Bean mecca in Freeport, pushing past the parked Bootmobile, rivering around the huge boot statue that stands sentinel...

Dec 3, 2014 · Shoppers seeking cold-resistant coats and recreational equipment already had locally owned Outdoor Gear Exchange, right next door to L.L.Bean. And the two North Face stores downtown.

Feb 16, 2018 · Since its founding in 1912, L. L. Bean has decade after decade set the gold standard for customer service. For many businesses it’s a slogan and a rarely honored cliché: the customer is always right. L. Bean made it inviolable company policy. But not anymore.