GOPRENEUER - Maroon Bell Changing the Game

Maroon Bell Outdoor written about in Gopreneurs, an entrepreneur blog. 

Over the past 30 years, it feels like the soul of fashion has lost its prestige. As this industry tried to keep up with technology, a need for increased earnings and a thirst for the newest trend, we lost quality, uniqueness, and service. We forgot about why we are designing something that never existed before. We stopped giving consumers a product that would take their breath away and that they would keep forever. Consumers shifted their own mindsets from fixing it to throw it away and buying another one. 

This concept is at the core of why Jeremy Dougherty started Maroon Bell Outdoor in 2016. 

Established in 2016, Maroon Bell Outdoor is dedicated to creating pieces that meet consumers where they are in their lives. The founder Jeremy Dougherty is a 4th generation Coloradan who believes that you don’t need to be on top of a mountain to find the outdoors. You just have to go outside. In Jeremy’s quest to bring a level of respect back to fashion all of his designs are of the highest quality, unique and versatile. With this comes a level of service one can only compare to Nordstrom. Maroon Bell takes great responsibility in accepting money for the goods they sell and if there is any issue it is fixed. This way of doing business has caught the eye of some major players such as Paramount + who used the Maroon Bell Rancher Gloves in a commercial with Tim McGraw.  

In addition, the revolutionary  fashion brand is breaking barriers with its commitment to donating 3% of its profits back to non-profit organizations they support. These organizations are Project Worthmore, a local non-profit that helps refugees in Denver, the Denver Police Brotherhood, and Cottonwood Institute, non-profit’s that works to empower youth.

The founder Jeremy Dougherty  studied business at Colorado State University, lived in the Czech Republic, LA, DC, New York and Denver. Jeremy had always known that he wanted to be an entrepreneur, and prior to launching Maroon Bell he was a partner and CFO of a land development company based in Denver.  While this was an invaluable experience, Jeremy had fallen in love with fashion during his time in DC and New York.  Eventually, he returned to Denver, which was the beginning of Maroon Bell Outdoor.

Jeremy is proud of growing his brand at a grassroots level. Maroon Bell Outdoor works with as many US based companies as possible but is proud to manufacture with a family in Pakistan.  This has been a point of contention for some buyers but Jeremy believes that through business, we can all start understanding each other more succinctly.

Maroon Bell Outdoor inspires people to explore and connect with the outdoors. The “outdoors” doesn’t have to be just the wilderness. It can be the backyard, a hike with family and friends, or even that quick walk to get lunch from a food truck around the corner. Maroon Bell Outdoor believes that the city and the outdoors are intertwined – and Denver is a prime example. What’s important is that people have a sense of community and Maroon Bell Outdoor fosters that connection.

Maroon Bell Outdoor’s original designs include  flannels, Water Buffalo gloves, backpacks, and hats. Their campfire flannels are made from 100% handmade brushed cotton and are available in four unique colors, from aspen gold to twilight smoke. Their full grain Water Buffalo  gloves are 3x stronger than cowhide, more durable, and mold to your hands providing a dexterity lost on its counterparts. Maroon Bell Outdoor also has a 600D PVC coated Polyester backpack with a cow crunch hide bottom. This bag is light, strong, unique and versatile.  

Finally, Maroon Bell Outdoor was structured like a large company from the beginning.  Jeremy knew that in order to scale, this was a necessity. With an international supply chain, high margins, a US based fulfillment center in Alabama, Maroon Bell has the ability to fill large quantities of wholesale orders as well as provide boutique design services to organizations at very low MOQs.

Maroon Bell Outdoor is breaking barriers with its commitment to its passion, service and ability to provide  uniquely versatile designs. “The fashion industry may have lost its prestige, but it was never gone. We will help bring it back.” ( Jeremy Dougherty)

Author - Sam Smith