PSA: Ibex Outdoor Clothing likely going out of business

[echelon_john]

Ibex, along with Patagonia, Filson, and a very small smattering of others, is a brand whose products I've never regretted purchasing or begrudged the price. Sad to see them go.

[kingpin75s]

Wow. This is a bummer! I live in this stuff. Been wearing Ibex and Icebreaker as my go to brands for about the last 7 years or so and was fortunate to have a pro deal connection for many of them. Will have to keep an eye out as some of the soft stuff is starting to fray from office wear but those Shak jerseys will never die. Quality and will did vary over the years but even the past few years have still been pretty solid. So it goes.

Just got back from the Sunday morning old man ride. 30 degrees and an Ibex wool vest in the mix.

[MrDangerPants]

That's unfortunate. I have friends in Etna and really liked hitting the Ibex Tent Sale with them in years past (before they moved it further away). Anyway, I only have a couple Ibex items, the 3/4 knicker bottom that I actually use as a base layer in the colder weather (under shorts) and this:



Both made in the USA.

[sparky33]

?!?! Shocked.
Got a lot of Ibex, wear it daily. There may have to be an exception to my non-hoarding rule.

[Frankwurst]

Originally Posted by sparky33

?!?! Shocked.
Got a lot of Ibex, wear it daily. There may have to be an exception to my non-hoarding rule.

I'm making one to mine.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Veloo

Can anyone comment on the fit?

In my experience (which is limited to long- and short-sleeved baselayers, and long- and short-sleeved cycling jerseys) they tend to run large & loose. So whereas I would take a large in almost any other manufacturer's product, I wear a medium in Ibex.

Definitely gonna stock up on baselayers, those Ibex Woolies 150 are my go-to for 3 out of 4 seasons.

[choke]

I can't help but wonder if this is related to their business changes. I have several Ibex products and love them.....but once they moved production out of the US I stopped buying from them. I was willing to pay the premium for US made clothing but since the price didn't come down when production moved away....

Originally Posted by Veloo

Can anyone comment on the fit?

Unlike Bob, I found the fit to be spot on. I'm normally a medium and all of my Ibex stuff is medium as well.

[572cv]

This is indeed somber. I wear ibex stuff all the time. On a related note, the LBS in Montpelier, Onion River Sports, is closing. The article said that being unable to get stock from a key supplier- Ibex- was a factor.

[marciero]

Originally Posted by 572cv

This is indeed somber. I wear ibex stuff all the time. On a related note, the LBS in Montpelier, Onion River Sports, is closing. The article said that being unable to get stock from a key supplier- Ibex- was a factor.

Last time I was in Montpelier I bought an Ibex jersey for like $20 at Onion River. There is a local shop here in Portland that sells lots Ibex also.

[BikeNY]

Yeah, this is a bummer for sure. I heard a rumor somewhere a few months ago that they were going to close, but didn't really believe it until I got that email last week. I've been wearing Ibex stuff for like 10 years now, both for cycling and for winter sports, and I've only had 2 issues. One was a pair of bike knickers that I wore for years until the stitching on the chamois started to come undone. I contacted them and sent it back, and in a week or so had a brand new pair. The other was one of their super soft 17.5 tees that O got at their tent sale many years ago. I wore it as a base layer literally every ski day for at least 8 years, and also as a summer MTB shirt. It was just SO comfortable! it finally developed too many holes last season and had to be retired. Sad day! I've acquired a bunch of items from them and am bummed that they are going away. I will likely be buying some stuff on sale very soon...

[jh_on_the_cape]

Also bummed by this. I love their stuff and will stock up. The brand name is for sale.

[jmoore]

I often wonder if companies that make products that last a really long time are doing a disservice to the bottom line. Esp with stuff that people don't buy every day, like wool cycling gear (or leather cycling gloves ) or HandleBra.

Would be great to sell stuff to the same customers over and over, but when the product doesn't wear out, it could put a dent in long term sales numbers.

Of course, who wants to put out an inferior product

[thwart]

Originally Posted by jmoore

I often wonder if companies that make products that last a really long time are doing a disservice to the bottom line.

Exactly.

Cycling manufacturers can drive business by pushing 'new' things like road disc brakes, electronic shifting, 11 speed drivetrains, etc... I'd think clothing companies would have a more difficult time.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by jmoore

I often wonder if companies that make products that last a really long time are doing a disservice to the bottom line. Esp with stuff that people don't buy every day, like wool cycling gear (or leather cycling gloves ) or HandleBra.

Would be great to sell stuff to the same customers over and over, but when the product doesn't wear out, it could put a dent in long term sales numbers.

Of course, who wants to put out an inferior product

I have to believe it is at the margin. Selling a replacement item to a repeat customer sounds good. But, if you are replacing a product that has failed, I'm not sure how likely you are to go with the same brand.

I think a good quality product is more likely to result in a consumer increasing the "share of closet" to that brand. Which probably pressures such companies to keep increasing SKUs. Which adds complexity and other issues to operating the business.

So, maybe you're right. If you are selling a high quality infrequent purchase product, you need to really think about where growth is going to come from. Same product to more (new) customers or new products to same customers.

This is where brand can become really important. A brand built around one product may not translate when you try to grow the SKUs.

[charliedid]

Actually durability is one of my gripes with them and I have piles of their clothing. Synthetics win hands down on the durability race.

That and the fact that much of their stuff is pretty boring. I think they should have pursued a more technical niche and ditched some of the dowdy euro bland stuff. Just my opinion of course.

I bought a few things yesterday and am upset to see them go. They had solid core beliefs in how they ran their business and for that I respect them to the end.

Makes me sad.