Apparel and textiles trader Charles Parsons Group has brought the Line 7 Marine brand’s licence back into its fold.
Line 7 was founded in New Zealand back in 1963 and was the official team wear in New Zealand’s successful 1995 America’s Cup challenge.
Charles Parsons Group said in a statement it brought the brand back into its fold because of its key technological advances, brand development and the ability to leverage extensive global distribution networks.
“As one of Australasia’s leading family owned and managed investors in diversified textiles and related businesses, re-aligning the Line 7 brand allows Charles Parsons to put its full weight behind the brand’s success,” the company said in a statement.
“From quick dry fabrics through to cutting-edge Celliant technology, innovative developments in new materials spurred the group to re-secure ownership of the licence. A recent announcement of the launch of the new range using this technology has been warmly welcomed with growing interest from sailors and stockists globally.
“The move also enables a coordinated brand strategy and marketing plan to be employed while more efficiently utilising resources. Charles Parsons’ extensive networks around the world mean the brand is well placed in the international market. With a unified approach to business, supplier and customer relationships are able to be managed more easily, while having the full range of the highly successful Line 7 stable available opens up the brand to greater export opportunities and new clients,” the company said.
Charles Parsons has been putting together a new management team to realign Line 7 both locally and internationally. After holding senior roles in the US and European fashion industry, Line 7 business manager Danielle Lambert is well aware of what it takes to make a brand successful in the highly-competitive clothing business.
“With the evolution of technically advanced fabrics, we are incorporating the latest fabric development into our new product ranges. Our mission is to constantly evolve Line 7’s products and keep current with ever changing market demands and trends,” said Lambert.
Adam Joyce, Charles Parsons’ newly appointed GM of brands, based in Australia, says the re-integration of Marine is a significant step for the company as it moves forward.
“As the brand owners, the most important priority for Charles Parsons is ensuring there is a strategic plan in place for sustainable growth,” said Joyce.
“The most important aspect of this strategy for Line 7 is the recent realignment of the Marine category back into our control. The future brand development will be based around this Marine heritage and the innovative products that Line 7 is renowned for.”
This change in ownership model comes at the same time as the Line 7 brand updates its iconic logo.
The new logo maintains a strong nod to Line 7’s heritage, but has been updated to reflect a fresher, contemporary look. The L7 and the stripes are still the mainstay of the logo, reflecting the historical brand messages of integrity, quality and innovation. A simplified black and white colour scheme modernises the look, and reflects Line 7s proud identity as a Kiwi company.
A strong, clear, modern logo visually echoes the brand’s direction: progressive, hardwearing, contemporary clothing for the outdoors.
Line 7 plans to announce sponsorships of several key New Zealand marine squadrons and regattas over the coming months.
