Japanese sportswear company Descente establishes North American subsidiary

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Sep 24, 2018

Japanese athletic apparel brand Descente is establishing a wholly-owned North American subsidiary, Descente Athletic Americas Inc. 

Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the new subsidiary will launch in the fall of this year, in an effort to expand the brand's presence in the U.S. market. 

The collections set to debut will include the brand's 'Allterrain' line, a line of athletic apparel, which the company said is meant to "merge fashion and function with exceptional versatility, all rooted in an 83-year heritage of Japanese craftsmanship and innovation yet tailored to the Western market," according to a Descente press release

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"The sportswear market is at an interesting time where consumers are either gravitating toward disposable fashion, or fewer—but higher quality—garments," said Fritz Taylor, president of the new subsidiary and an athleticwear industry veteran by way of brands like Under Armour and Nike. "Our attitude is that less can be more if it's beautifully made and well thought out. I really believe that with what's going on in the market." 

DAA plans to launch a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site this fall, and establish a small number of flagship stores in select U.S. cities in the fall of 2019. The brand is also laying the groundwork for wholesale distribution strategies, and has partnered with ad agency Shine United and marketing agency Linda Gaunt Communications to increase the new subsidiary's impact in the American market. 

Descente Ltd. currently distributes to North America via Descente Mountain Americas, a subsidiary headquartered in Layton, Utah, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. DMA will continue to operate as a separate entity, focusing on snow sportswear and gear, while DAA will offer a full range of lifestyle athletic apparel. 

Parent company Descente Ltd. was founded in 1935 in Osaka, Japan.