East Coast Lifestyle Teams With Bauer On Limited-Edition Clothing
HALIFAX–It was an achievement years in the making for East Coast Lifestyle CEO Alex MacLean. After years of seeing his iconic Maritime brand grow locally, regionally, and nationally, the entrepreneur can now say his clothing is being sold in the United States.
The cross-border move has come thanks to a collaboration with Bauer–a company that is a household name for hockey players and fans.
The limited-edition clothing line includes hoodies, t-shirts, hats, and duffle bags featuring both the East Coast Lifestyle and Bauer logos.
“It’s a first for us and a huge deal for us. We’ve been trying to do that for years now,” said MacLean on breaking into the US market. “To see our gear in places like Pure Hockey and Dick’s Sporting Goods is very surreal.”
The seeds of the collaboration began a year ago when Bauer reached out to East Coast Lifestyle (ECL) through LinkedIn. From there, many Zoom calls were spent deciding on how to design the new clothing line.
“It’s really cool; They are trying to reposition their brand into more of the athleisure world,” said MacLean. “It was a lot of work, honestly. We were on the phone every week, once a week, for about a year.”
In the end, Bauer wanted ECL to capture the spirit and history of Nova Scotia’s outdoor hockey lifestyle. MacLean and his crew spent time visiting outdoor rinks, frozen ponds, and along the ocean, for inspiration. The clothing also pays homage to the proclaimed birthplace of hockey: Windsor Nova Scotia.
“Many people don’t know that hockey started here in Windsor Nova Scotia, so we did a t-shirt celebrating that,” said MacLean.
The list of hockey players and celebrities who have been sent samples of the clothing has its share of household names; two of the biggest being Justin Bieber (who used Bauer hockey gear before) and his father, Jeremy.
From the hockey world, Bauer and ECL reached out to rookie sensation Trevor Zegras. The American-born NHLer has gone viral twice this season for sensational plays that even longtime hockey fans hadn’t seen before.
“I was chatting with him just before the All-star stuff,” said MacLean. “He seems like a really good dude and Bauer has a good relationship with him.”
Another NHL rookie sensation, Noah Dobson (from PEI), did an entire photo shoot for the new clothing line.
Other notable players who were sent clothing by ECL and Bauer include:
- Drake Batherson (who grew up in Annapolis Valley);
- Brady Tkachuk (the Ottawa Senators’ star forward);
- Jack Hughes (a former #1 draft pick);
- Nick Suzuki (a forward for the Montreal Canadiens);
- Connor Bedard (a 16-year-old phenom);
- Shane Wright (who is expected to be picked first in the 2022 draft);
- Alex Newhook (a Newfoundland-born NHL star);
- Darnell Nurse (an Edmonton Oilers defenseman);
- Jonathan Huberdeau (who has the second-most points in the NHL);
- Zach Fucale (a goaltender who won the Memorial Cup with the Halifax Mooseheads);
- Cole Caufield (A rookie for the Canadiens)
- Patrick Kane (An NHL superstar with Chicago)
Even though the current ECL-Bauer clothing is limited edition, MacLean’s 2022 goal is to make sure his brand is in the United States for a long time.
“This collaboration really opened a lot of doors for us and we’re hoping now we’re able to get our classic East Coast gear into those stores,” he said.
“We’ve been working really hard for this for a long time. We’ve been focused on Atlantic Canada and the Canadian market for the last nine years. Now, we’re into new territory.”
ECL is in talks with two other brands for future collaborations on clothing products. But MacLean is choosing not to divulge which companies yet.
“All I can say is one of the brands is global. I can’t really say what sport, or it could give it away.”
MacLean is revealing, however, that ECL and Bauer are not done with their partnership. The two brands are collaborating for a second time this fall for another limited edition line of apparel.
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].