Trunk Club
| Type of business | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Area served | United States |
| Founder(s) | Joanna Van Vleck |
| CEO | Brian Spaly |
| Industry | Fashion |
| Parent | Nordstrom |
| Website |
www |
| Launched | 2009 |
Trunk Club is a personalized mid to high-end men's and woman's clothing service, based in Chicago. Each customer works with a specialist who chooses clothing for their box which is shipped to their home and the customer can purchase the clothes outright or send them back to Trunk Club. The service can be completed virtually or in person at one of the companies six locations.
History
Trunk Club was founded in 2009 by Joanna Van Vleck while she was an MBA student as a personalized clothing service based in Bend, Oregon.[1][2][3][4]
Trunk Club first received $11 million of Series A funding led by US Venture Partners, when at this point, Brian Spaly was asked to be CEO of the floundering Trunk Club by Anthos Capital and left Bonobos in order to do so.[2]
One of the first things Spaly did when coming onboard to Trunk Club was to create a Trunk Club HQ based in Chicago as a physical space where customers could come in, get fitted or have a session with one of the stylists or purchase clothes.
In person locations, called clubhouses, have since expanded to Dallas, Washington DC, New York City, Los Angeles, and Charleston.[5]
Trunk Club was acquired by Nordstrom in 2014 for an estimated $350M.[6][7] In an interview with the New York Times at the time of the acquisition Spaly stated the company was profitable, ‘though barely’ at the time.[8]
Products & services
Trunk Club currently operates as a wholesaler and sells products at retail cost, rather than a subscription model. It is free to receive consultations with a stylist or have clothes delivered to your home. Clients only pay for the items they wish to keep, which can range in price from an average of $100-$300 per item.[9]
Trunk Club also has run ‘designer series’ trunks which are collaborations with some of their ‘best selling brands’.[10]
In 2015 Trunk Club launched their styling services for women.[5][11]
Critical reception
There has been some feedback around the “immediately apparent” use of attractive young women as staff at the on-site locations, which some have seen as off-putting, as well as the aura of throwback masculinity epitomized in their clubhouses.[4][12]
References
- ↑ "Founder of online clothing site sued". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "In New Venture, Bonobos Co-Founder Reimagines the Way Men Shop". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Schonfeld, Erick. "The Trunk Club For Men: Never Shop For Clothes Again". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- 1 2 "Trunk Club is Locking it Up, Throwing Away the Key". Pando. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- 1 2 Hughes, Aria (2015-07-21). "Trunk Club to Enter Women's". WWD. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Feloni, Richard (2015-10-06). "After 8 years and $128 million raised, the clock is ticking for men's retailer Bonobos". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Perez, Sarah. "Nordstrom Acquires Men's Shopping Service Trunk Club". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Abrams, Rachel. "Nordstrom Buying a Website for Men's Wear - NYTimes.com". Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ "Let Your Stylist Do the Shopping". Trunk Club. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Club, Trunk. "Trunk Club Elevates Curated Approach With Its Limited-Edition Designer Series". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Perez, Sarah. "Nordstrom-Owned Styling Service Trunk Club Expands To Women's Apparel". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ "Whiskey With A Side Of Shopping: The Masculine Utopia Of Trunk Club". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2016-06-18.