 "Photo: John Meyer")
Step aside Ralph Lauren and Lacoste, there's new competition in town - and it's a clothing line based out of Montchanin, Del., in the Brandywine Valley, approximately 13 miles from campus.
The neatly embroidered alligator and the polo horse placed on the upper-right corner of polo shirts that are worn by many has a new logo joining the fashion industry - a cow, or more specifically, the Belted Galloway cow.
The cow is the logo for the brand Brandywine Valley Life, which was created by two friends Ben Fournier and John Meyer. The idea for the brand surfaced in August 2006 when Fournier and Meyer talked about launching a line of clothes that was representative of southern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, commonly known as the Brandywine Valley.
The conversations eventually blossomed into brainstorming sessions and devising plans in order to make the brand a reality.
Fournier, who works as a freelance photographer, says his wife is in the garment industry and previously worked in clothing production in New York City. This exposure to the industry helped formulate the logic of creating a line of clothes, and he says from then on, the idea of starting a line lingered in his head.
"I just got the bug from being around my wife's work," Fournier says.
The concept of Brandywine Valley Life was inspired by the notoriously preppy brand Vineyard Vines, a line started by two brothers based out of Martha's Vineyard. Fournier says he and Meyer were inspired by the brand, which helped them further build their concept.
"The [brothers of Vineyard Vines] knew what they were doing when they launched their line," he says. "We wanted to take that concept and apply it to the Brandywine Valley."
Fournier and Meyer say the focal point of the brand is to relate to the activities of the Brandywine Valley area - whether they're golfing on the weekends, kayaking along the Brandywine River or tailgating at Point-to-Point. This ultimately prepped Brandywine Valley life to be a lifestyle brand.
At first, they came up with the idea of starting a line of ties, thinking it would be easier to start than a line of shirts. But the thought of creating a logo on polo shirts became more appealing, especially since they were bored with the same logos commonly found on polos.
"A lot of it had to do with just being tired of wearing a polo horse or an alligator," Meyer says. "We combined it with creating something that is representative of the local area."
The prospect that they could potentially produce a brand to rival the blue whales from Vineyard Vines or even the bigger brands of Ralph Lauren and Lacoste was satisfying and inspiring for the two friends.
"We wanted to create a shirt that can identify with the area," Fournier says. "We started with thinking what symbol could promote the lifestyle of the Brandywine Valley."
That symbol was ultimately the Belted Galloway cow.
The Belted Galloway cow is originally from Scotland and is commonly found in herds along Route 52 in Centreville, Del., Meyer says. Along Route 52 is also Buckley's Tavern, a famous Brandywine Valley restaurant owned by David Weir and one of the two places that sells the polos, along with Trail Creek Outfitters on Route 202 in Glen Mills, Penn.
"Since August, we've easily sold a hundred of them," Weir says. "Some of our staff actually wear them, too, as part of their black uniform, which also has helped sales."
Weir, who is a longtime friend of Fournier, says one of the reasons he decided to sell the shirts is because the restaurant's image is associated with the Brandywine Valley. In fact, visiting the tavern is one of the must-do activities, according to Brandywine Valley Life.
"There's a tag on the shirt that lists things to do in the Brandwine Valley, and have a burger at Buckley's is one of them, which helps us out, too," Weir says.
Weir says if Fournier and Meyer release more items in their brand, he would sell them.
"The people here in Brandywine really like the brand," Weir says. "Our regular customers would come in and ask about where they could get it, and we've even had some visitors from New England who wanted to buy them, too. They're becoming increasingly popular over a short period of time."
Two months after the official launch of the brand, Fournier and Meyer say they are thinking about product expansion. They are hoping to go beyond men's polo shirts and start producing women's and children's clothing, along with belts, fleeces and the ties with which they initially planned to start. Along with building their line, Meyer says he plans to spread to other areas of the country.
"We've had extremely positive receptions on the polo," Meyer says. "We're looking to expand into other areas that have the Belted Galloway cow, as well as retail specialty stores, and then build from there."
For now, Meyer says their main focus is branding their products with the Belted Galloway cow in a way that will leave a lasting mark without the hot-iron rod.
"It's all about branding the shirt," he says.
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