In fifteen years, Db has grown from a startup that wanted to make cool but practical ski products. Into a premium luggage company that customers like airline companies and Formula 1 teams. After selling a stake in the company to LVMH Luxury Venture Fund, the focus is now set to even more exclusive products and to expand in the US.
Despite cut-throat competition in 16 packed exhibition halls, a newcomer with a tiny stand became one of the big talking points at ISPO 2010. Swedish freeskier Jon Olsson and his Norwegian buddy and partner, Truls Brataas, had put their wise, goggle-wearing heads together. It was at Douchebag’s stand that competitors, journalists and other curious onlookers crowded around, and what they were poking at was a ski bag that was named Snowroller (after a cult Swedish skiing movie) and looked like nothing anyone had ever seen in a ski bag. Rarely has a new product hit so hard out of nowhere.
Fifteen years later, the Snowroller is but one of the many products in Db’s ever-expanding collections. Db’s distinctive Hugger backpack is more common in the Nordics than even Fjällräven’s Kånken – whether on the slopes of hip ski resorts or in the bustle of cities. Competing with the Kånken is no easy task.
“Time flies when you’re having fun” is just as much an expression in the Nordics as elsewhere. Db’s CEO Richard Collier and I clicked into contact recently on our screens and entered a kind of time warp. After an intense week in the US, Jet-lagged Collier was trying to catch up with business at the Oslo office. He explained the reasons for his trip. “We wanted to meet with key customers in New York, some of our best wholesale retailers. We also had some meetings with potential marketing partners since we’ve been focused for some time now on growing the brand in the US market.” But he also revealed that, 15 years after the debut in Munich, some of that old freeriding spirit still lives on at Db. “We also did some skiing in Vail, Colorado, and, yes, it was great.”
One year as CEO with a lot of learnings
SGI Europe: One year ago you joined Db as CEO. What can you tell us about this time? What’s been your main focus since your started?
Richard Collier: First of all, getting to know the team and the brand. Since then we’ve been working together on the company’s strategic plan, where I have the lead. The new plan includes the business and the product pipeline. Together with Truls, I, as CEO, have gotten more involved in product development as a whole. As I see it, if you’re going to handle the strategic plans of a company, you need to get involved in product development. It helps a lot. Also, the world market right now is a tough one. But if you have great products you can still grow as a company.
What can you tell us about your sales set-up at the moment and your most important markets?
We have a mix, and our total sales are about 67 percent in wholesale and 33 percent from e-com. Our biggest markets are still Norway and Sweden, and the US market is the one with the fastest growth. Right now we’re focused on growth in Central Europe and the US. We have some business in Asia and are also looking into how we can expand there.
With a new president in the White House all companies are thinking about tariffs and where to produce. Are you worried about this?
We have most of our production in Vietnam and have tested production in Europe, but it didn’t work out the way we wanted. With tariffs – we had already moved a lot of stuff to the US before the election. We’ll see how we’ll do in the future.
You came from Jack Wolfskin, and before that, Helly Hansen and the outdoor clothing industry. How does your experience with them help at a much smaller luggage brand? I get the feeling you’re not just poring over Excel sheets.
No. I’m involved in the entire go to market process, from briefing products to selling to customers to working together with the marketing and digital teams on campaigns to create sell through.
What lessons have you learned from the difference between your previous workplaces and Db?
We’re a privately owned company, so we can set our own agenda. In a billion-dollar company, the distance between decisions and results is much longer. And at those companies, it’s more pressure on you as an executive to deliver results month-to-month. On the other hand, when you’re working at a small, young company, you can’t have people who are just along for the ride. Everybody needs to work hard and pull their weight every day.
From bags to premium luggage
When we talked before this interview you said, “I could write a book on everything that’s going to happen.” It sounded great, as if your staff were having the time of their lives. Do you still have that feeling, despite your current jet lag?
Yes, that’s still how I feel. We’re coming out of a very successful 2024. We had double-digit growth last year, and all 70 of us in this very creative company are working hard but also having a lot of fun together while doing it.
How important was it for Db as a company when LVHM Luxury Venture Fund became a minority stakeholder? That dropped like a minor bombshell in the sports industry in late 2024.
The partnership with LVHM [more precisely, with Luxury Ventures Fund I (LLV)] is the most important strategic move that has happened to Db in recent years, I would say. We’ve already gotten so much support from them in so many ways. In addition to the new funding, we’ve also gotten access to their strategic know-how, since they already have a lot of experience in scaling up luxury companies.
How has the partnership worked out since then?
It’s worked very well since they invested in November 2024. Formally, they have a seat on the board, and it’s great to benefit from their knowledge there. Informally, we get a lot of advice and help getting into their networks. We’re a growing company, and we all see that we’re investing in the right way with this partnership.
What percentage of Db did LVHM buy?
We can’t disclose that. We can say they’re a minority owner.
Okay. Let’s look into new products. You have a lot of them – collections and interesting collabs for 2025. Which are the most interesting ones?
In May 2025 we’ll be launching our first aluminum luggage collection to the trade as part of our SS26 launch. This is top-end luggage, which will help us to get into the premium lifestyle area. It’s a big offering with three sizes and a support capsule with six beautiful bags
Are you sourcing reused aluminum for the project?
No, actually not. We found that making aluminum bags from recycled materials is tricky. On the other hand, these bags can easily be repaired. And if they wear out – which we don’t see happening too easily, since they’re premium – they can be recycled.
A lot of brands are opening their own stores to raise awareness and display products that can sometimes get hidden away in ordinary stores, where they’re competing with a hundred other brands. Would you consider opening standalone stores or pop-ups?
In a way, we’ve already done this. We’ve opened one with a partner in Tokyo. For us, the pop-up alternative, or opening together with our partners, would be preferable to opening our own stores. We’re a growing company. We also want to work with the best retailers.
Db´s future: No T-shirts, but more fast cars
After 15 years of making all types of luggage, have you considered expanding into apparel or other gear?
No, thanks! There’s so much to go after in our area. When we’re talking about bags, one different and fun market is golf. As a matter of fact, Truls is deeply involved in our golf travel bag right now. He’s also working on a concept that could eventually replace our best selling product – the Hugger.
In the future, would it be interesting for you to start collabs? If so, with what type of brand?
I think the collab with Polestar was a great one. It gave us more awareness as a brand. Actually, there are a lot of companies that contact us for partnerships. But we want to take the time to make everything from our side as perfect as possible. I think other companies sometimes believe we’re bigger than we are. [Laughs.] But this year we’ll actually be doing an interesting car collab for the F1 world, together with the Alpine team.
Formula 1 for you too? Many brands are entering partnerships in this industry – Adidas, Puma, Louis Vuitton. Why is that?
It’s obviously one of the hottest sports to be involved in. For us at Db, there’s always been a connection between our products and cars. Jon Olsson has had a sports-car connection from the beginning, with our friend, the ski racer Axel lund Svinndal, and others. But with F1, we wanted to partner with a brand that produces electric cars, because of the pollution caused by gas engines. Our assignment was to deliver hard-case luggage to the whole F1 team, which is on the road for ten months at a time. Bags that can withstand the test for everyone, from drivers to executives, and also smaller bags for the paddock.
Two guys showing the Snowroller to the ISPO crowd 15 years ago; working with SAS, a Formula 1 team; drawing an investment from LVHM; being sought after by well-known New York stores; putting together a staff of 70 people – it’s been an impressive journey. Where will we find Db in, say, five years in terms of sales?
I hope we’re at least twice as big then as we are now.
By the way, just want to make it clear that it’s “Db” nowadays, and not “Douchebag”…
It’s Db, for sure. It’s taken a few years to change the name, since from the start it came from the freeski community. But once you expand from the Nordic countries into the English and American markets, you can’t use that name. You can’t get away with Douchebag when talking to customers and shareholders.
Might we say that you’ve grown up as a company?
In a way, yes.
