Db officials have said that the collaboration between the Nordic travel gear company and LVHM’s Luxury Ventures Fund I (LLV) is a significant milestone for Db, infusing the brand with expertise from the luxury industry. But why this partnership? And why will it succeed? SGI Europe has gotten ahold of Richard Collier, CEO of Db, to find out.
SGI Europe: Why is Db making this particular move with Luxury Ventures Fund I?
Collier: As a scaling company from the sports and outdoor space, we need great partners who can help us grow and understand the details of our business and the marketplace while pulling in knowledge from other markets and categories. When we started this process and from the initial call we had together, everyone in the room afterward looked round and said, “Yes, that’s the dream partner.”
LLV has recently invested in Aime Leon Dore and Our Legacy, both of which are growing brands that come from unique propositions from which we can learn a lot, especially when it comes to growing brands, but while staying true to our history and DNA.
What do you hope this means for Db in terms of sales?
We have strong yet attainable growth goals and the conviction to reach them. That means always consistently developing markets across our channels so the consumer always has a great experience when interacting with Db. We see great traction in markets where retailers have been with us for a number of years, especially those in snow, surf and, more recently, skate. These and some premium, larger outdoor retailers in Scandinavia have helped us establish the brand.
We’re now also seeing traction with more lifestyle and fashion-based accounts whose consumers are looking for brands with strong points of view and differentiation. We expect growth to come from both areas.
Then from there, ensuring profitability means keeping a close eye on our logistics and operations while ensuring our marketing is done in a way that gives us the awareness we need while keeping us on track financially.
What else is happening at Db right now?
I could write a book about it, as we have a team who seems to raise the bar every week. In the product line, we’re dropping a new line called Weigh Lighter [which SGI Europe reported on last week, during ISPO 2024] with a fabric called Aluula in the new year. The material is lighter and stronger than any other fabric on the market aimed at backcountry explorers.
We’re also staying true to our history of disrupting categories by working on a golf travel bag, a new day version of our skate duffel and an update to our surf line for ’26. We’ve recently become B Corp certified, so building a responsible business is at the center of what we’re doing, especially in products where we are using 100 percent recycled materials on backpacks and bags. For markets, we’re focused on doubling down on Scandinavia, growing North and Central Europe with the UK, Germany and Benelux while also harnessing the tremendous demand from the US, where we’re doing really well.
We’re also growing out China and Japan, where we recently opened a store in Tokyo. In product collabs, we’re committed to working with the best brands in the space, whether that’s Beyond Medals in snow, New Amsterdam Surf Association and Former in the skate/surf crossover space. Meanwhile, in partnerships, we’re proud to announce that we’re the SAS official luggage and bag provider for cabin crew and pilots, which also means activations in their lounges, Pack Heavy, Chase Light, our content series being on inflight entertainment, and more. We also have a collection dropping this week with Polestar, the EV disrupter from Sweden, and next season you’ll see us in the paddock with Alpine F1, as we open a chapter with them.
The marketing team recently launched the Christmas Campaign “Keep Dreaming Differently,” an ode to creatives headed home for the holidays which also launches the Db Fund, to give the next generation of creatives a head start with their project. We are, of course, continuing content trips and moments with our ambassadors, including Sage Kotsenburg, Ishod Wair, Beatrice Domond, Craig Anderson, Pascha Light, Chris Burkard, Luis Medearis and one new name that we’re excited to announce in the new year.
