Trunk Club

Trunk Club
Type of business Subsidiary
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, US
Area served United States
Founder(s) Joanna Van Vleck
CEO Terry Boyle
Industry Fashion
Parent Nordstrom
Website www.trunkclub.com
Launched 2009

Trunk Club is a personalized mid- to high-end men's and women's clothing service based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Each customer works with a specialist who chooses clothing for their box, which is shipped to their home; 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 company's six locations.

History

Trunk Club was founded in 2009 by Joanna Van Vleck while she was an MBA student. It began 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. Brian Spaly was asked to be CEO of Trunk Club by Anthos Capital. He left Bonobos in order to do so.[2]

One of the first things Spaly did as CEO was to create a Trunk Club HQ based in Chicago as a physical space where customers could be fitted, have a session with a stylist, or purchase clothing.

In-person locations called clubhouses have since expanded to Dallas, Washington DC, New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston.[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 said that the company was profitable, "though barely" at the time.[8] After the company’s value went down by more than half in November 2016, Spaly announced his departure from the company in early 2017. Terry Boyle, who leads Nordstrom brands Nordstrom Rack and HauteLook, took over the position.[9]

Products and services

Trunk Club currently operates as a wholesaler and sells products at retail cost, rather than via a subscription model. There is a $25 home styling fee for each trunk that may be applied towards your purchase. It is free for customers to receive consultations with a stylist in person at a clubhouse. Clients pay for the items they wish to keep, which usually range in price from $100 to $300 per item.[10]

Trunk Club also has run "designer series" trunks which are collaborations with some of their best-selling brands.[11]

In 2015, Trunk Club launched their styling services for women.[5][12]

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 the clubhouses.[4][13]

References

  1. ↑ "Founder of online clothing site sued". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  2. 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "In New Venture, Bonobos Co-Founder Reimagines the Way Men Shop". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  3. ↑ Schonfeld, Erick. "The Trunk Club For Men: Never Shop For Clothes Again". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  4. 1 2 "Trunk Club is Locking it Up, Throwing Away the Key". Pando. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  5. 1 2 Hughes, Aria (2015-07-21). "Trunk Club to Enter Women's". WWD. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Perez, Sarah. "Nordstrom Acquires Men's Shopping Service Trunk Club". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  8. ↑ Abrams, Rachel. "Nordstrom Buying a Website for Men's Wear - NYTimes.com". Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  9. ↑ Zumbach, Lauren. "Trunk Club founder, CEO leaving apparel e-tailer". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  10. ↑ "Let Your Stylist Do the Shopping". Trunk Club. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  11. ↑ Club, Trunk. "Trunk Club Elevates Curated Approach With Its Limited-Edition Designer Series". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  12. ↑ Perez, Sarah. "Nordstrom-Owned Styling Service Trunk Club Expands To Women's Apparel". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  13. ↑ "Whiskey With A Side Of Shopping: The Masculine Utopia Of Trunk Club". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2016-06-18.

See also

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