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Industry | Fashion |
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Founded | 2010 |
Founder | Chris Lindland |
Headquarters | , |
Products | Dress Pant Yoga Pants, Yoga Denim, Work & Travel Apparel |
Website | www.betabrand.com |
Betabrand is an online women's clothing company based in San Francisco's Mission district, known for Dress Pant Yoga Pants and other activewear for work and travel.[1][2]
Betabrand customers participate in the design process by voting on new apparel concepts and providing feedback, helping the company rapidly bring new products to market.[3] Products are launched in weekly live shows, where designers field questions from fans in an interactive, chat-based experience.[4]
The company began as Cordarounds in 2005, designing corduroy pants with wales aligned horizontally instead of vertically.[5] After years of expanding its product offerings — these included Bike-To-Work Commuter Pants and Black Sheep Sweaters, made from the wool of actual black sheep — the company was renamed Betabrand in 2010.[6][7][8]
The goal was to build a brand that behaves like a social network, where consumers interact with Betabrand designers as well as one another to inform and accelerate the design process.[9][10][11] The company has since released more than 1,000 products, including collaborations with brands and celebrities like Timberland, The North Face, Vivo Barefoot, Margaret Cho, Bill Murray, and DJ Chris Holmes.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
Betabrand officially launched its women's line in 2013 with a Dress Pant Yoga Pants campaign featuring only models with PhDs.[18][19] Subsequent marketing efforts have aimed to reinforce the brand's digital identity. Notable examples include the Mark Zuckerberg-inspired Executive Hoodie, released ahead of Facebook's IPO, as well as Silicon Valley Fashion Week? and Podcast Theatre.[20][21][22][23][24] In September 2013, the brand opened up a crowdsourced system, incorporating both in-house ideas and ideas sent by third-part designers.[25]
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Betabrand hosted a "Work From Home Fashion Show" and social shopping event on its website.[26]