Nau is back.
On May 2, 2008, Nau announced that it was closing shop. The reason? They could not get financing to continue operations. If you don’t know who Nau is, they’re a uniquely new business—selling eco-friendly clothes with a unique business model: brick and mortar stores that displayed examples of their product but the purchases were online.
Ironically last August 06 when they launched, as a groundswell of environmental consciousness grew the economic capital markets were collapsing.
The latest as of September 8, 2008: The Road to Relaunch - Part 5
Who is Nau? In their own words…
Who are we and what are we trying to do here?
Good question. Nau is an outdoor apparel company born out of a desire to do business differently. From designing our clothes and developing our fabrics, to the way in which we build our stores, to our dedication to supporting organizations working for positive change, we are striving towards a more sustainable approach to being in business. At the core of our enterprise is the desire to expand the nature of the outdoor experience beyond athletic endeavors, and redefine what it means to align oneself with the outdoors.
We believe in the power of the collective, and we seek to turn that power towards the goal of positive change, in a variety of forms. Basically, we like to learn. And nothing furthers learning more than listening. So we’d like to listen to the people whose opinions we respect—like yours. We’re pretty sure there are a lot more folks like us out there—concerned, inquisitive people, looking for engaging, challenging and potentially transformative dialogue.
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Past president of Architecture & Design Society, The Art Institute of Chicago. Designer, blogger, adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago.
All posts by PRand
6 comments ↓
this is interesting. i love eco-friendly stuff. i wonder how much they are.
skye,
we HAD a pilot brick and mortar venue in chicago. the prices did not warrant a great value label. but they were stylish, simple, well-made. the critics would say the color palette is bland: black, olive, grey. ( i think this critique is being taken seriously by nau )
i bought a couple of shirts before the store closed. i will purchase more product from them as i liked the style and the environmental statement is value-added.
Art may imitate life, but life imitates TV. Ani Difranco
“folk music is not an acoustic guitar — that’s not where the heart of it is. I use the word ‘folk’ in reference to punk music and rap music. It’s an attitude, it’s an awareness of one’s heritage, and it’s a community. It’s subcorporate music that gives voice to different communities and their struggle against authority.”
ani difranco
( i like when she collaborated with prince )
I bought quite a few things from Nau when they opened. The construction of their clothes, pants in particular is second to none. I have put my Nau pants through hell and back. When I heard that they were closing due to funding I was quite sad. I agree with the issue on color choices. Their choice of colors shouldn’t be described as bland, but brighter colors would be fantastic.
Keep it up Nau. I look forward to seeing the new fall line in October.
-H
We’re all demented sinners in the same cosmic boat–and the boat is perpetually sinking.AldousHuxleyAldous Huxley, Island
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