Gordon Ritchie, Managing Director, Crombie
Crombie is one of the oldest brands in the world, with its origins dating back to 1805 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Its famous coats were once worn by the likes of Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy. The Beatles even arrived in America for the first time in 1964 dressed in Crombie coats.Unfortunately, the old company, which was owned by J and J Crombie Ltd, ceased trading at the start of the pandemic in 2020. However, earlier this year it was saved by new owners for an undisclosed sum, headed by new Managing Director Gordon Ritchie and backed by private investors. The newly formed company, Crombie 1805 Ltd., is the first new owner of the brand for 40 years.Ritchie knows a thing or two about the brand having been Head of Wholesale at Crombie between 2011 and 2014. He was responsible for getting it back in to the finest stores in the world in some 35 countries, as well developing full collections and new categories, including rainwear, knitwear, leather goods and accessories.The aim now is to inject new energy into Crombie and raise its profile globally with the right collaborations, partnerships and licensing agreements across all territories and categories. In this episode of the In Conversation podcast in partnership with Klarna for Business, Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor gets Gordon’s take on Crombie old and new.Get breaking news as it happens and be the first to know when our podcasts go live by following: INSTAGRAM *** LINKEDIN *** TWITTER *** FACEBOOKGet breaking news, big name interviews & insights delivered to your inbox daily HERE