Nautica

Evangeline Lilly is spotted out and about with her Nautica bag!

Wonder how Nautica started out? David Chu, the genius behind Nautica, is a Taiwanese-American fashion designer. In the 1960s, his family immigrated from Taiwan to the United States, where his family opened up a Chinese restaurant. Although the restaurant was a family business, David’s heart wasn’t in it. Originally planning to be an architect, he took summer drawing classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). But when a professor saw his drawings and suggested that Chu should try designing clothes, he took his advice and pursued fashion.

After graduated from FIT, Chu returned to Taipei and started an export business with his friends. Unfortunately the business went under and Chu returned back to the USA where he worked under a large company designing jackets. A few years later in 1983, Chu started another business venture, a clothing line called Nautica.

Chu loved the sea and so it was easy for him to come up with the name for his company. Nautica, which his first company was called, was derived from the Latin word, “Nauticus” for ship. So, the spinnaker logo was utilized to symbolize adventure, action and classicism.

In the first year, the company made $700,000 in sales and got $2.5 million in the next year. However, Chu sold Nautica to the Vanity Fair Corporation in 2003. The company was sold for $1 billion. Vanity Fair Corporation is an American apparel corporation that sells jeanswear, intimate apparel, work wear, etc. Aside from Nautica, it also other brands like Wrangler, Rider, Lee, Red Cap, Chase Authentics, Eastpak, John Varvatos, etc.

Katherine Heigl looks dashing in Nautica's My Voyage For Her photoshoot.

Today, Nautica has made a huge breakthrough. It only started with a collection of men’s outwear and now it has become a leading global lifestyle brand. Its products range from men’s, women’s, children’s, accessories and to a complete home collection as well. For men, they offer jeans, polos, tees, shirts, swimwear, suits, shorts, outerwear, blazers, sleepwear, perfumes, watches, hats , belts, etc. For the women, they have tops, bottoms, sweaters, dresses, active wear, swimwear, sleepwear, sunglasses, watches, scarves, backpacks, luggage, etc. For the kids (whether boys or girls), they have tees, shorts, polos, swim wear, and accessories.

Throughout the world, Nautica is highly recognized as one of the most important American lifestyle brands. Nautica is a brand that’s keen to details. That is why, every apparel or accessory or whatever it is that the company manufactures, Nautica is always a masterpiece. It’s always perfect and it stands out. Their clothes spell adventure, fun and function into one.

Because of this, Nautica has been loved by many Americans. It’s a brand that’s dear to many Hollywood personalities and even athletes like Katherine Heigl, Doutzen Kroes, Julie Bowen, Evangeline Lilly, Andy Baldwin and so many others. Katherine Heighl is also the spokes model for the brand’s newest perfume, My Voyage.

Andy Baldwin runs for Nautica!

From the name itself, its obvious that Nautica is a brand inspired by water that’s always marked by clearness, freshness and pureness. Staying true to its love for open ocean, Nautica’s events are inspired by this element. Such events as the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, World Oceans Day Celebration, and Nautica South Beach Triathlon Photo Contest are all events that the brand is proud to sponsor.

Nautica also is highly dedicated to sports. They even sponsored a triathlete, Andy Baldwin, by wearing Nautica’s products such as jerseys, shorts, hats, jackets, etc. Baldwin’s been an advocate for both domestic and global humanitarian projects, and for health and fitness, most especially for children. Because of dedication to reach out to the third world populations, both Competitor Magazine and Triathlete Magazine named him named Humanitarian of the Year in 2007.

Today, Nautica is widely available in more than 64 countries, exceeding 200 Nautica branded stores all over the world. The brand has retail stores outside the US with outlets in Abu Dhabi, Bahamas, Bali, Beijing, Costa Rica, Dubai, and much more.

Nautica stands for the ocean. Just like this large body of water, Nautica has gone through a long way in the hearts of every American. Like the ocean, Nautica has no boundaries, it will continue to live on and give every American the quality product that they deserve.