Rowing Blazers

What Rowing Blazers does

Rowing Blazers is a privately held American apparel brand founded in 2016 and headquartered in New York City, operating with 11 to 50 employees. The company designs and sells preppy and heritage-inspired clothing for men and women, including blazers ($398-$498), sweaters ($68-$328), rugby shirts, dresses, tops, bottoms, and accessories ($11-$520). Distribution is direct-to-consumer through a global e-commerce platform and a single flagship retail store at 262 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan.

The company's commercial identity is built around distinctive preppy-collegiate aesthetics and a portfolio of licensed intellectual property collaborations, including Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington Bear, and Babar. Adjacent partnerships cover L.G.R eyewear, '47 Brand for sports-licensed caps, and Seiko timepieces. The brand also operates Warm & Wonderful, a sub-brand featuring sheep-themed knitwear including the Diana Edition inspired by Princess Diana's wardrobe.

The revenue model is unit-based DTC retail with premium pricing, supported by free domestic shipping over $100, free exchanges, and a 20% discount incentive for email subscribers. The company has raised approximately $3.3 million in disclosed funding (a $700K round in 2016 and a $2.6M round with Winklevoss Capital in 2018). Founder Jack Carlson serves as Creative Director and Laura Willensky serves as Chief Executive Officer. The brand has been referenced in 2024 retail M&A trend reporting alongside Champion, Off-White, Chanel, Tapestry, and Under Armour.

Name

Rowing Blazers

Legal name

Rowing Blazers

Website

https://rowingblazers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rowing Blazers is a privately held New York-based apparel brand (founded 2016) designing preppy and heritage-inspired men's and women's clothing, including blazers, rugby shirts, sweaters, and licensed IP collaborations (Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington, Babar), sold through DTC e-commerce and a single Manhattan flagship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Heritage Apparel

NAICS

Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Active Lifestyle Apparel Retail (CRAAABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing) (CRAMAMAK)

Keywords

• Premium apparel
• Heritage clothing
• Licensed character apparel
• Collegiate fashion
• Direct-to-consumer fashion

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Retail Sales: Direct-to-consumer retail sales through e-commerce website and physical flagship store in New York City. Products sold at various price points ranging from accessories ($11-$520) to premium cashmere sweaters and blazers ($298-$498).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rowing Blazers designs, produces, and sells men's and women's preppy, heritage-inspired apparel — including blazers, rugby shirts, sweaters, dresses, tops, bottoms, and accessories — directly to consumers via its own e-commerce site and a single flagship store in New York City. The brand also operates the Warm & Wonderful sub-brand (sheep-themed knitwear and Diana Edition) and runs licensed collaborations with Paddington, Winnie-the-Pooh, Babar, and L.G.R (eyewear).

Product overview

Rowing Blazers is a fashion brand offering men's and women's apparel across categories including sweaters, rugby shirts, blazers, dresses, tops, bottoms, and accessories. The brand operates sub-brands like Warm & Wonderful (featuring sheep-themed knitwear and the Diana Edition) and maintains licensed collaborations with Paddington™, Winnie-the-Pooh, Babar, and L.G.R for eyewear. Products range from traditional collegiate-style rugby shirts and blazers to novelty sweaters featuring licensed characters, sold primarily through the brand's e-commerce platform and New York retail location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Warm & Wonderful: A sub-brand featuring sheep-themed knitwear and the Diana Edition collection

Products and services

• Blazers & Jackets Tailored blazers and jackets — including pleated blazers, herringbone designs, and outerwear pieces — priced $398-$498 for men and women seeking preppy/heritage tailoring.
• Rugby Shirts Traditional and striped rugby shirts for men and women, featuring contrast collar designs and collegiate-inspired patterns at $138, central to the brand's heritage identity.
• Sweaters Knit sweaters including cashmere, cotton, and wool varieties with argyle, striped, and novelty designs — including licensed-character pieces — priced $68-$328.
• Dresses & Tops Women's dresses, tops, and blouses including polo dresses, smocked designs, and button-down styles in various patterns, with dresses priced $198-$258 and tops $48-$128.
• Bottoms Pants, trousers, shorts, and skirts for men and women including pleated options, denim, and linen styles priced $108-$178.
• Accessories Hats, socks, ties, scarves, and watch straps featuring brand patterns and licensed character designs, priced $11-$520.
• Warm & Wonderful Sub-brand A signature sub-brand featuring sheep-themed knitwear and cozy sweaters, including the popular Diana Edition pieces inspired by Princess Diana's wardrobe, sold through the dedicated Warm & Wonderful storefront.
• Rowing Blazers x Paddington Collaboration Licensed collaboration featuring Paddington Bear-themed apparel including cashmere sweaters, sherpa jackets, socks, and accessories.
• Rowing Blazers x Winnie-the-Pooh Collaboration Licensed collaboration featuring Winnie-the-Pooh and friends-themed knitwear including sweaters, rugby shirts, oxford shirts, and accessories.
• Rowing Blazers x Babar Collaboration Licensed collaboration featuring Babar the Elephant-themed cashmere sweaters, rugby shirts, oxford shirts, and accessories.
• Rowing Blazers x L.G.R Eyewear Collaboration Eyewear collaboration with L.G.R creating limited-edition Reunion Fez and Explorer sunglasses and optical frames featuring L.G.R craftsmanship with Rowing Blazers branding.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• L.G.RminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEyewear collaboration creating limited edition Reunion Fez and Explorer sunglasses featuring L.G.R craftsmanship with Rowing Blazers branding.
• '47 BrandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports licensing collaboration producing co-branded New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers nylon caps.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• J.Crew: Iconic American preppy apparel brand selling men's and women's sweaters, blazers, rugby shirts, and shirts through DTC e-commerce and physical stores. Directly comparable in target customer (premium, heritage-inspired) and product mix to Rowing Blazers, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Brooks Brothers: Heritage American brand known for blazers, oxford shirts, and preppy staples with strong collegiate associations. Overlaps with Rowing Blazers on blazers, rugby/oxford shirts, and prep aesthetic targeting similar heritage-leaning consumers.
• Vineyard Vines: American lifestyle brand built on preppy, nautical, and club-style apparel (rugby shirts, whale-print ties, polos). Highly comparable to Rowing Blazers in preppy-heritage aesthetic and customer, with similar product categories and gift-guide positioning.
• Aimé Leon Dore: New York-based heritage-meets-streetwear brand offering rugby shirts, sweatshirts, blazers, and sneakers with strong IP/collab partnerships (New Balance, Porsche). Highly comparable cultural positioning and DTC-led playbook to Rowing Blazers; operates at larger scale and broader menswear focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ralph Lauren (Polo Ralph Lauren): The defining American preppy/equestrian heritage brand offering rugby shirts, oxford shirts, blazers, and outerwear globally. Anchors the broader category that Rowing Blazers competes in; relevant as both competitor for the collegiate customer and benchmark for premium heritage brand scalability.
• Fred Perry: British heritage brand best known for its twin-tipped polo/rugby shirts rooted in sport-music-subculture crossover. Overlaps with Rowing Blazers on rugby shirts, men's heritage shirts, and British-collegiate aesthetic, but at much broader global scale and primarily menswear focus.
• Pendleton: Heritage American brand famous for wool blankets and patterned knitwear (tartan, striped, jacquard sweaters). Comparable to Rowing Blazers' signature patterned knitwear and Americana/heritage aesthetic, though Pendleton is more established and broader in home goods.

Emerging players

• Noah NYC: Independent NYC brand blending preppy/prep heritage cues with streetwear sensibility across knitwear, rugby shirts, and accessories. Comparable in size, ethos, and DTC distribution to Rowing Blazers, with similar appeal to fashion-conscious consumer seeking distinctive prep-coded apparel.
• Todd Snyder: American menswear brand focused on heritage-inspired tailoring, oxford shirts, blazers, and collaborations with sportswear labels (Champion, Timex, Converse). Comparable in positioning (elevated heritage, celebrated collabs) and product categories (rugby shirts, blazers) to Rowing Blazers.
• Drake's: London-based heritage menswear brand specializing in ties, scarves, knitwear, and shirting with strong British-preppy DNA. Comparable in heritage-prep aesthetic and product (knitwear, accessories, shirting) to Rowing Blazers, especially in premium men's knitwear and accessories overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/rowingblazers
• Xx.com/rowingblazers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rowing Blazers