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|  |
| Founded | 1983 as Alfware, Inc. 2017 as Skythe, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Founder | Conrad Anker Jay Boyle Kevin Boyle John Alf Engwall |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Key people | |
Number of employees | 180 (2024).[3] |
| Website | www |
KÜHL is the public brand for Alfwear, Inc., a privately held American company that specializes in outdoor and lifestyle apparel. Started in Utah in 1983 under the original name Alfwear (sometimes spelled "Alf Wear"), the company started using the brand KÜHL in 1994[4].
History
Early history
Alfwear, Inc. was created in 1983 by John Alf Engwall.
A trademark filed later lists the first usage of the word mark "ALF" as 1984[5]. Old clothing made by Alfwear bears the mark "älf".
In 1986, three other co-founders bought in for $2000 per person: Conrad Anker, Jay Boyle, and Kevin Joseph Boyle. Jay and Conrad are brothers. Jay Boyle met Anker while working at the Holubar mountaineering shop. About the $2000 investment, Kevin said "I had $2,300 to my name; it was basically everything I had"[1].
At the time, Anker was a student at the University of Utah.[6]
Initially, the company originally offered the "Alf Hat", a Peruvian-style fleece ski hat[7]. The four founders initally sold the hats from the trunk of Engwall's car[8].
Leadership Transition
In the late 80s, the company leadership would transition from the four co-founders down to just Kevin Boyle.
At 8:40pm on Friday, October 31, 1986, Engwall was killed near Prince, Utah[9], when his car "ran off a winding state road and into a 15-foot deep culvert"[10].
According to Anker, the company was worth about $5000 in 1986[6].
In 1988, Anker graduated from college, and shortly thereafter sold his part of Alf to Kevin Boyle[11].
Around the same time, Jay Boyle also left the company, bought out by Kevin[1]. Jay went off to the "Thunderbird School of Global Management" in Phoenix, Arizona, where he got his MBA between the years of 1992 and 1993. Jay would later return to KÜHL.[12]
Alfwear, Inc. was incorporated September 7, 1989, with entity number 1044095-0142.[13][14].
Product development in the 90s
Following the success of the "Alf Hat", the next big product for the company was the Jacquard jacket, which went on sale in the 90s.[15].
In 1999, "Alf Wear" received the Apex Award for Design Excellence from Malden Mills for their zip-up jacket[16].
Rebrand to KÜHL
On August 15, 1994, Kevin Boyle filed for the trademark KÜHL[4]. That same year, at the Outdoor Retailer show, the company publicly re-branded itself as Kühl[17].
Continuing changes
In 2002, KÜHL switched from using a local company, Burdett Apparel Inc., for manufacturing, to using sewing companies in California, Canada, and India, according to Robin West of Alfwear[18].
In 2016, KÜHL had 60 employees[1].
In 2018, KÜHL opened their second retail store. This store would be in Cow Hollow, San Francisco at 2071 Union St, taking over the lease of the 3,559 square foot space from Nike, Inc. in December, 2017[19][20].
In 2019, KÜHL opened their third store. This one is at 203 Pike Street in Seattle[21].
On May 19, 2023, Kuhl opened a shop in Jackson Hole, bringing the total number of KÜHL store fronts in the U.S. to 4. They have locations in California, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.[22]
Skythe, Inc.
On January 3rd, 2019, the company Skythe, Inc. was registered in Utah to Kevin Boyle[23]. While the public brand is KÜHL, the terms of use for kuhl.com were updated in 2020 to refer to Skythe, Inc.[24]
Intellectual Property
As of 2024, there are at least 14 patents (plus 4 publications) assigned to "Alf Wear"[25]
References
- ^ a b c d "About Utah company: Founder has come a long way from living in a snow cave". Deseret News. July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "Alfwear, Inc. v. IBKUL UBHOT Ltd" (PDF). UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE. June 2, 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "KÜHL Clothing Company". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "KUHL - Trademark Details". Justia Trademarks. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "ALF - Trademark Details". Justia Trademarks. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Page, Amy; Page, Amy (November 9, 1986). "Flipping his cap pays off". The Daily Utah Chronicle. pp. 10, 11. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Why KÜHL is Cool". Paddy Pallin. September 20, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Hayes, Heather (October 27, 2021). "GEAR LEGENDS: KÜHL". Salt Lake Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "Obituary for John Alf Engwall". Park_Record. November 6, 1986. p. A18. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John A. Engwall Dies in Crash". Intelligencer Journal. November 6, 1986. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Outside 25: classic tales and new voices from the frontiers of adventure (25th anniversary ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Co. 2002. pp. 425–426. ISBN 9780393051865.
- ^ "Jay Boyle LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "Alfwear, Inc". Utah-Biz. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "Scanned Images of Paper Filings for #1044095-0142". Utah Business Search. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ {{cite news |title=(Advertisement) älf was born in Utah! |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/612943671/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |publisher=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=October 16, 1998 |via=[[Newspapers.com]}}
- ^ "Utah Briefs: Alf Wear". Newspapers.com. The Salt Lake Tribune. Mar 18, 1999. Retrieved 26 July 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "FAQ". KÜHL. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Lesley (August 29, 2002). "Burdett Apparel Sewing Its Last Stitch". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Executive Summary Conditional Use Authorization" (PDF). San Francisco Planning Department. December 6, 2018. p. 161, Exhibit 5. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "KÜHL San Francisco Store Information". KÜHL. Internet Archive. December 4, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "KÜHL Seattle Store". KÜHL. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "KÜHL Opens New Store in the Heart of Jackson Hole, Wyoming". The Daily. Outdoor Retailer. July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "SKYTHE, INC". Utah-Biz. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "Terms of Use". KÜHL. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "Alfwear Patents". Justia Patents. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
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