Fragrance house

Eddie Bauer

Eddie Bauer began in Seattle in 1920, when Eddie Bauer opened Bauer’s Sports Shop, an outdoor sporting-goods store shaped by the Pacific Northwest’s field-and-stream tradition. Its technical identity grew from Bauer’s outdoor experience: after a 1935 hypothermia incident, he developed the Skyliner down parka, which was patented in 1940. The brand issued its first mail-order catalog in 1945. General Mills acquired the company in 1971, followed by Spiegel in 1988; during the Spiegel period, the business shifted toward casual apparel and later identified a loss of focus and brand identity. After emerging as a stand-alone company in 2005, Eddie Bauer began a strategy in 2007 to return to its outdoor roots in a contemporary context. Today, Authentic Brands Group owns the brand’s intellectual property, while its operating business became part of Catalyst Brands after SPARC merged with JCPenney in January 2025. Eddie Bauer’s contemporary identity emphasizes helping people connect with the outdoors through exploration, innovation, clothing, and gear.