Guaranteed to Last tells the tale of how Leon Leonwood Bean, with $400 in borrowed capital, invented the Maine Hunting Shoe (often called the Bean Boot), which remade the outdoor industry. In addition to the book’s main narrative, we developed dozens of complementary stories, several of which required us to coordinate original photo shoots, including a fun one in which we dressed up and photographed current L.L.Bean employees in historic clothing from various decades. Our team also delved deep into the L.L.Bean archives, uncovering all sorts of material: records of Bean hunting in Maine in the 1910s; early mailers and catalogs; snapshots of ordinary Americans outfitted in L.L.Bean gear; and scores of other photographs, illustrations, and pieces of ephemera.
Guaranteed to Last: L.L.Bean’s Century of Outfitting America
In 2011, L.L.Bean hired us to create the centerpiece of its 100th anniversary celebration, a book that would foster an even deeper relationship between the storied outdoor brand and its devoted customers. So, we leveraged L.L.Bean’s devoted fanbase and engaged a leading outdoor journalist to help us create the inspiring narrative at the heart of the book.
A Book as Authentic as the Brand
A Cover Guaranteed to Last
The final touch was the book’s stunning canvas cover and authentic L.L.Bean tag—an homage to Bean’s classic Boat and Tote bag that is still a customer favorite today.
