Willis & Geiger Outfitters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willis & Geiger Outfitters was an expeditionary outfitting company in the United States. In 1932 Ben Willis developed clothing for his Arctic explorations and founded Willis & Geiger Outfitters.[1] They outfitted Teddy Roosevelt, Roald Amundsen, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Jacqueline Cochran, Sir Edmund Hillary, the Flying Tigers and other legends of the 20th century. In 1936 Ernest Hemingway designed his own bush jacket made by Willis & Geiger Outfitters. [2] A version of the Navy G-1 was made under contract during World War II,[1][2] designed by Eddie Bauer. The company was sold in 1980 to Lands' End, and was liquidated in 1999 for economic reasons.[3]
Lands' End occasionally still releases a shirt or pants for men under the W&G name, sold on the Land's End web site. However, since 1999, no new Bush Poplin clothing has appeared. Much of the old clothing and accessories are sold for more than they originally cost at resale web sites such as eBay. Other articles' patterns have resurfaced from other sources (e.g. the Ranger Parka from Orvis, and the Hemingway bush jacket produced for a short time by Sierra Trading Post, who also liquidated versions of the Summer Ranger Parka.
[edit] References and footnotes
- ^ H. W. Geiger, 84, Dies; Made Expedition Gear. NY Times (January 01, 1991). Retrieved on 2008-03-03. “During World War II, the company designed and produced Naval flight jackets and one of the first electrically heated flying suits.”
- ^ Nelson, Derek (2002). A-2 and G-1 Flight Jackets: Hell-Bent for Leather. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0760312222.
