Eagle Creek and North Face Get Married

This news is two weeks old, but it seemed fitting to announce on Valentine's Day that Eagle Creek was recently bought up by VF Corporation, a company that already owns North Face, Vans, and even an underwear brand last time I checked.

"VF said it expects Eagle Creek to add about $30 million to 2007 revenues and to grow at a high single-digit rate for the next several years. Eagle Creek founder and President Steve Barker will continue to manage the brand, reporting to Dave Gatto, president of VF Outdoor."

What does it all mean? Probably not much for now, but the company always seemed to have a plucky independence that went against the grain with new (and usually affordable) designs that nobody else had thought of yet. Let's hope the brains behind the innovations don't take off and leave this as just another boring luggage brand.