The iconic ’yellow boot’ dates back to 1973 when Sidney Swartz introduced a new type of waterproof shoe to his father Nathan’s business, the Abington Shoe Company, in South Boston. Made with premium full-grain nubuck leather with thick rubber lug soles, Timberland was an instant classic thanks to its quality craftsmanship and ingenuity.
In the early 1980s, the brand expanded internationally and entered the European market. It introduced more product lines and fast became a household name. Timo Schmidt-Eisenhart has been the President and CEO of Timberland’s European operations since 2013. Prior to that he was vice president of the region and was responsible for driving a successful transition when the global company was acquired by VF Corporation in 2011. Timo also has extensive experience working in the retail sector with Nike and The North Face.
Timo says Timberland is currently in a phase he refers to as best then, better now. ”It really is one of the taglines we’re using to drive the brand, generate synergies after an integration and bring the label to new revenue levels,” he explains. ”My mandate when I was appointed as president was clearly integration moving the headquarters and resetting the brand with that new VF Corporation platform. Now it is all about running the business and growing it, which we are currently in the middle of.”