STAMFORD, Conn.— Vineyard Vines has kept a low profile over the past few years — and that’s intentional.
Since introducing its smiling pink whale logo 27 years ago, the Stamford, Conn.-based brand founded by brothers Shep and Ian Murray have built a multimillion-dollar business centered around a preppy country club-inspired aesthetic.
But around the company’s quarter-century mark, rumors began to fly that the company was for sale and the brothers were butting heads. While a sale never came to fruition, the Murrays decided to bring in some fresh blood to help them navigate the future.
Enter Roger Farah, a respected industry figure who spent four decades in retail at Macy’s, Federated Department Stores and Saks Fifth Avenue, before joining Ralph Lauren Corp., Tory Burch, Tiffany & Co. and CVS.
“We met Roger a number of years ago,” Ian Murray said in an interview last week at the company’s sprawling headquarters on the waterfront here. “We thought he could be helpful, so he joined our advisory board and through his strong recommendation, we brought in some leadership.”
That leader was John Mehas, whose career started at Bloomingdale’s and included stints as chief executive officer of Club Monaco and Victoria’s Secret as well as president of Tory Burch. He came on board in October 2022 as CEO of Vineyard Vines.
Although they never exited the company or brought in investors, the brothers stepped aside and took on the role of chief creative officers.
But the experiment didn’t end well.
After less than two years, Mehas was shown the door by the Murrays, who continue to own 100 percent of the privately held company.
“We’re back,” the brothers said in unison.
Although they were reluctant to provide too much detail about the split, it’s obvious upon speaking to them that the situation ultimately became contentious.
“We were nearing 25 years of business and we were focused on how to evolve and grow,” they said. “At that time we thought that having a team with a bigger skill set would be instrumental.”
“We met Roger through a mutual friend,” Shep Murray said. “He’s a terrific businessman, and we enjoyed our time with him, but we are founders of our company — we have a vision, and our customers repeatedly have always responded best to our vision. So Ian and I are back home and happy, and we’re seeing great results.
“We felt it was the right thing for the brand at time,” he continued, “and we took a risk. I think everybody learned a lot from it, and at the end of the day, we confirmed what our customers wanted. The way we run our business is a little bit atypical, but it works best for this brand.”
The Early Days
Vineyard Vines traces its beginnings to 1998 when the-then 27-year-old Shep Murray and his 23-year-old brother ditched their corporate jobs in New York City and invested $7,000 into creating a line of whimsically designed neckties inspired by the lobsters, boats and street signs of Martha’s Vineyard, where they loved spending time.
They sold those ties — not very successfully at first — on the Vineyard, sometimes off their boats and other times out of their Jeeps or backpacks at local bars.
Ian and Shep Murray in the early days when they sold ties out of a Jeep.
Although business was tough to come by at first, they persevered and eventually established a following and built a business they boast is “extremely healthy” with annual sales “significantly above $500 million.”
Now back in charge, the Murrays are reinvigorated and looking to the future with optimism as they lean into their mantra: “Every Day Should Feel This Good.”
While there are no plans to dramatically change their game plan, they do see opportunities for growth in other categories such as restaurants, food, travel or even pet products.
“It’s a very simple formula,” Ian Murray said. “As Yvon Chouinard from Patagonia always said: if you do something and it feels good, you walk toward it. If it doesn’t feel good, take a step back. We don’t chase trends. We’ve gotten to scale, which is great. And being at scale and being privately owned allows us to do things that a lot of other companies can’t, which is to always make decisions in the best interest of the long-term health of the business, as opposed to a short-term financial exit.”
As a result, the Murrays continue to focus on their core products, but infused with technological advances and refreshed seasonally.
“The product feels fantastic. It’s innovative. It’s updated versions of many key franchises that have been successful for years, along with some fashion ideas that will likely become new franchises,” Ian Murray said. “I actually don’t like the word ‘fashion.’ We don’t do runways. We just do seasonal updates. We’re really about brand and lifestyle.”
“Great things never go out of style,” his brother added. “Our brand represents color, it represents humor. It doesn’t discriminate. It’s a beacon of positivity in this world we live in.”
Pieces from Vineyard Vines’ summer men’s collection.
Ian Murray pointed to Ralph Lauren as a company they admire for its unwavering vision. “He dreamed up these lives he wanted to live and there’s nobody better than him.”
The Business Breakdown
Today, the Vineyard Vines business breaks down into 50 percent menswear, 30 percent women’s, 15 percent boys and 5 percent girls. Its bestselling item is the On the Go men’s pant, which looks like a classic chino but is infused with performance attributes such as stretch, moisture-wicking, water repellency and wrinkle resistance. It retails for $128 and there’s also a shorts version for $98.50.
“It took almost 20 years to get the pants and shorts where we wanted them to be,” Ian Murray said. “You know with guys, when they find something they like, they just stick with it. So it took a long time to earn their trust and to get the fabrics and fits right.”
A Jaws 50th anniversary collection will be released in June.
Also popular today are the lightweight nylon button-down shirts for men that are machine washable and quick drying, as well as the Sankaty golf polo — named after a lighthouse on Nantucket — and a complementary quarter-zip that are appropriate for the links or the office. And the brand’s boxer shorts are also “on fire,” they said.
Preppie pieces continue to represent 50 percent of the men’s business, they said, with items such as blue blazers, performance cotton shirts, cotton chinos and even neckwear and accessories still staples. “That business is still strong, but not growing as fast as the [performance side],” Ian Murray said.
A collection called Surf, which comprises worn-in pieces such as garment-dyed polos, terrycloth sweats, hoodies and faded T-shirts, is also performing well, they said.
“A lot of brands like to be on the cutting edge,” Shep Murray said. “You’re never going to see us anywhere near the Met Gala. We’ve done a great job evolving our basics. We’re not afraid to pull out a jersey cotton polo and put that in the line. It doesn’t have to be new all the time.”
Beyond its core assortment, Vineyard Vines also offers collaboration product.
Vineyard Vines has had a partnership with the Kentucky Derby for 15 years.
The brothers, who still share an office and say they almost never disagree about anything, were just back from Louisville, where they showcased their Kentucky Derby collection to fans at Churchill Downs, a collaboration that began 15 years ago. That’s one of many partnerships the brand has had over the years including its most recent, a Grateful Dead collection in honor of the band’s 60th anniversary that launched last week.
Coming on June 7 is a Jaws collaboration celebrating the 50th anniversary of that legendary film. The limited-edition capsule will include men’s, women’s and children’s Ts, sweatshirts, polos and hats. Because the movie was filmed on Martha’s Vineyard, many of their friends had cameo appearances, and they’re expected to be included in activations the brand will host on the Vineyard and in its stores this summer.
The Grateful Dead collaboration product.
“We hitch our wagons to iconic American institutions,” Shep Murray said. His brother added: “They’re relatively small parts of our business, but they’re the sizzle.”
Leaning Into Retail
Retail remains a key part of the business. Vineyard Vines operates 126 stores: 77 full-price and 49 outlets, with its most recent additions in Kittery, Maine; Albany, N.Y.; Edina, Minn., and Tampa.
Since the beginning, the business has been broken down into “three buckets,” Ian Murray said: Vineyard Vines stores; direct-to-consumer, which includes web and catalogue, and wholesale. Their collection is sold at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Belk, Von Maur and other large retailers but specialty stores such as Puritan Cape Cod and Darien Sport Shop remain important partners.
The business is nearly 100 percent U.S.-based although there are Vineyard Vines stores in both Bermuda and the Bahamas that are operated by local partners. “And we have a small wholesale business in other countries,” Shep Murray said.
The idea of moving outside the U.S. is something they plan to revisit going forward, they said. “That wasn’t a priority of the last leadership team,” Ian Murray said.
They’re also exploring getting into the restaurant business, and adding other product categories such as eyewear and fragrance. A collaboration with Target in 2019, where they offered some 300 items such as inflatables, tableware, games and other products, “showed us how passionate people were about our lifestyle, not just the categories we’re in now,” Shep Murray said. “Whatever we do, it has to be something we love. We built our business making things we love.”
And spreading that love — both internally and externally — remains a priority for the brothers.
“We have an incredible team comprised of many people who have worked their way from store level up to senior roles, along with other people from the outside,” Shep Murray said. “We’re having fun and inviting our customers to have fun with us.”
The Company Mission
The brothers stressed that the company’s goals remain the same as they have been since the beginning: to make Vineyard Vines a great place to work, to create an exceptional customer experience through product and messaging, and to drive profitable sales growth.
“And we believe super strongly that they have to be in that order,” Ian Murray said. “They can’t be flipped over. It’ll just never work. And so we are really laser-focused on our team, making sure we have the right people in the right seats, and making sure everything we do reeks the brand. It doesn’t need to have the logo on it to say Vineyard Vines. It’s an easy story to tell because it’s our story.”
Shep Murray added: “Nobody can tell our story better than us: these two brothers who had no experience but a passion to share their dream lifestyle with other people. It’s been a winning recipe.”
He said they’re “not afraid of smart people,” and seek to surround themselves with others who can “help elevate our brand and our business and our three goals.” But one constant will remain — the Murray brothers will continue to be in control.
“Whenever we put somebody else in the seat and take a step back, we itch because we want to get back. No one can do us as well as us,” Shep Murray said.
“Every now and then, when we lose our way, or we have somebody join the team who doesn’t always see the brand through that lens; it becomes apparent super quickly,” Ian Murray said.
Although they’ve built a sizable business, “we’ve always chased our dreams, we’ve never chased dollar signs,” Shep Murray said. “We always want to be better than we are bigger.”
