Brand Highlight: Overland Sheepskin Co.

As I continue to shape this Substack (and dedicate more time to it this year) one goal has been to highlight brands more often, beyond just products I like. At heart, I’m very obviously a materialistic person, but I’m also a storyteller. Sharing a bit of behind-the-scenes of brands I admire lets me bring those two interests together. It’s probably no surprise that I’ve spent most of the past decade in marketing, or that I’m the global communications executive for Merz b. Schwanen. My professional life is telling others’ stories, in a way.

With all that being said, here is my inaugural brand highlight, featuring Overland Sheepskin Co. For those unfamiliar, the brand was founded in 1973 and has since expanded its offerings from sheepskin coats to boots to gloves to the fleece pelt my darling Elsa sleeps on when she’s visiting me in my office. Last year, I chatted with Monty Goodson, a veteran in the industry and member of Overland’s product development team. In the below chat, we discuss his career, the growth of the brand, and a bit of an education on sheepskin.

I’m excited to continue this series and, until then, enjoy the read and your weekend ahead.

Cheers.

Monty, you’ve been with overland for more than 30 years. Can you take us back to the beginning. How did you first get involved with the brand and what’s led you to staying with the company since 1994?

After spending years in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, I found myself as a sort of “urban refugee” in Durango, Colorado. During that time, I got a part-time job at Overland, sort of to get myself planted in the area and set some roots. After that, my role within the company began to grow and within about 8 years, I took on more and more responsibility, ultimately opening and managing the flagship store in Santa Fe and then traveling with the founders, Marge and Jerry [Leahy, the parents of Sheepskin founder, Roger Leahy].

And for the second part of your question, I’ve stayed because of the people. Even with all the growth and what Overland has become over the years, it’s still very much a company built on a foundation of family. Well, that, and I think every year we’re putting out great products, so it makes my job even more fun to be a part of it all.

How would you describe the evolution of Overland over those years?

It’s stayed the same in a lot of ways and has grown in so many others. Like I said, it’s always been people-first and we just hire some really great people. We’re constantly getting people into the mix with a lot of energy and ideas and that inspires us. And what’s great is those ideas don’t go unnoticed; we’re always in dialogue with change and don’t say, “No,” for the sake of saying it. In this industry, you can’t do that if you want to survive.

What has surprised you most about working with sheepskin?

I think, from an industry point-of-view, it’s growth a lot. It’s not sort of off here in the West as a crazy thing people wear, but has been part of the mainstream and people know how better to care for it, or to ask the right questions so they can make a decision. Because it’s a very unique sort of material — it’s not like traditional leather and needs to be respected because of that, in a way.

But from a product standpoint, it’s just the variety of sheepskin on the market today. Something you probably wouldn’t think of is that the quality of sheepskin can change dependent on geography, climate, even diet can effect the fleece. It’s sort of like wine — sheepskin has a terroir to it, too.

Sheepskin pieces can be expensive. For someone buying their first product, what should they look for to make sure they’re getting the best quality for their price?

Even though Overland has a kind of rugged look to it, so much of what our products are made of is a million little delicate details — the stitching, the sewing, the edges being perfectly cut. All of those add up to a product that will last longer and look better, even if you can’t really put your finger on why it looks so good.

In industry terms, you probably also want to consider the “hand” or how the fleece feels. Good, quality sheepskin should be soft and plush. It should almost feel like you’re putting your hands in a bag of flour.

And once someone has bought their first sheepskin piece, what common mistakes do you see people making?

Sheepskin has a lot of the qualities of the animal it came from — it’s delicate and sensitive. You can’t be aggressive with it. You don’t need much to take care of your sheepskin jacket, but there are a few things you just can’t do if you want it to last. For instance, don’t dry clean it — the chemicals an potentially ruin it. A suede brush is really all you need. If you get it wet, dab it a little and hang to dry; rubbing it in can make the moisture stay in the suede longer. Odors can be fixed with a bit of baking soda. You don’t need much to make these pieces last for years. It’s a lot more about being gentle versus going for a quick fix or treating your jacket like a t-shirt or something.

Do you have any products from Overland that you think really exemplifies the brand?

Working on the product side of things, I want to say everything is amazing! And I really do believe that. But if I had to narrow it down, our line of jackets that are made in the U.S. are top of the line. And now we work with a Spanish factory who is producing our Carmen coats, which are reversible and uses Lacón shearling sheepskin. I think it shows how sheepskin has really stepped away from being just a workwear product.

If you had to explain what makes Overland different from its competitors, what would that be?

I can’t repeat it enough, it’s the people. It’s the family side of things, the sense of really feeling a part of something that’s not just a job. We really try to bring that into our products — we really listen to our customers and if they’re not happy, we’re not happy. And for a brand that’s been around as long as we have, since the 70’s, I think we’re doing something right. I feel like we’re part of a renaissance and I’m enjoying how people are really noticing something that I’ve known all along: there’s nothing out there quite like Overland in terms of quality and design and the level of service we bring to every customer.

To learn more about Overland, visit their website.