When Boston native Dominic Farrell was approached to take a leadership role at ‘47 in September 2020, the sports lifestyle brand was navigating a turbulent period. COVID-19 had swept the sportswear business into rocky waters, casting doubt on the company’s future. Many employees had been furloughed, and with the looming threat of going out of business, Farrell stepped in with a clear mandate to rebuild without limitations.
“There [were] no preconceived notions at that point,” he says. “It was the 75-year-old, or nearing 75-year-old company that … could be rebuilt in a completely different look, feel and culture than it would have ever existed before.”
Farrell has always been a sports fanatic. As a kid, he was decked out in sports jerseys and collected trading cards. It wasn’t long before he knew he had to be in the business, too.
His early roots in the sportswear industry began over a decade ago when he started out as a sourcing specialist for Adidas. His expertise in business and strategy development for the products propelled him toward eventually becoming vice president. When the opportunity arose to move to ‘47, Farrell was ready to leverage his skills and transform the scene at the licensed sportswear company. He started as chief operating officer and then became president.
“I felt that their brand was extremely strong, and that I could build a really strong relationship with them as the owners of the company,” Farrell recalls. “And it’s something that I just really wanted to be able to do, to put an imprint on—especially coming out of the pandemic… I knew it was just so full of potential. And if we did some things right, it could be a really special place.”
Origins of ‘47
The brand started as a dream of the twin D’Angelo brothers, Henry and Arthur, who immigrated to America from Italy at the age of 12. The young hustlers began their entrepreneurial journey by selling flowers, newspapers and other items.
After traveling around the country selling American memorabilia, “they came back to Boston [and said] ‘Wow, we just sold so many of these pennants with American flags and everything else on it. What if we started putting Red Sox on these items and selling that?’ That was ultimately the invention of the sports license industry,” says Farrell. The name ‘47 honors the year the business was founded.
Other sports teams like the Chicago Cubs took notice and became clients, and the family business soared. The company now sells licensed apparel and gear for a wide variety of baseball, football, basketball, soccer and other sports teams.
“They opened a wholesale business in the ‘80s to start to sell—not just to teams—but to retailers across the country,” he explains. “It was all from selling 2-cent newspapers, from two boys that came off the boat, to what is now this globally recognized brand.”
A new vision for ‘47
Inspired by the founding story, Farrell set out to infuse the new branding strategy with that same entrepreneurial spirit.
One strategy was improving employee morale. “We had to do a full-on effort to engage employees to enhance the culture after all the disruption and impact on people’s lives because of COVID,” says Farrell. “The result was a new culture that put people first—everything from their needs to their ideas.”
Another initiative was courting direct consumers after decades of selling mostly to businesses. “Combined, [these initiatives] turned the company around by reigniting employees’ passion, which translated to a curious consumer who wanted to know more about ‘47 and ultimately became a loyal brand follower,” he says.
While Farrell didn’t want to talk specific numbers, he noted that “we’ve seen tremendous success that has far exceeded our expectations in reaching those consumers in a way that is authentic to us and authentic to them.”
In the male-dominated sportswear industry, female consumers have often been overlooked. Farrell elaborates that rather than simply “shrinking and pinking” men’s gear, ‘47 aims to design apparel that authentically reflects the needs and preferences of female fans. This involves incorporating better photography, styling and fit for this market.
Navigating the future path
47’s strategy extends beyond just boosting numbers; it’s about aligning with their consumers’ passion. Farrell wonders if the brand could someday transcend licenses. “People love the ‘47 product. So, what would it be like if we made more ‘47 specific, or ‘47 products without licenses to reach a new consumer?”
As the first person outside the founding family to lead the company, he feels both honored and privileged to guide ‘47 to new heights, especially after the challenging pandemic years. In the past three years, ‘47 has grown from 30 employees to over 250 associates. The privately held company was acquired by lifestyle brand New Era this year, but the two businesses will operate separately.
“Once people discover the ‘47 story, it’s impossible not to fall in love and to want to be a part of it,” Farrell says. “But we haven’t shared that with enough people [in] the last 75 years. So, the focus for this year—and really for the next three years—is how do we expand that, amplify that story to a much broader subset of the population? Because we feel like whenever anyone understands it, they’ll become a fan for life.”
Photo courtesy Dominic Farrell
