In episode 302 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Gary Lenett, co-founder and CEO of DUER, a Canadian apparel brand combining everyday wear and performance wear for men and women. Listen in as Lenett discusses DUER's business and products, his professional background in fashion, and the inspiration behind launching the brand. He details the company's growing brick-and-mortar business, how DUER's stores offer immersive customer experiences, and his plans to expand the brand's physical store footprint.

In addition, Lenett discusses the strategy behind positioning DUER stores to be brand hubs, the metrics he uses to measure store success, and how post-pandemic consumer behavior might impact the apparel brand's business. Lastly, he shares what he's focusing on to continue DUER's rapid growth momentum going forward.

DUER started in 2013 when entrepreneur Gary Lenett wanted to bridge the gap between fashion and functional clothing. With 25 years making jeans for big names like Levi Strauss and a new love of cycling, Lenett saw an opportunity for purposeful fashion that didn’t exist in the market. He partnered with Abid Hafeez, a performance fabric expert with over 25 years of experience with technical brands, and DUER was born.

Leading up to the inception of DUER, Lenett designed and made jeans for many of the best known names in the industry, including Levi Strauss, Guess Jeans, The Gap, Lee, Wrangler, Eddie Bauer, The Limited/Express, Ralph Lauren (Polo), Nordstrom, Banana Republic, Nike (Michael Jordan), lululemon (Ococco), Harley Davidson, and more. He has also held major North American denim licenses and built a number of his own denim brands in addition to DUER, including International Denim (ID Wear), Dish Denim, and DRT Jeans.