Ragged Mountain Equipment exits administration

New York - The U.S. manufacturer of outdoor apparel and gear announced earlier this week it has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ragged Mountain Equipment (RME) request protection against bankruptcy a year ago.

Founded by Rob Nadler, RME uses Polartec fleece to make most of its clothes. Up until 2016, Polartec had been based in Massachussetts, where RME is also based. But three years ago they moved to Tennessee. That move was the beginning of the troubles for RME, which struggle to meet their clients’ demands due to Polartec’s issues with logistics.

As a result, RME ended up filing for bankruptcy. “It got to the point where we couldn’t deliver, even though we had record orders,” said Nadler to the ‘Union Lader’.

Last year, some anonymous investors willing to support local manufacturing in Massachusetts, gave RME a loan which helped the retailer increase its inventory.

After emerging from bankruptcy, The relationship between RME and Polartec has improved and continues, according to both parties.

Testament to that are uptick sales, which started picking up last October, allowing the retailer to enjoy “a great winter”.

Moving forward, they said, RME will concentrate on “direct-to-consumer” sales rather than relying on one or two larger clients.