With student help, L.L. Bean tries younger look

The campus sneak preview was no marketing coup covertly engineered by a clever merchant. Carey, of Lincoln, had organized Wednesday’s event after approaching the outdoorsy Maine merchant and asking to promote the new modern collection among the campus crowd. Teenagers soliciting retailers to hawk their goods, particularly for brands that normally have little appeal among their peers, is a rare event, to say the least. It was an offer L.L. Bean — whose boxy, loose-fitting offerings sometimes turned off even the preppiest of teens — knew it couldn’t refuse.

Over the past few months, Carey and his friend Charlie Hale have recruited 10 other friends at colleges across the Northeast, including Harvard University, Car negie Mellon, and the University of Vermont, to join the impromptu movement. They are handing out catalogs, hosting trunk shows, wearing the company’s clothes, and talking them up in a grass-roots effort to market the collection to the campus crowd (even though it was styled for 20- and 30-somethings).

The Signature collection will be a huge test for L.L. Bean, after nearly a century in business, as it goes head to head with J.Crew, Ralph Lauren’s Rugby line, and other specialty retailers catering to the khaki chic audience. Many merchants struggle with new lines or brand extensions when they get away from their heritage or attempt to court younger consumers, according to retail analysts. But the unexpected campus crusade for chinos, along with the quick sellout this winter of a limited release of items, including a $79 Chambray shirt dress and $129 Maine hunting shoe, is a promising start for the outfitter as it attempts to create the next generation of customers.

“I was really excited to see the rediscovery of the classic L.L. Bean style. Of course, it originated as a way to maybe get free clothes,’’ Carey said as he thumbed through the catalogs he planned to pass out at the dining halls. “But it turned into something much bigger than that.’’

For decades, L.L. Bean has made its money with a traditional approach with its fleece shirts and practical leather boots, and the company’s loyal baby boomer following like it: the catalog in the mail, the phone-in orders (Carey still wears his father’s old Bean boots). The last time L.L. Bean, whose average customer is 50 years old, tried to launch a new brand for career women more than a decade ago, the collection flopped and the company didn’t try again — until now. The peril of creating new lines was apparent last week when, teen retailer American Eagle Outfitters announced plans to shutter its Martin + Osa line, which is aimed at young adults.

“It seems like every time retailers stray from who they are — getting younger or getting more fashionable — it’s failed,’’ said Mike Tesler, president of Retail Concepts, a consultancy in Norwell. “The opportunity for L.L. Bean lies in being authentic. If they’re going at this from the ground up, instead of thinking that they know everything, that’s a good approach.’’

L.L. Bean invited Carey and Hale to the Freeport headquarters after they e-mailed a friend’s father who worked at the company (and then forwarded it to marketing colleagues). There, the teens received a tour of the design room and archived clothing that was used to inspire the Signature line. L.L. Bean’s marketing team furiously scribbled notes as they previewed the new website and models and suggested changes for photos to be used. Soon enough, L.L. Bean decided to tap the friends as brand ambassadors, offering them free clothing in exchange for spreading the word. They don’t receive a paycheck, but they do get several outfits (about $200 each) per season.

“It’s really exciting to have college kids reaching out to us wanting to help,’’ said Chris Vickers, vice president of L.L. Bean Signature, which is expected to get its own shops, including one in Greater Boston. “We think it says a lot about L.L. Bean as a company.’’

The students created a code name for their preppy endeavor — “Bean in the wiL.L.d’’ — and developed a private online forum where they plan to write updates for L.L. Bean on how the clothes are fitting, what styles are working, and post photos of the outfits they put together. L.L. Bean will use this feedback, along with other customer input, to drive style, marketing, and price updates for the collection.

“We’re creating a network of socially influential people on campus and putting the right clothes on the backs of the right people,’’ said Hale, of Winchester, a 20-year-old sophomore at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

On the Bates campus, Carey lured Nicolette Whitney, the 19-year-old fashion columnist for the student newspaper, to serve as his fellow Bean ambassador and wear the Signature clothes around campus. Whitney, who was not a fan of the traditional baggy Bean fit, pored over the racks at the coffee shop preview Wednesday. Her opinion: “It’s a breakthrough for L.L. Bean. It’s a tribute to what they’ve always been but also to what they’re becoming.’’

Perhaps the biggest breakthrough was getting more than 20 students to show up before the event started, each waiting eagerly to catch a peek at the new line. The college crew, who heard about the sneak preview through Facebook and friends of friends, crowded around the clothes and Signature designer Alex Carleton. L.L. Bean’s marketing team handed out $20 gift cards to more than 50 students as they combed through racks of piped wrap dresses, fitted polo shirts, and other tailored wear. A few students complained the prices were steep — a $185 trench coat, for example, and said they would wait for a sale to buy the clothes.

A few lucky people didn’t need to wait long. Carey and Whitney ended the night raffling off merchandise.

Julia Winder, a 20-year-old sophomore from Princeton, N.J., gave the ultimate seal of approval, immediately replacing the J.Crew v-neck sweater she was wearing with her raffle prize — a $79 navy, fitted cotton pullover with wooden buttons on the shoulder and a kangaroo front pocket.

“It’s really cool they’re aiming at a younger generation. This is more of a preppy East Coast style rather than just an outdoorsy Maine look,’’ Winder said. “It’s perfect for summers on Nantucket.’’

Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.