DUER’s grand opening in Portland is this weekend, October 17-19th.
Courtesy of DUER
After a decade redefining what denim can do, Vancouver-based performance brand DUER is continuing its steady North American expansion. The company, known for blending technical performance with natural fibers and everyday style, recently opened its latest U.S. location in Portland, Oregon. The location marks the brand’s twelfth store overall and third in the U.S., as part of a broader plan to bring its stores to new markets across the country.
DUER was founded in 2013 by Gary Lenett, a long-time denim industry veteran who spent decades manufacturing jeans for major North American brands. By the early 2010s, after years of running global supply chains and designing for fast fashion, Lenett began to lose his passion for an industry that had become increasingly synthetic and speed-driven.
He started simplifying his lifestyle, giving up his car, biking everywhere, and spending more time outdoors, which ultimately sparked the idea for a different kind of apparel company. “When I started riding my bike everywhere, I couldn’t find anything I would wear,” he said. “I’m a guy who wears jeans, I wasn’t going to dress up in plastic with a big logo on it. Athleisure never really made sense to me; you’re basically covering yourself in plastic and then creating the problem you’re trying to solve.”
DUER’s Portland store is located at 820 NW 23rd Avenue.
Courtesy of DUER
Lenett decided to create clothing for himself using natural materials that looked sharp but performed like activewear. What began as a personal project soon resonated with a broader audience. DUER launched online, in wholesale, and through a pop-up retail store in Vancouver, reflecting a proper omni-channel approach from the start. “We started with e-commerce, retail, and wholesale right from day one,” said Lenett. “We truly don’t care where a customer shops; online, in one of our stores, or through a wholesale partner. They move around quite a bit.”
As demand grew, DUER opened permanent stores across Canada, each serving as both a brand hub and testing ground for new products. By the time the company entered the U.S. during the pandemic with its first store in Denver’s RiNo district, it had built a loyal following of customers who valued comfort, performance, and versatility.
DUER’s Portland’ Denim Playground’
DUER’s newest store, located on Portland’s NW 23rd St, follows openings in San Francisco and Victoria, and represents the next step in the brand’s expansion strategy. The new store will have a grand opening this weekend, October 17-19th, with live music from local artists, refreshments from Portland-based beverage partners,
giveaways, and a contest to win a custom bike co-designed and built by local brand Breadwinner Cycles.
The new concept is what Lenett calls a “denim playground.” The idea first came to life in the brand’s early pop-ups when customers would step out of fitting rooms, doing high kicks and squats to test how flexible the jeans were. That spontaneous behavior inspired DUER to design stores that encourage people to do precisely that.
“The experience in our stores is meant to be playful and friendly,” Lenett said. “We like to say we don’t really sell product, we sell experiences.” If we can get someone to try on our product, the conversion rate is over 85%.”
DUER’s Portland store features a tactile wall to experience the product and learn more about the brand.
Courtesy of DUER
DUER’s stores feature elements like monkey bars, bicycles, and hopscotch squares that reinforce its focus on comfort through movement. It’s a tactile, interactive experience meant to bring the brand’s “do more in DUER” tagline to life. The stores also help educate consumers about the brand’s proprietary fabrics, which combine performance features with natural fibers like cotton, eucalyptus, and TENCEL™.
The experiential concept has helped DUER stand out in both the active and lifestyle markets. It’s not just about the look or the function; it’s about how people feel when they wear the product. The Portland store continues this ethos, creating a space where customers can test, touch, and engage with the brand beyond the transactional nature of most shopping experiences.
Expanding DUER’s Footprint
With 12 stores now open and more on the way, DUER’s retail strategy is deliberately paced. The company plans to grow to 40 stores within the next three years, with most of that expansion focused on the U.S. While Canada remains a key market, Lenett sees enormous opportunity south of the border, particularly in urban and outdoor-oriented markets where DUER’s lifestyle approach naturally fits.
When customers try on DUER pants the rate of conversion is as high as 85%.
Courtesy of DUER
The brand’s wholesale business also continues to expand alongside its retail footprint, with partners including REI, Nordstrom, and a growing roster of independent boutiques. For DUER, these relationships complement its direct-to-consumer strategy rather than compete with it. Each new store tends to lift e-commerce sales in surrounding regions, reinforcing the strength of the brand’s omni-channel model. “We open a store and every single time it’s pretty predictable we get an immediate lift in the ecommerce in the region… and because a lot of our wholesale partners share their store-by-store sales, we can also see they go up immediately,” shared Lenett.
When evaluating new markets, DUER relies on both data and instinct. The brand looks closely at customer penetration and existing online demand, but Lenett admits his own intuition often plays a role. “I have a data strategist as a daughter, but I’m more the brand guy,” he said. “If you look at the omni-channel model, it’s how it all synergizes. So, if you start getting too focused on one KPI that’s too narrow, I think you lose the point. What you want is to put out a great product, have a sticky store that people remember, and have a good experience. And then just let the world manifest, you can’t get too formulaic.”
DUER’s store is located above gorjana, and neighbor to brands like Marine Layer, Salt & Straw, Aesop, and Credo, amongst others.
Courtesy of DUER
That balance of strategy and instinct has kept DUER profitable and growing steadily without outside capital. While other performance and lifestyle brands have accelerated expansion through investment rounds, DUER has focused on measured, organic growth, a decision that allows it to prioritize customer experience and long-term brand equity.
In many ways, the brand’s approach mirrors that of other category leaders that have used physical retail to deepen brand connection. Similar brands like Faherty and Rails have grown through thoughtful, community-oriented stores. At the same time, Canadian peers like Arc’teryx and Lululemon have shown how fabric innovation and functionality can drive global expansion. DUER sits between those worlds, bridging the everyday versatility of lifestyle apparel with the technical durability of performance wear.
As the brand opens its doors in Portland, it’s doing so with a clear philosophy: expand where customers already are, build experiences that reflect the brand’s playful spirit, and let growth happen naturally. “I don’t mind going fast, but I want it to be organic,” Lenett said.
With more openings on the horizon, DUER is joining a growing wave of performance and lifestyle brands leaning into experience-driven retail. As consumers return to physical stores seeking connection and authenticity, DUER’s “denim playgrounds” are positioning the Canadian brand for long-term success on both sides of the border.