Askov Finlayson

Askov Finlayson was established in Minneapolis in 2011 by brothers Eric Dayton and Andrew Dayton. The brand's name was formed from Askov and Finlayson, neighboring small Minnesota communities associated with the same Interstate 35 exit. This naming choice gave the business a strong regional identity and reflected its founders' effort to create a contemporary brand rooted in Minnesota rather than in a traditional coastal fashion center. The company began as a specialty retailer focused primarily on men's clothing and goods connected to outdoor life. Its assortment included menswear, outdoor apparel, gear, and accessories. The store's appeal came from combining practical products with a carefully edited lifestyle presentation. National editorial attention followed: Esquire listed Askov Finlayson among the best men's stores in America in 2014, and GQ placed it in a similar national ranking in 2015. The business later began changing from a retailer of selected outside labels into a developer and seller of its own products. In 2017–2018, it hired Adam Fetcher, who had worked as a Patagonia executive and served as a spokesman for President Barack Obama, to help devise an environmental-impact model. The initiative was branded Give 110%. Its stated method was to estimate the social cost of the company's global carbon emissions and give 110% of that figure to climate-change solutions. The program was intended to make the company's climate responsibility measurable and integrated with its operating model. In January 2019, the North Loop store closed. The decision accompanied a move to focus on proprietary outdoor products and to stop selling third-party brands. Later that year, in November, Askov Finlayson relaunched as a direct-to-consumer outerwear brand. By selling directly rather than through conventional wholesale and retail channels, the company sought to eliminate retail markups and price its products below competing outerwear offerings. The relaunch therefore combined a product strategy, a distribution change, and an impact-oriented brand promise. The available record does not establish the company's current legal or commercial status. A January 2025 Minnesota Star Tribune article suggested that Askov Finlayson was no longer active and that its founders had moved on to other environmental ventures. The brand should consequently be treated as having an unknown current status pending authoritative confirmation. Its documented trajectory is nevertheless clear: it moved from a nationally recognized Minneapolis men's store to a vertically focused outerwear label built around direct sales and climate-conscious operations.

1. 2025Current activity becomes uncertain

   A Minnesota Star Tribune report suggested that Askov Finlayson was no longer active, although the available material does not confirm a formal dissolution.
2. 2019North Loop store closes

   The company's Minneapolis North Loop retail location closed as Askov Finlayson shifted toward proprietary product development.

   Source
3. 2019Direct-to-consumer outerwear relaunch

   The brand relaunched as a direct-to-consumer outerwear business and stopped relying on third-party brands.

   Source
4. 2018Give 110% introduced

   Askov Finlayson launched the Give 110% framework, based on contributing 110% of the estimated social cost of its global carbon footprint.

   Source
5. 2017Begins climate-impact model development

   The company hired Adam Fetcher to help develop an impact model linking its carbon footprint to contributions for climate solutions.

   Source
6. 2015Recognized by GQ

   GQ named the retailer among its top men's stores in the United States.

   Source
7. 2014Recognized by Esquire

   Esquire included Askov Finlayson in its selection of the best men's stores in America.

   Source
8. 2011Brand founded in Minneapolis

   Eric Dayton and Andrew Dayton founded Askov Finlayson as a Minneapolis-based menswear and outdoor outfitter.

   Source

A Minneapolis-rooted, premium-but-accessible outdoor apparel brand combining Midwestern identity, functional cold-weather products, direct-to-consumer pricing, and a climate-positive impact model.

• MenswearApparel2011

  The original retail assortment centered on men's clothing selected for a modern Midwestern wardrobe. Menswear formed the foundation of Askov Finlayson's early identity before the company narrowed its focus toward proprietary outdoor products.

• Outdoor apparelOutdoor clothing2011

  Askov Finlayson offered clothing intended for outdoor and cold-weather use. Outdoor apparel became increasingly central as the company transitioned from a multi-brand retailer to a brand developing its own products.

• OuterwearOuterwear2019

  Following its 2019 relaunch, outerwear became the brand's principal product category. The direct-to-consumer strategy was designed to sell proprietary cold-weather products without conventional retail markups.

• Outdoor gear and accessoriesOutdoor equipment and accessories2011

  The original outfitter carried outdoor gear and accessories alongside apparel. The available sources identify these categories but do not provide a complete product catalog or confirm which items were later developed in-house.

• 2018Give 110%

  United States

  Give 110% was Askov Finlayson's climate-impact initiative. The model sought to calculate the social cost of the company's global carbon footprint and contribute 110% of that amount to climate-change solutions.

  Outcome. The initiative became a defining element of the brand's later environmental positioning. The available sources do not provide verified cumulative contribution figures or a complete record of its subsequent operation.

  Source

• 2019Close the North Loop store and end third-party brand salesStrategy

  The company was shifting from a curated retailer toward development and sale of its own outdoor products.

  What changed. Askov Finlayson closed its Minneapolis North Loop store and focused on proprietary product development rather than continuing to stock outside brands.

  Aftermath. The move prepared the company for its later direct-to-consumer outerwear relaunch.

  Source
• 2019Relaunch as a direct-to-consumer outerwear brandStrategy

  After leaving its multi-brand retail model, Askov Finlayson sought to concentrate on its own cold-weather products and change how those products reached customers.

  What changed. The brand relaunched in November as a direct-to-consumer outerwear company, aiming to remove retail markup and price below competing products.

  Aftermath. The relaunch made proprietary outerwear, online distribution, and climate impact the central elements of the brand's later identity. Its longer-term commercial outcome is not established in the available sources.

  Source

• 2025Report questions whether Askov Finlayson remains active

  A Minnesota Star Tribune article reported that the brand appeared to be inactive and that the Dayton brothers had moved to other environment-focused ventures.

  Other
• 2019North Loop store closes as company shifts toward proprietary products

  Askov Finlayson closed its Minneapolis North Loop store while focusing on its own outdoor products and ending sales of third-party brands.

  Other
  Source
• 2019Askov Finlayson relaunches as a direct-to-consumer outerwear brand

  The brand relaunched with a narrower outerwear focus and a direct-to-consumer model intended to reduce retail markup and compete on price.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2018Askov Finlayson develops the Give 110% climate-impact model

  The company worked with Adam Fetcher on a model intended to calculate the social cost of its carbon footprint and donate 110% of that amount to climate solutions.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2015GQ includes Askov Finlayson among America's top men's stores

  GQ recognized Askov Finlayson in a national selection of notable men's stores.

  Other
  Source
• 2014Askov Finlayson named among the best men's stores in America

  Esquire included the Minneapolis retailer in a list of leading men's stores in the United States.

  Other
  Source

1. Askov Finlayson