If you use a lot of artificial lighting for your photo shoots, you may have worked with or at least heard of the Hobolite brand. It now no longer exists.
Instead, it has been rebranded as “Harlowe”, though the background parent company, AEX Lighting Solutions, remains the same.
According to the brand, the renaming is aimed at making a “pivotal shift in the company’s identity and strategic direction.”
The company also claims that the new name is a tribute to “the Golden Age of Cinema a time when creativity and innovation flourished.”
Harlowe elaborates that its new name honors “capturing the timeless artistry and the boundless potential that light brings to the creative process,”
Harlowe also adds that the new brand name is inspired by the Greek word “Har”, or mountain, representing a “journey of growth, resilience and exploration.”
Maybe they should have used a better translation program, because “Har” is actually the Hebrew word for mountain, while the Greek word for a mountain is “vounó” instead.
If Harlowe wants to claim that their name was chosen as a tribute to the Golden Age of cinema, it might have been more practical to claim it was inspired by Gene Harlow instead.
In any case, Hobolite, now Harlowe, also adds that this “transformation” embodies “our pursuit of unlocking new creative heights while staying true to our core values and commitment to exceptional lighting solutions.”
However, despite these lofty words, underlying the name change is little in the way of a major change (at least so far) for the products sold by Harlowe.
This is despite CEO Helena Bian’s recent claim that
“The name ‘Harlowe’ was chosen to represent the broader aspirations we have for the brand—moving beyond lighting technology to a focus on limitless creativity and artistic expression,”
The brand has posted a FAQ that explains the rebrand and delves into what customers should expect from now on.
The very same document also neatly summarizes things by stating “The only change is the name”. It also mentions no specific changes in actual design philosophy.
More usefully, the FAQ notes that all warranties for products bought by customers when the brand was called Hobolite will continue to be honored and that the compatibility of new products with current products won’t change either.
If Harlowe is planning any major product and design changes, it hasn’t revealed them yet.
One specific new prgram that the company has announced so far is a new “Harlowe Creator Circle” ambassador program.
However, even for this, the details about what it will be about are a bit vague:
According to Harlowe, the program is “designed to bring together content creators, photographers, and filmmakers who share a passion for visual storytelling and building authentic connections.” Make of that what you will.
On the other hand, Harlowe is launching new products in October and will also soon roll out a new affiliate program in the wake of its rebrand.
Another point worth noting for those of you searching for Harlowe’s generally robust and well-make lighting systems through online retailers, the rebrand is still filtering down through third-party sites in some cases. Thus, a search for “Hobolite” products might still be more effective for now.
Images credit: Harlowe
