Experts on the State of the Outdoor Industry
In the last few years, we’ve seen collab after collab between luxury houses and techy outdoor brands. They’ve bedecked the fashion crowd in ski-ready apparel and branded trekking gear, regardless of whether that crowd is heading to the slopes or sipping Aperol by the Seine. Gucci, Jil Sander, Virgil Abloh, Rick Owens, MM6 by Martin Margiela are just a few of the major labels that embraced this growing demand for technical, comfortable clothing and done so alongside the biggest outdoor brands in the game: The North Face, Arc’Teryx, and Salomon, to name a few.
But as the industry insiders on this year’s 520M panel program at ISPO got stuck into dissecting this evolving relationship, it became increasingly clear that it's about so much more than just clothing.
A new audience with a fresh appetite for outdoor experiences is driving this cross-pollination at a brand level and challenging the old-hat mentality that the outdoors is a place for extreme physical exertion for a select few. Brands are simply facilitating a relationship that will continue to strengthen and grow as more creatives enter the fold — creatives that will make these industries more inclusive, welcoming, and fun for everyone.
To better understand what this means, we’ve selected some key takeaways from panelists at this year’s 520M, which you’ll find below.
On Nature as a Source of Inspiration
Ollie Olanipekun – New Nature: “Nature is the ultimate stage for creativity. There's always this chaos happening within nature and that's where I draw my inspiration from… Whether it's the local community playing football on the weekend, the cookout in the summer, or the dance class I see girls doing on Tik Tok with nature as their backdrop. I'm constantly inspired by how people use nature as a stage.”
Andu Masebo – New Nature: “It's funny that we separate ourselves from [nature] big time. It's like nature is something that happens out there and everything inside the four walls of where we work or live is unnatural. But I believe that you can learn about everything through anything. Like, when you look at nature, you can learn certain lessons about efficiency — if you look at the honeycomb structure for instance, it's the most efficient, incredible use of space so the bee can do the least to make the most honey. And I think similarly as a designer, it sounds a bit tenuous, but sometimes it's not about speaking the loudest or making the biggest stamp. It's about listening to people listening to their needs and serving that conversation, serving a kind of space that people can make their own.”
On Building Communities
Marco Cassanmagnago – Oakley, Head of Communications, Global Sports: “It's not always true that you want to be alone when you are outdoors. We [are seeing an increase in] people joining together outdoors, and that puts you in a very different mental space, teaching you how to engage with a group of people and teaching you how the decision you are taking will impact the group of people.”
Matthew Beale – Snow Peak, Wholesale Experience Manager: “[Snow Peak’s research and development team innovate products together in the mountains and] the mechanism for that gathering is through a very social thing called Takibi Time — Takibi is the Japanese word for bonfire. It's reflective of the range of fire pits we have and the range of clothing that is fire resistant. It's storytelling that's really woven into all areas of the brand. It's described as almost a very instinctive, primitive, ancestral way of connecting with people gathering around fire, socializing, and cooking together. It is a much deeper way of connecting with people.”
On Ensuring Inclusivity
Julia Lebossé – Sneakers by Women, Founder: “There's something that hasn't been spoken about enough is accessibility not [only] in price, but in terms of thinking about consumers that aren't able-bodied, someone who may not have one of their arms, can they reach a pocket that's on the back or a pocket that's on the side or people that may not be able to use their hands to put their shoes on. Is there a hiking boot that they can just put their feet into? They deserve to be able to go in the outdoors as well and have gear that they can use for that.”
On Clothing and Comfort
Herbert Hofmann – Highsnobiety, VP Creative & Buying: “I always compare [the question of ‘Is Gorpcore over’] with sneakers. 15 years ago I was asked all the time, ‘When do you think the sneaker bubble is going to burst? When is it over?’ And I was like, ‘To be honest, I feel like it's never going to be over because it's too comfortable.’ People are so comfortable with sneakers, they hug your foot, you go to work, afterward you go to a dinner and then to a party and you dance in those shoes and it's too comfortable to go away. They are part of everyday clothing. I feel like we see similar things in the outdoor world. It's just nice to wear. Why would you then go back to some very stiff pants or something that is uncomfortable to wear? I think we're too cozy to go back to that.”
Patrick Stangbye – ROA, Creative Director: “We all want to have comfort and functionality in our lives — it's difficult to go back when you have worn something comfortable. Then, outdoor products are tested for safety reasons and functionality. So by the time they arrive in your wardrobe, they very easily become something you go to often, because you know they have these features that will guarantee you comfort in your everyday life.”
On Educating Consumers
Tim McTavish – This Thing Of Ours, Founder & Creative Director: “[For brands] it's about making sure that the consumer has the right information, that they can make the right purchase the first time, and that they can then get a lifetime's use out of a product. That's probably the easiest place for everybody to start, is to look at their consumption. It just depends on where your level is, but for us, it's about encouraging the consumer to make a conscious purchase in the first place and then get a lifetime's use out of that product.”
On Deeper Collaborations
Lucy Thorpe – Highsnobiety, Head of Branded Content: “There's so much opportunity for [the fashion and outdoor] worlds to learn from each other. We're seeing that more and more and it does open up communities. The communities might be more drawn in by products that they feel represent what they want to wear, it excites them to wear it in a way that maybe traditional outdoor clothing doesn't. If that then means that they go into nature because they've discovered this really cool jacket that was made with Gore-Tex, which they've now found out is this very robust, great material, then all the better.”
Donald Schneider – ELHO, Re-Founder and Executive Chairman: “The outdoor world has a certain way of communicating, and the fashion world has a very different way of communicating, but they're becoming closer, and I think it has a lot to do with the visual expression and the content and what kind of people are involved. The fashion world [works] with hip hop music — you don't see that much in the outdoors. Youth culture and fashion embracing the outdoors and bringing all these parts together — there's so much room for exploration in that.”
On Challenging Expectations
Tim McTavish - This Thing Of Ours, Founder & Creative Director: “I think the more traditional outdoor brands will need to open their horizons a little bit to the fact that nobody thinks that McLaren Mercedes can't make a great Formula One car just because they sell a lot of C classes. So I think you can still appeal to the highest-performing athletes and also appeal to the base. And if you don't think you can do that, then you're going to get brands coming in to cater to that, to cater to that audience. So I think there's an opportunity for fashion brands and outdoor brands together to tackle the total market.”
Julia Lebossé - Sneakers by Women, Founder: “I would like to see [Gorpcore] go into something more playful. I think sometimes people take Gorpcore and everything that's functional very seriously and art has to do this, but I think you can make it fun as well. Nicole McLaughlin makes mittens out of bread; all her projects are really fun but also very sustainable. She'll reuse material she does from one project from another. And she's done a few collaborations with footwear brands now like Hoka and Merrell and her fun approach is just kind of fun to see. I think it's nice that we don't have to take everything too seriously but also make it innovative as well.”
On Nature and Gen Z
Nicolas Barosi – Wanderlust Vision, CEO and Co-Founder: “Gen Z especially is bombarded by a competitive and challenging environment. Going into the outdoors or doing these kinds of activities is less about performance and more about chilling and trying to do something for yourself and just enjoying what you are doing in that moment.”
