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VOLUME 49 ISSUE 3

2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

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2016 Summer Show Issue

Volume 49 Issue 3

Group Publisher | Creative Director Teresa Hartford teresa@sportsonesource.com

Editorial Director

Art Director

CEO & Chief Market Analyst

David Clucas

Chris Loving-Campos

Jim Hartford

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Senior Business Editor

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Senior Business Editor

VP & Senior Retail Analyst

VP Business Development

Charlie Lunan

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Associate Editor |

Category Manager | Outdoor

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Sports & Fitness Editor

Matt Tucker

Barry Schrimsher

Jahla Seppanen

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Contributing Editors

Sports & Fitness

Neil Schwartz

Eugene Buchanan

Ben Pickel

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Courtney Holden

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Charlie Lunan

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Thomas J. Ryan Morgan Tilton

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SGB, Copyright 2016 is a trademark of SportsOneSource, LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by the authors and contributors to SGB are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. SGB is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing in SGB may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. SGB, Volume 49, Issue 3, (USPS 457-390; ISSN 1548-7407) is published four times a year by SportsOneSource, LLC. 1075 E. South Boulder Road, Suite 300, Louisville, CO 80027; 303.997.7302. Subscription rates: one year $79 (U.S. funds) in the U.S. and its possessions; Canada and Mexico $119 (U.S. funds); all other foreign delivery $199 (U.S. funds). Printed in the U.S.A. Periodical postage paid at Louisville, CO and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to SportsOneSource, LLC. 1075 E. South Boulder Road, Suite 300, Louisville, CO 80027; 303.997.7302.

For BACK ISSUES, call 303.997.7302 or email admin@SportsOneSource.com For EDITORIAL INQUIRIES, email SGBMedia@SportsOneSource.com

2 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

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2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE 6 PUBLISHER'S LETTER

26 Trail Running Attracts A New Breed of Adventurers Trail-Specific Designs and Fashion Allure Fuel Advances.

8 CONTRIBUTORS 10 INDUSTRY VOICES Cory McCall and Rob Gasbarro, Co-owners, Outdoor 76

30 APPAREL Technically Speaking Outdoor Performance Apparel Slims Down, Techs Up and Goes Green.

Tae Kim, Founder & Creative Director Alite Designs

34 OUTDOOR Social Makeover Camping isn't just for Campsites Anymore.

Cassie Tweed, Design Director, Osprey Packs

38 SPORTSMANS Size Matters Hunting Packs Shrink with Smarter Designs to Carry the Catch.

15 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS Fiddleheads Forest School Nature's Preschool at the UWBG Washington Park Arboretum.

42 SPORTS & FITNESS Suit Of Armor The Transformative Power of Today's Women's Running Apparel, and How the Industry is Working Against "Body Shamers".

17 RETAIL BEST PRACTICES Get #Social In 2017 How to Strategize and Track a Social Media Approach for the Future. 20 FOOTWEAR Hiking's Athletic Push Continues Light and Fast Styles Provide Sales Opportunities for Hikers.

47 Women's Destination Races Destination Races Cater to the "Girls" Weekend. 48 INDUSTRY CALENDAR

Photo courtesy Kifaru

Photo courtesy Kelty

4 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

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CONTRIBUTORS

David Clucas Clucas is the Editorial Director for SGB Media, the leading industry trade news source. David started his journalism career by printing his first in-house family newspaper at six years old. His love for the outdoors also began early with childhood summers hiking in the Italian Alps while visiting his mother's family. Since 2003, he has called Colorado home and, like many locals, is hooked on the region’s plentiful sunshine and active lifestyle along with his wife Amy and daughter Rory. Clucas spent five years as an editor for SNEWS and the O.R. Daily covering the outdoor industry before joining SportsOneSource.

Jahla Seppanen

Thomas J. Ryan

Jahla is an Associate Editor | Sports & Fitness Editor for SGB Magazine. She earned her BA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in New York and began her career in active lifestyle media by copy editing and writing for Backpacker Magazine. Seppanen’s fiction has been published in Fourteen Hills Review, Niche, Litro U.K. and other literary journals. Jahla is an avid runner, SUP paddler and baseball fan. Go Yankees!

Tom is a Senior Business Editor for SGB Magazine with more than 25 years experience as a retail trade reporter. Starting his career in 1990 for Fairchild Publications, Tom has authored more than 200 front-page articles for WWD and written extensively for The Daily New Record, Home Furnishings Network, Footwear News, Sportsstyle, Apparel Magazine, Crain’s NY, New York Post, AdFax, etailwire.com and Multex.com.

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Morgan Tilton

Photo courtesy Dylan Brown

Morgan Tilton is an award-winning journalist who covers adventure, outdoor culture and business, travel and news. She's also a trail runner, snowboarder, traveler, peak bagger, concert lover, and asker of questions, driven by curiosity. Most recently, she standup paddleboarded down the Escalante River in Utah, one of the most wild and remote rivers in the Lower 48 — a first descent on SUP — with four other brave paddlers.

Charlie Lunan Lunan is a Senior Business Editor for SGB Magazine and business news junkie based in Charlotte, NC who enjoys breaking hard news and writing about sustainability, digital marketing and public policy. He has worked for newspapers in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and North Carolina, headed up client communication for a technology company and sold bikes, kayaks and roof racks for REI.

Courtney Holden Courtney is pretty sure she has the best job ever. Thanks in large part to a Master's Degree from the University of Colorado Journalism School and an internship with Backpacker Magazine, she somehow weaseled her way into the outdoor industry's cohort of journalists. Courtney now fulfills her dream of hiking, biking, running and skiing – and writing about it.

Eugene Buchanan Eugene has written about the outdoors for more than 25 years, from the Beijing Olympics for NBC to ESPN.com. A former business reporter and publisher/editor-in-chief of Paddler magazine, his freelance career spans The New York Times, Men's Journal, Sports Afield, Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Forbes Life, Skiing and other publications. A member of New York's Explorer's Club, his passion for traveling, writing and paddling has taken him to more than 30 countries on six of the seven continents.

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INDUSTRY VOICES

Cory McCall and Rob Gasbarro

Co-Owners, Outdoor 76 Talking Beginnings, Business and Brews with the New Faces of Outdoor Retail By Courtney Holden

ith backgrounds in civil engineering and real estate, Cory McCall and Rob Gasbarro, co-owners of the Franklin, N.C.-based outfitter Outdoor 76, aren’t your typical industry retailers. And they’re using that to their advantage. Although they have just six years of store ownership under their belt, they call “managing growth” their biggest struggle — so it’s clear they’re doing something right. We sat down with this “new generation” of outdoor retailers to hear their perspective on how an outdoor shop can operate and the services it can offer its customers. Our favorite innovation? Hands down, the in-store taproom. Tell Us A Little About Yourselves. What Makes You Tick? Rob: I cut my teeth in the outdoor industry working closely with shops in the Bay area and holding chair positions with the Tampa Bay Sea Kayakers. Professionally, what makes me tick is taking care of people. Offering a unique flavor of service is really the only way shops can set themselves apart. Cory: I grew up exploring the mountains of western North Carolina. I ran competitively in high school and college. After college, I began road and mountain biking. I knew that I always wanted to own my own business because it means that you control your destiny. It takes a lot of self-evaluation to stay dedicated to your business. The only way to make sure I keep growing personally is to challenge myself every day. What Spurred You To Open An Outdoor Store? Rob: All the doors opened up in front of us as we made leaps of commitment. Cory and I both believed there was a future and viability in tapping into our outdoor resources. Cory: When we looked at the current needs of our community, we saw that a strong outdoor store only made sense. We also saw that if you draw a 60-mile radius from Franklin, you get into some large metro cities that include a large number of weekend warriors and adventurers. As Part Of The Next Generation Of Outdoor Retailers, What Are You Doing Differently From The Retailers Who Came Before You? Rob: Our viability comes from having business backgrounds, understanding the operations side of entrepreneurship, our passion for the technical side of what we sell and our commitment to delivering that through good service. Under one roof, we offer goods for almost every type of outdoor recreation in our region. Cory: We’ve made a strong effort to organize events on a bi-weekly basis. The biggest part about gaining support within our community is making sure people see that our hearts are here. We are committed to seeing our community grow, just like our own business.

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Photo courtesy Outdoor 76

Tell Us About Some Struggles You’ve Faced. Rob: Our biggest struggle has been managing growth without losing our identity. Staffing people in a technical, service-driven business is not as easy as staffing general retail. Buying and expanding merchandise without the data that many older stores have, not to mention in such a unique market, is a challenge too. The Pub, Rock House Lodge, Is Inside Your Store. What Inspired That? Cory: The proximity of the Appalachian Trail to our town had a huge bearing on our decision to make sure that when hikers came off the AT, they had a great place to get a craft beer. The other part is the simple fact that the outdoor and craft beer industries are connected at the hip. The same people who come in and talk the latest and greatest in gear also know about the newest beer on the market. What’s Currently On Tap? Cory: Rock House Lodge has 18 craft beers on draft, and we pride ourselves in never having served a domestic beer. Anytime we can get our hands on a limited-release beer, we buy it! Rob: We did our first collaboration with Innovation Brewing this year, and it was a huge hit. We wanted people to taste spring in a beer that they could only get from us by way of a local brewer. Knowing it was primarily going to market to AT hikers, we ended up with a Juniper Session IPA. That was a big deal for us.

Tae Kim

Founder & Creative Director Alite Designs Bringing the Fun of a Slumber Party to Camping. By Courtney Holden

amping has gotten a bad rap in recent years with outdoor brands driving home the message that sleeping in a tent has to involve some suffering, or at least mild discomfort, to really count. Today’s consumer, however, isn’t looking to “endure” a night away from home. They want to spend time with friends bonding over bourbon and telling stories around a campfire. And those are just the type of memories and experiences that Tae Kim and his company, Alite Designs, are helping to cultivate. The brand’s high-performing tents and camping accessories make the outdoors less intimidating for those new to sleeping on the ground. What Inspired Your Love For The Outdoors? Growing up in Alaska, I thought I was living in a very small town and I was in a hurry to leave. Then I ended up in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest and realized how important, unique, interesting and outdoorsy growing up in Alaska had been. How Has Your Alaskan Upbringing Influenced Your Work As A Designer? When I got hired as a designer with The North Face, they were having a hard time finding designers with that outdoor experience. They hired me to get back to their heritage roots. They needed a designer who used tents and backpacks and knew how being in the elements affects the design. All of that came from my childhood, the products I used and activities I participated in. Outdoor gear design is the career that fits my personality and interests. Alite Is Known For Tents That Are Beautiful As Well As Functional. Why Aim For That Balance? This generation is having a little bit of disconnect from the outdoors. In the past, camping has been marketed with a very aggressive and suffering mentality. We’re designing camping gear for people who don’t want to go camping, people who are afraid to go camping. Since we’re not designing with Everest in mind, our key aspect is how can we make it emotionally interesting for people. Let’s make it simple, easy, long-lasting. People really do need to connect with nature … and once we lead them there in a comfortable, fun way, Mother Nature takes over and we have an outdoors person for life. Alite Has Been Very Successful, But Did You Run Into Any Snags Along The Way? Our first tent looked like a Volkswagen bus and the whole philosophy was to make a space-efficient, square, light tent that looked like a van. You could use it outdoors or indoors when you had friends visiting — they could stay in the tent instead of in the corner of the apartment. It was a little too expensive and harder to put together than our customers wanted. Our second generation of tents was a simple, two-pole tent so that was more affordable. But people did not know how to set it up. Someone who grew up in the outdoors could put it up, but someone who had never gone camping couldn’t. This last year

Photo courtesy Alite Designs

we launched the pop-up tent that sets up by itself. It doesn’t have tent poles, and you could connect 20 to 40 tents together if you wanted. It’s opened up conversations about what camping is. How So? People are having a big slumber party. They don’t know that in the traditional outdoor realm you find a place for your own tent far away from the campfire — and far from everyone else. Our core user group is 25- to 35-year-olds who are newer to the outdoors. [They want] to hang out with friends at a car camping area or a lake, sleep in a tent, take a leisurely hike. There hasn’t been a brand that’s been thinking about stuff in that way, so we’re really interested in pushing that. Alite’s Ranger Station Allows People To Borrow Camping Or Backpacking Kits For Up To A Week Free Of Charge. What’s The Goal With This Program? Simply put, our mission is to get people outside, especially young people. A kit from our Ranger Station makes that as easy as possible. How Is The Idea Of “Going Camping” Changing? The trend has been that it’s for a shorter number of days. There are a lot of hurdles that keep people from getting outdoors. Campsites are far away, and usually the popular campsites are taken. People are looking at van life —parking and exploring — and we see people moving more toward unconventional campsites like treehouses and Bureau of Land Management land. As far as the gear, with Poler, ToPo Designs and Alite … you have younger companies that are coming in from different angles and designing original stuff. We’re just getting started. You’re going to see more progressive designs coming out.

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Cassie Tweed Design Director Osprey Packs

Attention to Details and Process Creates Leading Designs. By Thomas J. Ryan

assie Tweed has two big advantages over the competition when it comes to designing gear at Osprey Packs. First, she has access to an industry legend, Osprey Owner Mike Pfotenhauer, who has been designing and making packs for the brand for more than 40 years. And second, she lives and works in Vietnam, a stone’s throw away from where the company manufactures its product. Those advantages shine as Osprey continues to be a leader in the category, most recently winning awards for its Atmos AG (anti-gravity) line. Tweed joined the company in 2010 and as she puts it, it has helped keep Pfotenhauer’s designs and ideas on a calendar. From her officies in Ho Chi Minh City, Tweed leads the product design, development, and samplemaking process — essentially responsible for bringing Osprey’s seasonal product line from concept to production. We caught up with Tweed to see how she started her career, where she sees pack design moving, and how designers are bringing more thoughtful women’s-specific products to market. What Interested You In Technical Pack Design? I was drawn to packs because of the interaction of hard and soft materials and how they must work together to transfer load onto the moving body. It’s also one of those products that is successful when it’s unnoticeable. The experience of the activity is the goal. Osprey Has Made A Big Commitment To Women’s Fit And Function. Are There Challenges? Women’s bodies have more complex curves than men. We are also typically shorter but we are not necessarily carrying less gear. The pack needs to be smaller, be able to carry the same amount and hug more complex forms. How Do You See Overall Trends Evolving In Technical Backpacks Over The Next Year? You will see less techy-looking and less techy-loaded packs that are more simplified and more refined in their designs. Fashion will influence colors and fabrics. The cultural trend of throwback, durable and only what’s needed will also continue to influence pack design. How Does A Pack Designer Strike The Balance Between Sport-Specific And Versatility? Simplicity is best. There always needs to be some refining and simplifying to bring it back to versatile if that’s what’s called for. What Advice Would You Have For Retail Staff Selling Packs? Know the packs you’re selling by taking them out and testing them yourself.

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Photo courtesy Osprey

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Visit FlexямБt at booth #39149 at the Summer OR Show

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Photo courtesy Fiddleheads School and Stephanie Colony

The Magic of No Walls Preschoolers Play and Study Outside Year-Round at Fiddleheads Forest School By Morgan Tilton

hat would a schoolroom look like if it had no walls — literally? On a winter’s day, young children sit around a crackling fire in a circle made of logs. Clad in hats, gloves and jackets, they read from laminated workbooks about the science of a snowflake: When an extremely cold-water droplet in the sky freezes onto pollen or a dust particle, it creates an ice crystal. As the ice crystal falls to the ground, water vapor freezes around it, which creates six more crystals that become the snowflake’s arms. Then the kids excitedly jump up, grab their sets of magnifying glasses and run around in the fallen snow, eager to get a closer look at the multi-armed crystals; they’re surrounded by the phenomena of which they study.

Even more importantly, when the physical confines of a space are peeled away, what do preschoolers learn through experiencing the uncontrollable circumstances — rain, snow or shine — of the outdoors? Skills of self-regulation, said Kit Harrington, co-director and founder of Fiddleheads Forest School in Washington State. Entering its fourth year, the 10-month long program now includes two adjacent “classrooms” made up of a surrounding of stumps and logs tucked beneath a Cedar grove in the Washington Park Arboretum—a unique 250-acre collection of habitats from around the world — located in the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. A total of 50 kids (ages 3 to 5) attend four-hour sessions for two, three or five days a week.

Fires aren’t allowed in the arboretum. And in Seattle, there is only the occasional snow. But in Scandinavia, where the concept of an openair kindergarten has its earliest beginnings, schoolchildren brave more snowfall than in Washington and even colder temperatures that hover around freezing. “In terms of weather conditions, this model of learning is very adaptable,” said Joanna Wright, head instructor, who first started working with Fiddleheads two years ago. In February, Washington hit its wettest year on record — and the kids had an absolute blast, Wright said. Financially, it could be challenging for families to provide full outfits across seasons, so Fiddleheads established a gear library.

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“We tell our families a classic saying: There’s no bad weather, only inadequate clothing. There’s a lot you can do in terms of physical preparedness and also having a good mental attitude. It takes teachers that are excited to be out in the snow and rain that can model being okay with it, having fun in it and still learning in it.” A typical day at Fiddleheads goes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They start by the act of noticing: listening, looking and noting the environment’s incremental changes. When kids get cold or have high energy, they politely say so and take a jog. Alternatively, when they need to recharge, they retreat to their “magic spot” — a personal area where they go for uninterrupted, quiet time. The teacher-student ratio is low, with a maximum of 14 students per two teachers, plus one or two volunteers or interns. Any program can adapt or integrate naturebased learning to fit its social and geographic needs, Wright said. For instance, building a fire for warmth or having a small building that’s heated. To succeed, the space needs to be safe for kids, the program needs to be supported by the community, and both need to be a good fit for the students. When Fiddleheads was founded in 2012, there were a few four other programs like it in the country. Now, nature-based programs are popping up all over the U.S. According to the public records of Natural Start Alliance (NSA) — a coalition founded in 2013 that helps

Photos courtesy Fiddleheads School

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educators to establish nature-based learning programs — at least nine preschool or childcare facilities are NSA-registered in Washington State alone, as well as 200 others across the U.S. An article written by Nancy Alton on ParentMap, last updated in December 2015, lists at least 25 outdoor or nature-based preschools in Seattle and its peripheries, so clearly not all of the existing programs are catalogued yet with the NSA. Harrington’s background is in early childhood development, perceptual learning and a certification in Montessori. “There are elements of Montessori, in terms of the way that we approach the children very respectfully and an idea of following the child,” she said. But Fiddleheads applies aspects of many different teaching philosophies, and tailors the application to each individual student. The approach requires significant prep time each day. “Sarah and I decided that we didn’t want to rely too heavily on any single philosophy. We wanted it to come from the children, this space and their interaction in it. We base our curriculum on the observations of the students; it’s an emergence,” said Harrington, noting Co-director and Founder Sarah Heller, who developed the proposal for Fiddleheads Forest School. The two women both grew up influenced by the outdoors. Harrington was raised in Pittsburg, VT near the Green Mountains, and Heller, a Seattle native,

grew up visiting Orcas Island in Washington’s San Juan Islands. In addition to offering a very strong natural sciences curriculum at Fiddleheads, Harrington explained, “Our classroom space is suited to developing self-regulation: a general awareness of environmental stressors, the capacity to cope with unexpected change, and being able to successfully navigate the change.” Like learning how to express one’s physical needs as the temperature changes, or taking calculated risks by crawling on wet logs. Ida Rose Florez, PhD, Assistant Professor of early childhood education at Arizona State University, penned one article, “Developing Young Children’s Self-Regulation Through Everyday Experiences,” saying that the success of school, work and life hinges on a person’s regulation of her thinking, emotions and behavior. Adults can demonstrate self-regulation, but a child’s internalization of those habits arrives through practice. Meaning, adults need to create a space for those opportunities. Studies continue to show that self-regulation and experiential learning underlie success in all areas of life as people move from one stage to the next, Harrington said. Self-regulation can’t be taught with a cookie-cutter approach. But spending time in nature does provide an arguably strong launch pad for kids. It plants the seeds of grit.

RETAIL BEST PRACTICES

Get #Social In 2017 How to Strategize and Track a Social Media Approach for the Future By Jahla Seppanen

et’s begin by saying, yes, you need a marketing manager, social media coordinator, part-time poster, guru, wizard, whatever you’d like to call it, that runs social media for your brand or retailer. The pulse of news, product releases, hirings, firings, great feats and epic fails is taking place on social media. Blink, and you might miss something, like the hiring of a CEO, the latest fitness trend (yes, that includes Pokémon Go), or the latest equipment recall. As a consumer, it’s a personal choice to have social media and delegate the information you share and content you post. As a brand, having an “@” and “#”, it is essential. Retailers, that means you, too. The same old feed won’t cut it anymore. It’s time to change that early 2000s store shot and learn to “social media” like the pros. Here’s a crash course from some of the industry brands and retailers doing it best. Soldiers Of Social “Brands might get in a lot of trouble thinking social media is just social media,” said Brian Gillis, marketing and communication manager at Gu Energy

Labs. Putting it simply, social media has evolved to become a complex living organism that changes daily, if not by the minute. And for the most part, it’s navigated by brands and retailers without the budget freedom to allot money and resources for its upkeep. The great soldiers behind today’s active lifestyle social media are for the most part volunteers or company employees who are up for taking on a side project. “Most of the minds behind our social media are doing it because they’re happy to lend a hand in growing visibility for the store,” said Jaia McClure, sales manager and apparel buyer for Little River Trading Company. Little River used to suffer from the common social media ailments that continue to plague the majority of specialty retailers today. With an outdated Facebook page that only posted store events, the retailer wasn’t privy to how beneficial giving social a little extra love could be. “We didn’t really use it as community outreach,” McClure added. Five regular sales members started holding weekly jam sessions and talking about what product promotions and events were coming up. Fast forward and the retailer has 10,000-plus likes, 500 check-ins, a 4.7 out of 5 star rating, and multiple daily posts, in a little more than a year, on its Facebook page.

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Show Me The Money Although social media can be done without a budget, the evolved principle is that with its growing benefits, seed money should be provided. “The real myth is that ‘paid strategy’ equals less work,” said Balega’s Integrated Services Director, Craig Randall. “Brands and retailers definitely should spend money on social ads because they are extremely targeted and cost far less than other advertising.” And Randall isn’t the only one with this belief. “Social is playing a different role now,” said Consumer Marketing Manager at Outdoor Research, Christian Folk. “When we started (Folk’s been heading the brand’s social strategy since it started about 10 years ago), it was a way to amplify content stories but it has become a great advertising platform. Looking at metrics, you’d be hard pressed to find a platform that provides better value.” Folk has seen advertisers find new value in social ads, saying traditional digital advertising (sans social media) is in the place print advertising was six or seven years ago — fading to obscurity for newer methods and struggling to find value for ad units. CorePower Yoga’s Chief Marketing Officer Tess Roering referenced fitness sensation Kayla Itsines as the posterchild of the power of social. Itsines, a personal trainer from Adelaide, Australia, began posting fit-inspired Instagram posts and has since created her own training module and social empire (look her up on Tumblr or Instagram and the extent of her influence becomes clear.) Plus, she’s only 24. And numerous other brands have spawned from social media efforts of their founders, such as Maggie Montiel’s Montiel Activewear. So, how do you actually become successful on social media? Gillis at Gu Energy had it right when he said, “you get what you put into it, and there’s a clear divide between the brands that put in effort.” Eyeing The Target The philosophy seems straightforward: companies and brands need a constantly evolving social media strategy to survive. On a more practical level, here are some hard-and-fast rules to live by.

Photo courtesy Kayla Itsines

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1. Know Your Audience. Know Your Platform. This will help dictate the content, tone, duration and even timing of the post. If you focus on one thing, it should be posting to your target. Boutique fitness gym Equinox has excelled at finding and social-ing to its target user — women between 25 and 34 years old. The gym’s edgy social marketing campaigns featuring toned and greasy subjects displaying confidence while committing out-of-the-ordinary acts, speaking to both the attitude of the company and its intended target. 2. Hold Contests. “Find a like-minded brand that has a noncompeting product and offer some sort of giveaway that encourages people to comment or like in exchange for an entry to win,” said Gillis. “We’ve seen success in generating more followers this way.” Gu reposts from fans who tag their Instagram photos #goforit (the brand’s hashtag). Little River Trading also stands by the contest approach, but cautions, “word from the wise, make sure you have enough products to give away in case the post goes viral.” 3. Be In The Field. We’re an industry primed for social media because our products and people were made for adventure. Inspiring photos and live event tweets prove to consumers you walk the talk. 4. Leverage Die-Hard Fans. “One winning strategy for Balega is user-generated content,” Randall said. “Balega customers run a lot of impressive events and share their photos and stories of places they take their socks. This also gives us amazing content to republish any time of the year.” Ambassadors, loyal consumers and sponsored athletes are a great way to garner more visibility on social posts because the content becomes more sharable. An athlete reposts and suddenly your photo rises to a new stage. This approach also doesn’t break the bank. Consumers are happy to promote their love for a brand they believe in, and that loyalty is enhanced when they see the brand recognizing them in return. 5. Involve The Consumer. Ask people who want to attend Corepower Teacher Training program to document the process for company content. Involving

Photo courtesy Montiel Activewear

the consumer in the face of the brand has grown tremendously within 2016. The next evolution of consumer involvement for 2017 will include using their input in the creation of upcoming products. Social media is an opportunity to conduct voting and consumer input on design details. More active lifestyle brands will begin doing similar social collaborations and limited-edition product runs. 6. Tease New Products. New flavors, colors and release dates catch attention. Brands will begin taking this a step farther, using social media as a way to give followers an advantage to purchase new products online before they hit the stores. This is a way to reward your following, which incidentally is another to do. 7. Always Engage. Respond to posts and messages. Make yourself a resource. And feel free to speak colloquial and in conversational tone to heighten the sense that it’s a brand made up of fellow enthusiasts and experts versus stiff suits. 8. Social Media No-No’s. Don’t clog a post with too many hastags. Always include a photo and don’t feel the need to chase every new platform. “The biggest challenge going forward will be remaining nimble,” said Randall at Balega. Folks at Outdoor Research added that social media changes quickly. “Tactics shift and platforms might change, but if you find the right way to engage, you don’t have to rethink your strategy if a new platform comes along.” Executives of larger brands that already have a corporate social media distribution plan can use social media in a very different way — by connecting with their employees on a new level that fosters team building. Equinox Vice President of Operations, Griff Long, said he uses his Facebook to connect with people working at the company. “My page isn’t personal, it’s dedicated to my employees,” he said.

Dislike The Like Measuring success in social media seems simple, and it can be difficult retraining your brain to look for deeper more meaningful indicators than page likes and hearts. “An unfortunate reality in social is that audiences can be bought on any platform, which inflates a brand or influencer’s relevance,” said Balega’s Randall. He believes ’Nitching down,’ an expression used in social media business, is a better approach. Nitching down means a brand with 2,000 die-hard followers will move the needle more than a brand with 10,000 unengaged ones. McClure at Little River said that their email list and reach isn’t huge, but that open rates and unsubscribers are part of the strategy of tracking success. The company also measures success from people coming into its retail store and saying, “I saw this on social media and want to know how to get involved.” “The worst thing you can do as a brand is to try to get followers,” said Roering with CorePower. “Instead, it’s about building authentically without being too promotional.” Add Friends Social media has the increased potential to shape the perceptions of a brand’s personality. Lululemon’s Snapchat is full every day with videos of ambassadors doing yoga around the world, while Skratch Labs’ Twitter is a recipe book of nutrition ideas. REI was able to display its company ethics through an #OptOut Black Friday campaign, and Toms Shoes transformed the common feet photos of Instagram to call out its philanthropic mission using #withoutshoes, which resulted in the company donating almost 300,000 pairs of shoes. It used to be we added and engaged on social media with friends and people we knew. Now go on Facebook and people are following brands and retailers more than people. This is a major opportunity for the industry. It has always been the goal for consumers to have the sense that brands view them as friends. Take the platform and start engaging!

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FOOTWEAR

Hikingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Athletic Push Continues Light and Fast Styles Provide Sales Opportunities for Hikers By Thomas J. Ryan

Photo courtesy The North Face

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very year, outdoor footwear brands are challenged to design more lightweight and athletic-inspired hikers without sacrificing the support, durability, long-lasting comfort and underfoot traction required for hiking adventures. Thanks largely to advancements in materials, many hikers continue to look and feel more like trail runners. Beyond lightweight, the new models are also able to promote greater breathability, flexibility and out-of-the-box comfort than your traditional hiker. Pared down designs are not able to do everything. Demand remains for the traditional hiking boot from those consumers looking for hefty support and durability, brand officials said. But lightweight hikers are helping outdoor footwear companies meet other consumer wants, including multi-purpose footwear. Following last year’s mild winter, some vendors, especially in the East and Midwest, are ordering more conservatively for fall/winter specific product and are said to be open to more slimmed-down hikers that can be sold in early fall or late spring. “We have begun to develop more versatile winter product that is lighter and can stretch into threeseason wear,” said Brian Hall, Vasque’s director of product development. Here are some of the top trends we are following in the hiking category. Athletic Functionality Materials are the main driver creating lighter hiking footwear. Upper constructions have become more minimal with less stitching and lighter midsole options, along with smart outsole designs that have led to weight reduction, noted Hall. “For Vasque, we have a customer who is looking for a more athletic product, such as our Inhaler II, but we still have high demand for more built footwear as well,” he added. Hikers have grown accustomed to the comfort of athletic shoes worn off the trail. “Consumers are moving away from the heavy, stiff footwear that you have to break in,” said Johnny Hawthorne, North Face’s footwear director of merchandising. “Lots of hikers are using trailrunning products for their hiking activities so

no matter how intense your activity, the trend is moving more towards fast packing, day hiking footwear versus heavy backpacking footwear.” Beyond lighter weight and more breathable, the athletic emphasis also encourages designers to use the least materials possible. “What you’ll start to see in outdoor footwear is what has already been established and successful in the athletic and running market — single layer mesh uppers, open mesh uppers, lighter weight EVA,” Hawthorne said. “The challenge isn’t making shoes lighter, it is keeping up the level of durability that is needed for outdoor activities.” Greg Thomsen, managing director at Adidas Outdoor U.S., also sees the continued move away

from leather and into lighter, woven materials with TPU overlays for abrasion resistance and eliminating sewn seams wherever possible. Another trend is fast hiking boots that are a blend of a trail running shoe and an approach shoe, such as the Adidas Outdoor Skychaser GTX. “The focus from Adidas is on grip — better gripping outsoles and lug patterns,” Thomsen said. “Some Adidas Outdoor styles are mimicking mountain bike tires with the same rubber and tread patterns, such as the Terrex X-King, which is a brand new style of construction that does not have a midsole, but uses a unique insole to add support and stability.”

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With many consumers just using their running shoes for hikes, Oboz is offering extremely lightweight and flexible hiking shoes that also feature durable materials and high-traction outsoles to address any rough terrain. “Oboz is sticking true to who we are and what has been successful for retailers — our fit, comfort and quality of products that can truly meet the demands of hiking,” said Oboz Sales Manager Christian Mason. Athletic Styling Consumers are looking for more athletic looks that primarily come in sleeker design, synthetic fabrics, lightweight upper materials and brighter colors. Seamless technologies continue to reimagine the look of hikers. “Clean, simple lines, no fuss, less is more, etc.” noted Steve Workman, vice president of product performance at Merrell. “With the advent of seamless stitch technology, footwear is becoming less pieces and overlays, and any support layers are engineered into the product in targeted areas where it’s needed most.” Vasque’s Hall sees the two main aesthetic trends being athletic-inspired hike and classic hiking inspired. “The Vasque customer seems to gravitate more towards the latter, and we have had good success reviving long loved Vasque styles, such as the Sundowner and Skywalk,” Hall said. “While there is a heritage feel to the way these boots look, they are still great performance trail boots. The aesthetic is attracting a younger customer, but the performance is winning awards.”

Photo courtesy Vasque

22 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

Hall added that Vasque features a classic color palette as well as rich, high quality materials. He added, “Men’s color tends to be more conservative with subtle color pops of red, navy, evergreen and orange. Women’s color treatments are more sophisticated with less primary color pops. Red, mahogany and navy leather colors are used instead of straight brown or grey, and water blues/greens and berry color accents.” Adidas Outdoor’s Thomsen also sees color becoming more important, especially in trail running and fast hiking shoes. “Colored soles were once a negative, but are becoming more accepted and add to the fun factor,” Thomsen said. “Adding reflectivity without overpowering the shoe is a welcome detail. Men tend to want a shoe that is multipurpose and can be worn around town and also around the mountains, so clean, subtle core colors are the

Photo courtesy Oboz

majority of the request. Women tend to use hiking boots more for hiking and are open to fun color trim and details.” “The look is becoming much more athletic,” agreed Mark Mathews, director of summer product development with Scarpa North America. “This is great from an aesthetic standpoint, but the product still needs to meet the functional needs of the user. Often people choose a product that is super lightweight but fail to consider the tradeoff of lower durability.” Versatility With the exception of those consumers looking for the heavier weight boot to handle harsh winter conditions, most are comfortable buying a lighter hiker that performs on the trail and is comfortable enough for daily use.

“The market is looking for versatile footwear to cover multiple outdoor activities and manufacturers seem to be responding,” Mathews said. He believes that while “urban woodsman” and “retro backpacking” have been trends for a season or two, they’ll both start fading moving into 2017 and beyond but that lightweight still holds a strong influence. “Approach, and incorporating approach features into hiking and light hiking, is an emerging trend right now,” he said. Merrell’s Workman added, “It’s becoming less about specialized pinnacle product and more about “Swiss-Army Knife” product that is multifunctional.” North Face’s Hawthorne noted consumers are beginning to wear trail running shoes in part because they can use them for a variety of outdoor activities.

“To us, versatility means both multi-sport and multi-use,” Hawthorne said. “People are getting out more often, but in shorter bursts of activity in more social ways. They’re looking for shoes that are designed to do more than one thing, a hiker and trail runner and a water shoe, and will also look good. Most of the time, when a you say you're looking for versatility you want to keep the same shoe on your foot for whatever activity you choose: go on a hike with friends, go to dinner and then go on a walk and look good doing it.” Peter Sachs, general manager of Lowa Boots in the U.S., said that customers have been seeking versatility for more than 20 years, but today’s customer clearly wants their hikers to be lighter, faster and more athletic in both function and appearance. Lowa meets these demands with its All Terrain Sport category with products like the

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Innox Evo’s. “However,” Sachs added, “we still have traditional backpacking boots because there remains the traditional customer who wants support, protection, stability and underfoot traction for rugged days in the mountains.” Instant Comfort With people wearing athletic or casual shoes every day, it’s not surprising that many no longer want the break-in period that historically came with a hiking shoe. Instant comfort often stands as the most important factor in deciding on a hiker on the selling floor. But footwear vendors have upped their game around comfort. “With advancements in midsole technology and design, we are able to offer much more step-in comfort without sacrificing the torsional rigidity a boot needs to be trail worthy,” Vasque’s Hall said. Workman, at Merrell, said comfort manifests itself in many ways — the last, footbed, cushioning, etc. He added, “For the most part it’s that initial ‘ahh moment’ when you put on the product for the first time.” “Gone are the days of buying a shoe and breaking it in, or getting to camp and immediately changing your shoes to something more comfortable,” agreed Hawthorne. For the Endurus

Photo courtesy Lowa

24 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

collection for Spring 2017, The North Face focused on designing a shoe that felt great at try-on, but would also feel great after a long day on the trail. Added Hawthorne, “Cushioning, like our XtraFoam, is a big part of that, but we’re also being critical of extra material in the upper so the shoes flex with your foot.” Adidas Outdoor added its Boost cushioning technology to its hikers to support the weary hiker. ”I am less concerned with how comfortable they are when I first put them on than how they will feel on a long hike,” Thomsen said. “Insoles that are too soft may feel great when you first try them on, but many can break down and do not really help on a 10-mile hike.” Breathable Boots Breathablity was given the spotlight after Gore-Tex launched its Surround technology a few years ago. The North Face’s Hawthorne said the challenge is less about how to make a shoe breathable but more about making it durable, functional, in some cases waterproof and still breathable. Come Spring 2017, Ecco and Lowa are among those companies extending their Surround offerings while Adidas Outdoor will incorporate

the technology for the first time. The new GTX-Surround construction features a Gore-Tex membrane under the foot with a mesh layer that pumps moisture and air through side channels with each step. Sachs said that for many years, Lowa has offered a Climate system in its boots. “The spot glue system allows heat and moisture to escape through the liner, into the padding and then up and out through perforations in the tongue and cuff.” In 2016, Lowa’s San Francisco GTX and San Luis GTX styles feature an injected PU midsole and TPU outsole where heat and humidity can escape directly from the bottom of the foot and then out the sole. For 2017, Lowa will take a similar approach with its Aerox GTX. Hall said Vasque is addressing the trend with its breathable, molded toe and heel counters in the Inhaler II and Breeze III for Spring 2017. “This one is tricky as a customer rarely comes in and says breathability is their number one priority, typically it is waterproof or lightweight,” noted Hall. “Increasing breathability adds to the overall comfort of the product, particularly a waterproof one, so increasing breathability without radically increasing the cost of the product is the goal.”

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Trail Running Attracts A New Breed of Adventurers A Thirst for New Running Experiences, Trail-Specific Designs and Fashion Allure Fuel Advances. By Thomas J. Ryan

26 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

ith road running showing signs of a decrease in both casual and race participation, the spotlight has increased on trail running. The popularity in recent years of mud runs, color runs and other adventure races points out that there are runners looking for an experience in their runs. Millennials are especially drawn to the social connections of these events with some runners being turned off by the competitive nature of road races. With its scenic views, outdoor escapes and challenging terrain, trail running appears to fit right in with millennials’ wheelhouse. But the overall trail running opportunity is also being spurred on by a bigger commitment from manufacturers around trail-specific footwear design, taking their inspiration from both minimal and maximal trends and getting a boost from the addition of fashion elements. Here, are few underlying trends supporting the trail running category. Unique Experiences While the search for new experiences has led to an explosion of workout studios specializing in cycling, CrossFit, boxing, ballet, barre and boot camp, it’s also leading some adventurers to hit the trails. Evan Wert, president at Icebug USA, noted that the industry is seeing more consumers trying trail races, obstacle course racing (OCR), color runs and mud runs. There is a new event that started in Sweden recently called Swimrun, where participants both run and swim in their shoes and apparel. Wert said that more companies are building specific shoes for OCR racing and other similar events but also believes many retail stores will continue to be overly focused on road racing. “It is important for retailers to begin to recognize the change in what we considered ‘running’ and to embrace a new future” Wert said. “We’re focusing on traction and allowing the runner to be free to see their surroundings.” In realigning the Montrail brand as a sub-brand of the Columbia brand, the new Columbia Montrail collection centers on four distinct product categories for specificity of use across a range of experiences. They include a traditional Trail Running category, Mountain Running to handle more extreme conditions,

and Fastest Known Time (F.K.T), representing a trimmed-down mountain running shoe that’s both lightweight and fast but offers support and aggressive traction. A final category, Recovery, supports the post-run. “At Columbia Montrail we strive to offer consumers the most choices to keep them on the widest variety of trail surfaces longer,” said Eron Osterhaus, Columbia Montrail’s senior product manager. Spanning across 71 SKUs, the Columbia Montrail trail collection will also be the first to bring OutDry Extreme to footwear to provide hefty protection against “wet out” while also offering breathability. Jena Winger, associate footwear product line manager at Brooks Running, said the logic behind wanting a unique experience might be slightly different for trail runners. “For instance, in the Brooks line, we’ve had road shoes in our Cushion, Energize, Connect and Speed categories for a long time but come Spring 2017, we’ll finally be able to offer a trail shoe for each of those experiences with the debut of the Caldera, a new Energize shoe for the trail,” Winger said. “While Energize on the road refers to energy return from the shoe interacting with the road, on the trail it refers to the energy the runner wants to motivate them to keep going for longer distances.” Overall, Brooks found that trail runners are among the most engaged when it comes to their preferred footwear experience, whether they’re looking for a greater level of protectiveness and durability, a certain traction element or focused on underfoot cushioning in a shoe. “One noticeable trend is an emphasis on run-ability,” Winger added. “Specifically, trail runners are asking for a shoe that doesn’t have to be overbuilt in order to be ‘protective.’ For instance, a trail shoe can be fast, agile and responsive with excellent grip and streamlined protection.” Authenticity While a brown shoe with an aggressive tread may have passed muster in the past, today’s trail shoe must be clearly differentiated from road-running shoes. While extra features are required to handle the unstable nature of trail terrains, the in-store conversation starts with traction.

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Newer features supporting protection include mid-height models, or shoes with a higher ankle collar that makes the trail shoe much more versatile for cold weather and wet conditions while also supporting long distance hiking. Strapless trail gaiters are now seen on a high percentage of runners at nearly all ultramarathons and increasingly on runners of shorter-distance trail races. Said Harper: “These gaiters keep sand, stickers, and other debris from getting into the shoe and thus prevent discomfort and blisters.” Minimalism’s Lasting Effects The minimalist craze continues to be the butt of jokes within the running industry and elsewhere. In an American Express commercial that landed this spring, Tina Fey refers to a pair of FiveFinger shoes as “creepy gloves for my feet. I can wear these on my trip to middle earth.” But minimalist design continues to loudly inspire much of footwear design, including ever more lightweight, and flexible, lower-heeled running and trail shoes. Golden Harper noted that bigger toe-boxes — another emphasis that arrived during the minimal conversation — are prevalent in a majority of trail shoes. Altra’s newer trail models such as the Lone Peak 3 and the Superior 3 are enhanced with a stickier rubber compound but continue to have Altra’s Footshape toe box with zero drop set-off. Harper said the added lightweight and flexibility features make trail shoes “feel fast and poppy.” Away from the outsole, Icebug’s Wert sees an ongoing trend toward developing uppers using more “welded” construction, or engineered mesh and less seams on the inside for a better fit. “In midsoles, we are seeing better drainage, flex and increased feel for the ground,” he said. Photo courtesy Icebug Oribi Women's Trail Running Shoe

“We know a lot of people wear their road shoes off road and they often work just fine, but a shoe with a trail-specific rubber compound is going to be more slip-resistant on the trail,” Winger said. “When coupled with a trail-specific lug pattern, this can help keep runners safe and more confident on tricky terrain. As an aside, lugs don’t have to be very large to get this benefit, particularly if you’re looking to run on a road to get to a trail.” As trail runners branch out off the trail more frequently, a stickier rubber is needed to handle all types of trail conditions and do it effectively. “The rubber typically used, and that used in road shoes, simply doesn’t cut it on big mountain granite, wet logs, etc.,” said Golden Harper, Altra's cofounder. “The use of exposed EVA in certain circumstances also helps to grip better than rubber in certain situations on rock or wet ground.” Trail shoes also have to be more durable than running shoes to handle more extreme conditions, noted Icebug’s Wert. For instance, Icebug not only glues the outsole, but stiches the toe area to the upper to make sure that the outsole does not separate. The Swedish brand also uses all “non-water absorbing” materials in its shoe construction to reduce weight when wet and reduce friction against the foot. “Consumers also need to think about better support as conditions are not flat and fit and stability is critical to keep from falling or twisting an ankle,” Wert said. “The outsole also has to offer secure grip with the lug patterns so that it doesn’t get clogged with mud or rocks.” Blisters can also develop when running on rocky terrain. Many trail shoes have a rock plate in the forefoot to prevent stone bruising. Managing water and moisture is often more important on the trail given the often sloppy conditions.

28 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

Maximalism Still Reigns, Too Marked by the beefed-up models of Hoka One One as well as the extra underfoot padding being added to many running models, cushioning has made a comeback following the minimalist craze. “We’ve seen the trend swinging away from minimalism for the last few seasons and that trend is continuing,” said Jonathan Lantz, president of La Sportiva NA. “Trail runners, those who put in a lot of miles and/or run ultramarathons specifically, need both good traction and good cushioning.” La Sportiva’s new lightweight Akyra trail model stands out for its aggressive lugs but also features a thick and comfortable midsole to support runners who put in miles on technical trails. “We never chased the minimalism trend because we knew that support, particularly over long miles and technical trails, would always be needed,” Lantz said. “Otherwise, the trend toward lighter materials, shoes that breath better and brighter colors are all in play.” Expectations around comfort have also risen with enhanced designs and materials over the years but a smartly cushioned trail shoe can be even more essential to help runners endure the rough terrain. “Initial fit and step-in comfort goes a long way, particularly if the runner plans (or aspires) to be on their feet for long periods of time,” Brooks’ Winger said. “In other words, find the shoe that fits and is most in-line with your preferred experience, and that will keep you comfortable on the trail.” Trail Reaches the Runway While the sneakerhead culture has gone mainstream in many ways over the years, road running and trail shoes — including many that stand out for their bold colors and jagged outsole grips — have recently become an anti-fashion

statement for the style set. Some see the trend starting with Raf Simons’ popular Ozweego trail collaboration with Adidas that has since led to other designer collaborations with outdoor trail shoe companies. Many trail brands are just starting to capitalize on the trend. For instance, Salomon trail shoes can now be found in trendsetting boutiques like Berlin’s SOTO or Paris’ The Broken Arm. The newer fashion and lifestyle appeal broadens trail shoes reach beyond the intended trail run. “Just as running and active shoes have become an important trend in fashion and commercial mass retail, a similar trend is starting to rise with trail shoes,” said Asics footwear design team in a combined statement. “Consumers enjoy the aggressive outsole aesthetic that is increasingly popular within trends.” Simplistic designs that have arrived over recent years are supporting the fashion trend, Asics believes. While trail shoes had been known for their bright color combinations and color pops with contrast in the past, minimal colors and an increase in neutral tones have also become popular with the fashion crowd, according to Asics. For those looking for style on the trail, bright colors and the overall “light and fast” look continue to draw attention. “New materials are allowing manufactures to use different color saturations to give some interesting colors that reflect the colors in nature,” Wert said. “Also new materials such as engineered mesh allow for some interesting textured looks.”

Photo courtesy Brooks Running Grand Ridge Trail Shoe

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APPAREL

Technically Speaking Outdoor Performance Apparel Slims Down, Techs Up and Goes Green By Courtney Holden

Terramar Women's Microcool Refresh Schoop Tee Photo courtesy Terramar

30 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

ext summer’s outdoor performance apparel is stretching the boundaries of the category’s definition. Versatility is vital whether the garment is constructed for fluctuating temperatures, varying precipitation conditions or a full range of active pursuits. “The type of activity and the weather does not always sync with the product cycle at retail,” said Christine Westermark, Helly Hansen’s mountain category managing director. “Consumers may need a down jacket in May or a superlight softshell jacket in September. Re-thinking assortments at retail against changing consumer needs is going to be key.” As we’ve seen in other sectors outside the active-lifestyle industry, consumers are increasingly buying in the moment, rather than preparing ahead for the season. Mobile apps such as Uber and Yelp have created expectations of instant availability and gratification. As you wander the aisles of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, keep an eye out for new innovations in lightweight, barely-there materials and insulations that excel at both heat management and breathability. Performance apparel also takes a two (or more)-faced approach as companies manufacture garments adaptable for a wide-range of environments. And then, of course, there’s the continued push for more earth-friendly fabrications and production processes. “Consumers don’t necessarily want to know all of the minutiae,” said Jason Duncan, senior director of product for Outdoor Research. “They just want assurance that you are actively partnering with your supply chain to find sustainable solutions.” Losing Weight The quest to minimize ounces is never-ending, and while durability is still a priority, consumers continue to gravitate toward thin and breezy styles that not only promote breathability, but also bring an air of summer style. “The consumer doesn’t want distraction. They want the gear to work with them,” said Jordan Wand, vice president of outdoor apparel and accessories, Under Armour. “They don’t want to feel like their gear is weighing them down.” This summer, the brand offers “stretch without excess” in its new Microthread fabric technology. Incorporating elasticity without waterabsorbing fibers like spandex or lycra, the fabric is lighter with faster drying time. Likewise, textile manufacturer Bemis introduces Freeflow technology, an adhesive with engineered perforations that is 21 percent lighter than traditional sewn waistbands — with an added bonus of 50 percent more stretch than solid film to promote increased airflow. Notably, losing grams no longer comes at the cost of durability, thanks to heavy-duty yet ultra-lightweight fabrics like Pertex Endurance, Pertex Quantum and Toray Airstretch ripstop. Adidas Outdoor’s slim-fitting and barely-there men’s Terrex Agravic Short clocks in at just 2.3 ounces thanks to Pertex’s Equilibrium fabric. Terramar Sports’ Women’s Microcool Refresh Scoop Tee incorporates a flat yarn — which offers more surface area to draw heat away from the skin’s surface — embedded with nano-mineral particles to further enhance heat absorption and is rated at UPF 50+. Body-mapping, zoning or hybrid design (brands all have names for the process) also decreases overall weight by dispersing it selectively. For example, often heavy weight, waterproof material doesn’t have to run through the entire garment — a designer may strategically include it on top of the hood, in the shoulders or along the chest, leaving room for lighter, more breathable materials elsewhere in the garment.

Ready For Anything More and more, technical apparel is expected to transcend the boundaries of function and perform effectively in a wide range of outdoor environments. The trend is attributed to yoga pants. “Women started taking this great pant [outdoors],” said Under Armour’s Wand. “It was great for doing yoga, but [you] could do so much more with it. That’s where it started.” This summer, brands are introducing sportswear equally whether you’re on a trail run, mountain bike ride or bouldering. After all, consumers are participating in all of these activities, not just one. “Nobody is saying, ‘I’m a climber, or ‘I’m a trail runner.’ They’re doing everything,” Wand added. “There’s a lot of evidence that consumers are doing multiple things, and they’re not looking for gear that’s specialized in one end use.” The trend is driven in part by practicality — there’s a financial burden, and arguably a waste of financial resources, to having multiple different items with the same core purpose. There’s also a general movement toward having less. With 80 percent of the U.S. population residing in urban areas, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, many people are living in far less square footage, which translates to less storage space for gear. And then there’s the popularity of the “live simply” mindset. “People don’t want to look in their closet and feel like they’re overdoing it,” said Woody Blackford, vice president of design and innovation for Columbia. And how are companies achieving these multi-purpose product lines? The look is less sport-specific; shoulders, elbows and knees have greater mobility, and the garment is built for a wider range of weather conditions. An extension of the movement toward apparel suitable for multi-sport athletes is the trail-to-town trend. “Styles need to look good all day to travel between everyone’s busy lives,” said Jennifer Zollars, Mountain Hardwear’s senior product line manager for men and women’s sportswear. “People are not changing ‘into’ a UPF wicking shirt for just camping and hiking. That shirt needs to go out to dinner and to the office as well.” Brands achieve this dual look with simple, elegant designs and by adding aesthetic touches like ruching and metal snap buttons. Bright, primary colors often used in pure performance wear are toned down with subtle, heathered hues and herringbone fabrics. But don’t be fooled. Technology hides beneath these refined silhouettes. “We use all the same technical fabrics, but a different aesthetic,” said Emelie Ortiz, global brand manager for Pearl Izumi. “They don’t look like the super racy singlet even though they have all of the same features.” ‘One Garment Nirvana’ If your consumers live or are heading west for a Rocky Mountain vacation, then there’s still room to talk insulation during the spring/summer months. The gist for these seasons? Garments that keep the user comfortably warm coming over the pass while also emphasizing breathability. As a result, “these insulated garments can be worn comfortably across a wide range of temperatures and conditions,” Outdoor Research’s Duncan said. “In the outdoor industry, we have tried to realize ‘one garment Nirvana’ for years. Our approach to active insulation is the closest we have ever been to delivering on that promise for our athletes.” Originally designed for the U.S. Special Forces, Polartec Alpha shines in the active insulation category. “The whole idea was to make something … [with] maximum warmth, but to still let moisture vapor get out so you didn’t overheat

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when you were moving at high speed,” said Michael Cattanach, global product director at Polartec. “With Alpha, you’re able to evacuate excess heat and stay comfortable.” Ventilation is key to preventing an uncomfortable internal environment that leaves an athlete wet and cold from perspiration. Jeff Blakely, general manager of Brooks Range Mountaineering, compared active insulation to a typical down jacket. “If you have that layer [of down] against your skin, it’s great when the wind is blowing and the air isn’t penetrating through it, but it also works the other way around. If you’re doing an activity with a lot of heat building up in that jacket, and you have this barrier of fabric, it’s not letting any heat get away from your body.” The concept is ideal for active pursuits in the shoulder seasons (especially spring), as well as at high elevations during the summer months. The same theory applies to technical summer rainwear, such as Helly Hansen’s Vanir Heta Jacket, designed to be at home in variable conditions. The jacket features waterproof/windproof technology in key areas where protection from inclement weather is important, while using a highly breathable doubleweave softshell fabric where breathability and stretch matter most. Earth-Friendly Fabrications The outdoor industry has spent the past few decades pushing for more ecofriendly fabric technology. In the 90s, brands started using recycled plastic water bottles to manufacture fleece. Then there was the battle against cruelty to animals. And in the past few years, the active lifestyle industry has put durable water repellent in the crosshairs. This summer, technical apparel brands are eliminating perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), increasing the amount of recycled content in their products and using plant-based rather than synthetic materials. Take Columbia Sportswear, which introduced its OutDry Ex Eco Shell. Not only is the jacket’s main fabric made from 21 recycled bottles, it’s also not dyed, which reduces the amount of water used in the dyeing process by 80 percent. The real kicker, however, is that according to Columbia, this is the industry’s first “high-performance” rain jacket made without the use of PFCs. Unlike other PFC-free raincoats, Columbia’s version eliminates wet-out, leaving the wearer dry no matter the conditions. “If you’re going to go out on any kind of adventure, you’re going to get into some rough weather. You can’t have a product that’s just eco-friendly,” Columbia’s Blackford said. “There’s a demand for having the cake and eating it too.” Other brands have been pursuing eco-friendly technology as well. PrimaLoft presents its new Gold Insulation Eco, a premium synthetic insulation with 55 percent recycled content. Meanwhile, Bergans of Norway offers Ecodear, a 30 percent plant-based polyester co-developed with Toray. This windproof fabric reduces the amount of petroleum-based materials used in the brand’s apparel. “The industry as a whole is focused on consumer demand for products made of sustainable materials [with] durability, keeping products out of the landfill for a longer period of time,” said Byron McCann, the brand’s U.S. marketing manager. “Bergans is wholeheartedly supporting that effort by increasing the amount of sustainable fabrics and hardware to reduce its environmental footprint.” The push to go green and get techy with next year’s summer technical apparel is more than a trend. Rather, it represents a turning of the tide in how active brands think and design.

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Photo courtesy Mountain Hardwear

CHange what you wear when it’s hot. Next-to-skin fabrics wick and dry, but they never truly cool. Until now. Polartec® Delta™ cooling fabric is engineered with radiating surface structures that decrease friction, dissipate heat and moisture at a rate timed to your body’s natural cooling response. This ‘just right’ approach means Delta™ keeps you cooler, drier, and more comfortable than typical next-to-skin fabrics — even in the hottest conditions.

Polartec, LLC. Polartec ® , Polartec ® Delta™ are registered trademarks of Polartec, LLC.

OUTDOOR

Photo courtesy Kelty and Fredrik Marmsater

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Social Makeover Can Camping Get Rid of its ‘Sufferfest’ Image? By David Clucas

amping isn’t just for campsites anymore. “The outdoor industry is trying to come to grips with the other ways people camp and use the equipment,” said Eureka Product Manager Paul Leonard. And the alternative to traditional backcountry overnights isn’t just car camping, he said. It could be by bike or motorcycle, or at music festivals, sporting events or someone’s private farmland. That’s opened up a flood of opportunities for tent, sleeping bag and camp furniture designers to focus on the “user experience” beyond making next year’s gear just lighter. “Being a product guy, it’s nice to see that refreshed focus — it’s not just ‘light to be light’ anymore,” Leonard said. At the summer shows we’re also seeing plenty of designs that will spur inspiration moments from consumers on the retail floor — ‘If I connect these two tents and vestibules, I can fit my bike in here, with a place to put the beer cooler over there and games table here… ’It’s a real estate deal waiting to be closed. Still, lightweight remains an important selling point, and perhaps even more so, gear that packs down small and is easily transportable for grab-and-go adventures. Core outdoor enthusiasts may have plenty of room in the Jeep, but more urban millennials will have less space in the sub-compact, or may even be catching an Uber or Lyft to the trailhead or outdoor event. And while all the party tents and fancy designs (including plenty of prints coming to camping hardgoods) are getting much fanfare, specialty retailers are telling brands that traditional tents are still their big sellers. Versatile Gear For A New Outdoor Tribe “The millennial market is moving in as the primary purchase power,” said Eric Greene, general manager of Exxel Outdoors’ Outdoor Performance Group, including Kelty and Sierra Designs. “And their purchases reflect the variety of experiences they seek.” While baby boomers tended to find a few hobbies and stick with them, millennials tend to be doing something different every week, he said. “One week it’s a festival, the next SUP, the next a mud race,” Greene said. “They favor simple everyday adventures, but doing a lot of them for a constant experience instead of just a couple big ones,” added Chris Grill, Kelty’s product design manager. “With baby boomers, it was about testing limits and boundaries,” said Cam Brensinger, CEO of Nemo Equipment. “With millennials, it’s more about enjoying and sharing the experience. We want to support all kinds of adventure — you can be in a non-freestanding tent or a rectangular bag.” This all means that today’s camping gear has to be versatile. A quick example from Kelty’s new “Built to Wander” collection is a rollup tote for one of its

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Still, within backpacking tents, the latest figures seem to reflect the anecdotal trends — according to SSI Data*, all backpacking tents sales at retail are up over the past year, with four-and-more-person tents growing faster than threeperson tents, which are outperforming two-person tents, which are doing better than solo models.

Photo courtesy Kammock

camping chairs that doubles as a firewood carrier or other gear. “It’s a super simple, well-built product that isn’t super gadgety or gimmicky,” Greene said. Versatility also allows for adventures on the go, said Kammock Founder Greg McEvilly. “The outdoors are becoming more integrated in our daily life rather than just a weekend warrior. We’re fitting more activities from 9-to-5.” “There’s also more aesthetic and style,” in camping gear these days, Greene said. “Consumers want that touch of cool that looks good, but it should never question whether it will work.” Just like in apparel, heather tones and more muted colors are replacing the bright colors and sporty looks in outdoor gear. And prints are in for hardgoods — just check some of out Big Agnes’ new tents for 2017 for a preview. But Are The Party Tents Selling? No doubt there’s plenty of buzz surrounding the larger tents — or we’re seeing plenty of so-called modular tents that can connect together via oversized vestibules for a hotel suite effect — but are retailers and consumers buying? “The industry could be out ahead of the market a bit,” Brensinger at Nemo admitted. “I don’t know if consumers are trained yet to go to REI or a specialty retailer for a fun/social camping experience. There’s been this paradox that if a tent is larger in size or your sleeping bag is rectangular, then it should be cheap and you buy it at a big-box store.” That being said, Brensinger thinks the market is catching up, and for once, he added, it’s nice for the outdoor industry to be ahead of the curve. And there are nuances. While sales data might suggest that backpacking tents are still outperforming larger social or family-camping tents, Leonard at Eureka pointed out that backpacking tents get in tariff-free, while those bigger car-camping tents do not.

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Comfort Is … At Least A Queen-Sized Mattress Perhaps the biggest challenge for today’s marketers in the camping category is to convince many consumers that camping no longer has to be a sufferfest. We’re talking more car camping here — where a two-person tent should fit a queen-sized mattress, said Eureka’s Leonard — but don’t be surprised to see some of these creature comforts sneak into backpack camping gear, too. In sleeping bags, the rectangular bag is even making a comeback, with technical features to make it lighter and pack down smaller — you might not backpack with it, but you’ll carry it in a few hundred yards to camp further away from the road. Rising sales of camp furniture, too, is a comfort story. Chairs with rockers and sun shades are meant to keep people around a little longer,” said Jeff Polke, founder and co-president of GCI Outdoor. Comfy festival seating beyond just a padded seat is another big seller. These have to be lower-to-the ground (not to block views of those sitting behind to meet the requirements for many concert venues). And everything must pack in small and light for easy transport — for example, TravelChair’s Joey Chair “weighs less than two pounds and packs down to the size of a California burrito” said Daniel Roso, vice president of sales and marketing for the brand. The small size isn’t just with hikers in mind, but for river rafters, motorcyclists, soccer games, and impromptu after-work tailgating, said Greg Wozer, vice president of Leki USA, which debuts its entry into the space next summer with a chair and table right around two pounds each. “Every car can and should have a couple of these chairs in the trunk, Wozer said. “Just in case.” Leading us to think: The millennials’ biggest fear? Being unprepared for the next social gathering. *SSI Data, powered by SportsOneSource, collects and analyzes POS data from more than 15,000 retail doors across nine channels of distribution. To learn more, call 303.997.7302 or email Solutions@SportsOneSource.com.

Photo courtesy Kelty and Fredrik Marmsater

PERFORM STRONGER. RECOVER FASTER. RESTORE YOUR BODY BACK TO IT’S PEAK LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE IN THE FASTEST POSSIBLE TIME.

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SPORTSMANS

Size Matters Hunting Packs Shrink with Smarter Designs to Carry the Catch. By Eugene Buchanan

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ike the turning leaves, the hunting category isn’t immune to changes trending in other outdoor categories. This year’s sportsmans trends focus on revamped packs, including everything from specialized women’s features, bells and whistles for accessories, new color schemes, a lessis-more renaissance and refinements catering to the “locovore” crowd. All these tweaks are helping drive sales to the hunting pack category. And there’s good reason for these design enhancements. According to Realtree.com, 47.7 percent of hunters said improved patterns affect their purchasing choice; 34.4 percent maintain that new technology affects their purchasing choice; and 20.5 percent said better size and fit affects their buying decisions. Hunters who have a military background are also an emerging customer base, representing 17 percent of overall participation in the sport. All this joins together to create the first uptick in participation numbers in decades. Smaller Packs, Heavier Loads He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother. While The Hollies might not have been hunters, the premise of their hit song has resonated with today’s big game sportsmen, with the ability to carry heavy loads in a small package being paramount. “The trend we’re seeing is people wanting smaller packs that can haul a lot of weight,” said Nathan Coates, director of inventory management, media and IT at Kifaru. “People want a pack they can use as a day pack, but one that can also haul out game meat.” Kifaru is designing two new packs specifically for that purpose for the 2016/17 season, including putting its existing 14er pack on a frame to give it added support. It’s working on a still-to-benamed daypack for the category, and have added new improvements to its popular 52-liter, Cordura Tarryall hunting backpack. The 500-denier, water repellent pack comes with internal compartments of less dense nylon and transparent netting as well as two inputs for main compartment loading, while a hybrid Omni/Wraptech suspension system with lightweight frame arcs comes with supporting pads and removable lumbar pads. “Smaller and more load capacity, that’s what we’re moving toward,” said Coates. “We’re shrinking some of our hunting packs down to daypack size.” “Today’s hunter wants a pack that is durable, lightweight and comfortable. Technically advanced materials and ergonomic designs are essential for a pack that will allow them to cover ground quickly

in the harshest backcountry environments. Having easy access to their gear at the right time is critical for success and safety,” said David Brinker at Sitka. Women Are Smarter More women are getting in the hunting category, prompting new pack designs for females. As with other outdoor gear categories, women need genderspecific fit, sizing, colors and more. "We were seeing

a lot of interest for a better-fitting women’s hunting pack,” said Slumberjack Marketing Director Marily Melis, touting the company’s female ambassador crew field-testing its new women’s Wild-Her prototype packs. “The feedback we received from [women] was tremendous, and we updated the pack with many of the new features they requested.” These include everything from better women-size styles to strap configurations suited for the female hunter.

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Going Locovore Bucking a decades-long drop in participation numbers, between 2006 to 2011 hunting participation increased by 9 percent, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's most recent five-year survey. Many attribute this rise to the growing do-it-yourself “locovore” movement and those wanting locally sourced food. Slumberjack has tapped into this market with two new packs geared toward greenhorns that encourage easy harvest hauling and quick accessory access. “You can’t find a more free-range, organic option than something you harvest yourself,” said Slumberjack’s Scott Kaier. “These packs are designed to make the process easier.” Designed for heavy loads, the 5.9 pound Rail Hauler 2.0 is sold as a frame, with a bucket-style compression system and forward-pull waist belt buckle to improve stability, and a folding bottom shelf to support weight from below, allowing you to carry up to 200 pounds. For daypacks, the new 3.3-pound Hone combines an expandable game bag shelf pocket with 2,088 cubic inches of storage with self-canting shoulder straps that contour to enhance comfort. It also comes with an external compression panel that doubles as a trophy carry system, and a weapon carry system for bow or rifle. Features For The Field Designing packs with specific features for the field is also gaining momentum, from gun-carrying and hydration systems to enhanced attachment point positioning. “Hunters are savvy backcountry travelers,” said Sitka Marketing Manager David Brinker. “They are utilizing advanced materials, lightweight gear and pushing their bodies to the limit. A pack has to be tough, lightweight, comfortable and easy to use. The ability to carry a bow and/or rifle and a hydration bladder is important, but they don’t want to spend all day looking through a thousand pockets to find what they need.” The Bivy 45 is the largest pack in the Sitka line. Three access points to the pack’s main compartment give the user quick access to their gear. An adjustable blaze orange gear shelf can be deployed from the bottom partition and used to attach additional cargo to the pack’s exterior. And a quick-release gun/ bow cable system, removable pack lid, quick detach rain fly and designated spotting scope pocket are also features. Mystery Ranch’s new 6.2-pound Metcalf hunting pack features a large main packsack with

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Kifaru 14er

Mystery Ranch Metcalf

Sitka Gear Bivy 45

Sitka Gear Ascent 12

Slumberjack Rail Hauler

4,325 cubic-inches of volume for more than a week in the field, as well as a detachable, smaller day lid for quick stalks. Built with its new Guide Light Frame, it has ample heavyweight capacity with its Overload Shelf for keeping bag contents clean when packing out a carcass. Other features include a single stretch-woven side pocket for tripod feet or bottle, hydro sleeve with toggle hang-loop for any bladder type, and face compression for bow/ rifle or shed antler carry. Specialization has also come to bird-hunting packs, as evidenced by Under Armour’s ArmourVent Turkey Vest, a 2,180-cubic-inch game bag vest pack made of polyester mesh for breathability, with four large pockets, five shot shell loops for ammo, a pouch that transforms into a shelf, drop down cushion with magnetic attachment for sitting, and an expandable pocket for holding bird decoys or extra clothing. Slumberjack emphasizes the accessory niche as well. “Our packs all have hunting specific features like the multi-weapon carry system for a bow or rifle, as well as built-in rifle rest shooting platform,” said Slumberjack’s Melis. “Little details like these catch the eye of our consumers.” Save the Weight for the Meat If backcountry skiers and backpackers are increasingly weight conscious in the field, hunters are even more so. To that end comes Mystery Ranch’s new Guide Light Frame, included on its entire external frame hunting packs. “Competitors have offered lighter packs that don’t carry as well, but consumers are only considering weight,” said Marketing Manager Jack Gavin. “They’ve leaned toward lighter packs while sacrificing performance. This solves that.” The new Guide Light, the first frame developed specifically for hunters, is lighter and taller than its predecessors, sporting a loadbearing solution that increases in stiffness as more weight is applied. Its Redirect Waistbelt secures twice as tight with the same pressure, keeping meat loads from shifting, and a fully tunable torso adjustment with mountain yoke and yoke frame sheet aids in load placement and balance. “When shouldering the weight or extraction on a backcountry hunt, sportsmen need an intelligently engineered, load-lifting frame and harness technology to provide the edge over gravity,” concluded Gavin. “Over the long haul, gravity gone unchecked will break you down.”

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SPORTS & FITNESS

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Suit Of Armor The Transformative Power of Today’s Women’s Running Apparel, and How the Industry is Working Against “Body Shamers.” By Jahla Seppanen

istorically, the female body has been a battleground. It has been exploited, shamed, ridiculed and objectified. Everyone from politicians to brands, magazines and people on the street have something to say about how it should be presented. Looking back to old ways of outfitting women, we see a garish array of apparel created to confine and remold the feminine body. Corsets, hoop-skirts, foot binding, push-up bras and stilettos each draw from culturally ordained concepts of ‘looking correct,’ having little to do with the woman being strapped in. It’s no wonder it took so long for the first woman to don a pair of shorts and run the marathon. Clothing has been proven to influence our self-perceptions, and these perceptions (I’m old, fat, unattractive) in turn produce the behaviors we undertake to modify ourselves. After centuries of being told that the outside is all that counts, women today, especially those who run or are beginning to run, have overturned the status quo with help from members of the running industry who innovate with intention toward comfort and power. Their creed: Look good, feel good. “One of the most valuable roles apparel can play is in transforming the mind,” said Oiselle Founder Sally Bergesen. “In the past, women wore clothes that worked against their conscious, physically making them off balance and feeling bad.” Look Good, Feel Good Psychology Bergesen, who personally grew one of the most influential women’s running brands in the industry, has been thinking of the relationship between mind and body as it shifts with apparel for some time (she’s even working on a TED Talk on the subject). “If anything, I want in 2017 for more women to understand the role athletic lifestyle apparel has on their minds. With the growth of athletic apparel, we have the opportunity to marry those things — ‘I look good, therefore I feel good.’ That would be the holy grail of where I see athleisure going.” Before starting Oiselle, Bergesen was a consultant in brand strategy working for giants like Microsoft and Starbucks. “I would always advise them to stand for something bigger,” she said. Carrying this mantra to Oiselle, women across the country have responded to its women’s-crafted apparel and inclusive messaging (which refers to its wearers as members of “the flock,”). The moral of the story? Nobody puts Baby in the corner. By women, for women brands have become a trend (i.e. Lucy, Athleta, Fabletics). “There’s a trust that comes with being a by-and-for-women company,” said Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC) Executive Director Deanne Buck. “And the trust is natural and initial.” Women have grabbed the running industry by the horns and carved a category out of personalized and fashionable apparel and footwear — previously shrunk down copycats of men’s clothing, with a little extra fuchsia.

“When you’re a woman who goes out and makes time to run, you’re making a commitment. It’s transformative,” said Michelle Ave, The North Face’s director of Mountain Athletics for running and training. “There’s a very strong relationship between feeling good and comfort, which is a word we wrestle with in apparel. The misconception is that comfort is frumpy, but really it’s a state where you can just enjoy and think about the run.” The North Face has made a tremendous push within its women’s running category, focusing on textiles and the latest constructions to contrast the what-was and what-is of women’s run apparel. Fellow brand Dynafit races alongside, honing in on comfort through no-disturbing seams, use of different fibers/fabrics in body mapping, and the employment of natural/ synthetic material blends. The brand’s European Product Manager, Sibylle Egele, said they would also be using more fashion/sportswear-derived patterns applied on performance apparel — a trend we’re seeing across the big players in the category. It’s no exaggeration to say that the women’s running category has given birth to a new generation of fabrics with a higher level of comfort and performance. Your Suit Of Armor With apparel made to fit the woman’s body, and not the other way around, we see more female athletes rocking their coat of arms with faster PRs and killer distances. “It’s your uniform, your suit of armor,” said elite runner Stephanie Rothstein. “Running clothes isn’t just a sports bra and shirt. Putting on an article of clothing can empower you. It’s amazing what the right shirt can do for your self image.” For both the average and elite female runner, self-image continues to hold a powerful sway over wellbeing. In 2014, Rothstein went from being an elite runner to a mom. “A lot of the time the elite world doesn’t connect well for the masses,” she said. “We’re seen as super-human. But it sparked my interest how we can connect the women’s running community.” She started sharing her post partum experience with blog readers and Instagram followers, only to become pregnant a second time in the midst of preparation for the 2016 Olympic marathon trials. “I started openly and honestly talking about what I was going through. Being an elite athlete, I had help and support, and realized a lot of women don’t. They don’t have time to take care of their bodies. And even as a pro athlete going through these changes, getting back to the highest level of my performance and job, at the most basic level I’m still a woman.” Rothstein became the Joan of Arc for women everywhere after posting an Instagram photo that lit the web ablaze, landing her articles and interviews from the biggest names in news. The post: a photo of her post partum stomach.

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No photo shopping; stretch marks included. “I had just finished a workout and was looking at my spikes. I felt so good and looked down to see my stretch marks and didn’t event care,” she told SGB. “It made me think how many other women look down on themselves and see flaws instead of strong points.” The post prompted dozens of women to applaud Rothstein, posting the hashtags #sotrue #sobold #lifehappens and flooding the feed with stories of their own post partum bodies. Sure, women have evolved to feel more confident in their skin, but it’s still very much an issue. Rothstein believes the remedy is opening the conversation and stripping the taboo. The next big topic on her horizon is exploring the huge influence a woman’s menstrual cycle has on running performance, which she explains can affect joint alignment and even loosen ligaments, making a woman more prone to injury at certain times. Designs That Win Simply built performance pieces that play upon an emotional connection will prevail over the rest, as we look forward to the 2017 spring/summer seasons. A stylish, low-quality short might mirage the consumer on the rack, but if it doesn’t convince on the road she’ll go elsewhere. “Brands will win by executing on a premium strategy,” said Ave with The North Face. She said that some consumers are initially allured by low prices, and reason, ‘why buy one high quality piece when I can buy two of medium quality for the same price?’ Her response to this logic is, “well you better grab two, because you’re gonna need them.” Smaller running brand Tracksmith has done an excellent job in the area of quality. This varsity-inspired brand offers clean and curated pieces that market an even 50/50 to women and men, with hardly any pink in sight (and for that, we thank you). Nathan Sports Product Designer and Developer Faith Piotrowski added “a fun new development in color is that gender lines are blurring in both directions. We’ve seen more than a few guys rocking what we would typically consider feminine color options, while some women gravitate to more masculine colorways.”

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Piotrowski also verified that the days of women sacrificing performance for fashion are gone, primarily due to more brands diligently creating and testing women-specific products. Or better yet, more women creating brands of their own, like the rising made-in-Cali running brand Rabbit — formed by Monica DeVreese, a former Adidas and Deckers product manager turned specialtyretail owner, and Jill Deering, an elite track star turned attorney. Having sent out their first orders in spring 2016, Rabbit has already wowed female runners with its soft, simple and smart outfits. And since Monica and Jill practice what they preach (the two met on a Santa Barbara group run and have been thinking of designs to change the women’s running apparel industry since then), we don’t expect this newbie brand to be washed out by big-box or fast fashion. “Our goal is to be the number one apparel brand in the running specialty channel,” said Devreese. “It’s pretty simple.” This isn’t a single-gender mission. More established brands like Brooks Running and Smartwool — run by men — are also doing their part to advance women in the industry. Buck at the OIWC called out Brooks CEO Jim Weber as a leader to note, vetting a CEO Pledge through the entire company to actively

bring more women into decision-making positions. Buck added that this attitude from the top is the only way to see real change, saying “Research shows that until the CEO comes out and says its important, any internal initiative will not be successful. Smartwool President Mark Satkiewicz was another name Buck highlighted. “He has been committed to hiring the best talent and found a lot of it were women. And since his time at the helm, the company has been incredibly successful,” Buck added. It takes effort to look at biases that work against women, especially within the hiring process. Understanding there are many talented women out there who are qualified but may not have industry experience is the first step. “Looking at our lens in which we evaluate candidates, we need to validate a love for running as equal to experience,” Buck said. “The running industry is at a great intersection of passion and profession, situated to attract and retain talented women.” And for female consumers who resonate with brands that internally promote their own, don’t be fooled by marketing campaigns. A brand may come out with a new women’s-specific line, but that doesn’t always mean the infrastructure

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or executive leadership of the company is concerned with promoting women in the industry. And while more brands enter the women’s apparel space, it’s worth noting who is there for the right reasons. When Dressing Up Is Condemned Yes, the options for women runners today are becoming almost endless, which means it’s time to shop. While women flip through style magazines to find inspiration from celebrities wearing their sports bras and leggings from the gym to the smoothie shop, they mirror apparel trends by dressing up for fitness. According to our female category leaders, this is great. Why not make fitness fun? The same argument has been made to make-up shamers, who mock women that wear blush or mascara to the gym. If it makes them feel better, why should anyone else care? In the pursuit of looking good to feeling good, and in turn having a better workout, there remains a disharmony between what is deemed acceptable once the consumer exits the shop and enters the gym. Within the past several years, average female gym-goers have reported a rash of body shaming incidents involving gym owners and employees. The majority involves claims that these women were kicked out due to “revealing” apparel. Within the past year alone, an Ottawa woman working out with her husband was told by gym staff that her chest was “too large” for her tank top, making her feel “degraded” and embarrassed by her body to the point of leaving the gym; a student was kicked out of an athletic facility by a male director for wearing a Lululemon top that was “cut too low,” in the back; another university student was thrown out of the school gym for donning a muscle tank; two women were asked to leave a university fitness center for wearing sports bras; a pregnant woman was told her belly was too visible in her “tight clothing,” and must cover herself or be forced to leave; and another woman sporting a matching pink legging/tank outfit headed to the gym after recovering from a car accident to be told by staff, “you’re intimidating people with your toned body. Could you please put a shirt on?” It could be assumed that the issue we have regarding women’s running and fitness apparel, and the way it looks on the body, is one of overexposure, but other incidents have been reported where an Orthodox woman in New York was threatened to be arrested at her gym for wearing a long skirt while working out, and an older Muslim woman was kicked out of a Planet Fitness for wearing a head scarf. Thank You, Stomach Women are constantly being told what is and is not acceptable for them to wear, but the industry, its brands, leaders, athletes and consumers, aren’t backing down and allowing the shamers any more say-so. So support your customers in their style choices, wear a crop top on the treadmill, opt for the dark blue color over the cotton candy, say thank you to your stomach, talk about challenges with embarrassment and suit up in whatever makes you feel powerful, strong and beautiful.

46 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

Women’s Destination Races Fly, Share, Run

By Jahla Seppanen

ore than ever before, women are entering the running world by way of destination races. These events, whether 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon or fun runs, are responding with special programming and perks that cater to the ‘girls’ weekend.’ (i.e. Nike’s Women’s Running events that include Tiffany & Co. swag for finishers.) “For Newton Running and our entire industry, in the last few years we’ve been trying to get more women to events,” said Johannes Schmidt, director of events for Newton Running. Despite its initial launch in the tri-world (a largely male-dominated sport), Newton has been ramping its events with women, including sponsoring destination races, wine-country marathons and more. In fact, a lot of companies are going femme. Schmidt added, “I see less guys going away for the weekend to run a race. Destination races have a social feeling which the female tribe is driving.” He added that destination running has the dual benefit of being a great bonding event for women — whether besties, mother and daughter or work colleagues. Oiselle Founder Sally Bergesen verified, “women want to get together in more interesting places to run. The industry by and large has an old model of go to a run specialty store for a group run, get your free t-shirt and go home. This has grown and hinged a lot on the increased presence of women in the sport … we have a higher standard for personal meet-ups and the race experience.” Leaders in the women’s running industry are tapping this social tendency. “Women are so much more uniquely social,” Bergesen continued. “From meals, travel, hanging out, I do think there’s a split between the genders.” For many female consumers, once they depart college/schooling there is no obvious place to be connected to a team. According to Oiselle, this is also around the time women’s sports participation drops off. A career, serious relationship, pet; these further the disengagement. The brains behind The North Face’s Mountain Athletics running & training department, Michelle Ave, pinned social and digital trends from color runs to destination events as a way for women to get together and share their love of running. “It’s not an individual pursuit,” she said. “The future is absolutely in social.” So, does it all mean a boost for the industry and running footwear? Well… one concern of late has been downward price pressures playing into the

woman’s 5k and 10k outfitting experience. It used to be that women got the proper gear and advice from a run specialty store. Today, the popularity of women’s running in fashion brings her the availability to browse the aisles of footwear discount stores — finding $50 shoes that look $100 and can withstand shorter 5k to 10k distances. The tendency to purchase a cheaper running shoe that will in essence, ‘do the job,’ is pivotal, and only heightened by the trend of fast fashion. If a woman can find a style-driven running shoe for half the price, she feels like she has already won. Product education seminars might be a nice addition to the weekend getaways. Despite those shifts, an increase in female runners is something everyone can rally behind. Destination races have become more than a “to-do” for women to check off their list. The enhanced aesthetic and positive mood around these events have proven to be a powerful gateway to recreational running. And that’s when cheap alternatives just won’t stand – no matter how cute. If you are looking for a women’s-specific running event to escape to next year, take a look at four essential women’s run events: Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon Napa, Sonoma, CA http://destinationraces.com/runn2s/ Bridge of the Goddess Half Marathon and 10k Cascade Locks, OR https://runwithpaula.com/bridge-of-the-goddess-half-marathon-10k/ The Mermaid Series San Diego, East Bay and San Francisco, CA mermaidseries.com Cocoa Women’s Half Marathon San Antonio, TX cocoahalf.com

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INDUSTRY CALENDAR

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS BUYING GROUPS

AUGUST 2-4 FFANY

14-16

NBS Fall Athletic Show Fort Worth, TX

Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Open Air Demo | Salt Lake City, UT

3-6

Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Salt Lake City, UT

17-19

Athletic Business Conference & Expo Orlando, FL

11-13

Sports Inc. Outdoor Show Minneapolis, MN

15-17

EORA Greenville Summer Show Greenville, SC

15-17

MAGIC Show | Las Vegas, NV

15-17

Agenda Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV

23-25 EORA Summer Market Killington, VT 28-1 30-2

Worldwide Fall Show | Reno, NV

30-4

Eurobike | Friedrichshafen, Germany

NBS Fall Semi-Annual Market

20-22 Sports Inc. Fall Team Dealers Show Las Vegas, NV 29-2 30

The Running Event | Orlando, FL FFANY | New York, NY

DECEMBER 1-2 FFANY | New York, NY 1-2

The Running Event | Orlando, FL

6-8

MRA December Lansing Market Lansing, MI

13-14

MRA December Market Cincinnati, OH

SEPTEMBER 1 Worldwide Fall Show | Reno, NV

JANUARY 5-8 CES | Las Vegas, NV

8-10

Imprinted Sportswear Show Orlando, FL

9-11

8-10

Surf Expo | Orlando, FL

14-15

SFIA Industry Leaders Summit Denver, CO

10-12 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Salt Lake City, UT

21-23

Interbike | Las Vegas, NV

MRA January Novi Market Novi, MI

10-12

Archery Trade Association (ATA) Show | Indianapolis, IN

26-28 OIA Rendezvous | Denver, CO

15-17

NRF Retail's BIG Show New York City, NY

26-28 Shop.org Digital Summit 2016 Dallas, TX

17-19

Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show | Las Vegas, NV

OCTOBER 6-8 Imprinted Sportswear Show Fort Worth, TX

17-20

NBS 2017 Winter Market Fort Worth, TX

17-20

NSSF SHOT Show | Las Vegas, NV

13-14

The Retailing Summit | Dallas, TX

25-28 NASGW Annual Meeting & Expo Kansas City, MO

20-22 Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS) Long Beach, CA

27-30 ADA Fall Buying Show Glendale, AZ

24-27 PGA Merchandise Show Orlando, FL

NOVEMBER 7-11 Grassroots Fall Summit & Connect Knoxville, TN

26-28 Surf Expo | Orlando, FL

48 2016 SUMMER SHOW ISSUE

25-29 SIA Snow Show | Denver, CO

Athletic Dealers of America 1395 Highland Avenue Melbourne, FL 32935 t 321.254.0091 athleticdealersofamerica.com National Shooting Sports Foundation Flintlock Ridge Office Center 11 Mile Hill Road Newtown, CT 06470 t 203.426.1320 nssf.org National Sporting Goods Association 1601 Feehanville Drive I Suite 300 Mount Prospect, IL 60056 t 847.296.6742 nsga.org Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Sports 4216 Hahn Blvd. Ft. Worth, TX 76117 t 817.788.0034 nbs.com Outdoor Industry Association 4909 Pearl East Circle I Suite 300 Boulder, CO 80301 t 303.444.3353 outdoorindustry.org Sports & Fitness Industry Association 8505 Fenton Street I Suite 211 Silver Spring, MD 20910 t 301.495.6321 sfia.org Snow Sports Industries America 8377-B Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102 t 703.556.9020 snowsports.org Snowsports Merchandising Corp. 235 Cadwell Drive Springfield, MA 01104 t 413.739.7331 Snowsportsmerchandising.com Sports, Inc. 333 2nd Avenue North Lewistown, MT 59457 t 406.538.3496 sportsinc.com Sports Specialists Ltd. 590 Fishers Station Drive I Suite 110 Victor, NY 14564 t 585.742.1010 sportsspecialistsltd.com Tennis Industry Association 1 Corpus Christi Place I Suite 117 Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 t 843.686.3036 tennisindustry.org Worldwide 8211 South 194th Kent, WA 98032 t 253.872.8746 wdi-wdi.com

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