Outdoor Retailer said it “did see a dip in overall attendance” at its recent Summer Market show but the event still tallied more than 18,000 overall attendees and approximately 5,000 buyers. However, the level of energy and enthusiasm of the retailers and vendors who did make the trip to Salt Lake City certainly overshadowed any reduction in the numbers.
Many veterans of the outdoor industry felt like the decline in attendance made the show feel more like a community than an industry. In a tribute to his feeling about this years show, Geoff OKeeffe, VP of operations for American Recreation Products, said in an open essay to the industry, “Years ago, we created the foundation for this $9 billion industry that has sustained us, helped us give back to our communities and our natural world, taught us about ourselves, our businesses and our responsibilities, and it has been more fun than should ever be possible with your clothes on.” He wrote, “When we began, we were amateurs. But that never stopped us. As we all do in the wilderness, we relied on our wits, our guts and our native intelligence to create an industry, a livelihood and a network of ethical and responsible corporate citizens.”
However the decline in numbers did raise some concerns on the floor. While some attribute the declines to the shift in show dates and the lack of attendance of paddlesports retailers, the more likely explanation is the difficult economy. Joe Flynn, group vice president for the Nielsen Sports Group, the parent company of Outdoor Retailer, pointed out that the economic environment for specialty outdoor retailers is vastly different today than it was 12 months ago.
“It is virtually impossible to compare the world in the summer of 2009 to any other past years. The whole world, including the outdoor industry, has gone through a great deal of economic change and upheaval,” said Flynn. “This being said, I am thrilled that the overwhelming feedback from our retailers and exhibitors is that ORSM 2009 was a huge success and demonstrated the strong backbone of our industry. We received nothing but positive input about the strength of the buying power at our show!”
In a statement, the show's organizers said participants of the 2009 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market are optimistic about the opportunities for the outdoor recreation market and are committed to weathering the economic challenges together.
Grammici has reached out to support its dealers by introducing an initiative for 2010 called “Being There.” The program was created to provide its dealers with several business solutions to help motivate consumers to buy, including more gross margin, and prices that are between 15% and 25% less than a year ago, even for its core G-Series products.
But delivering compelling product will also be a big aid for retailers, and Marty Weeing, CEO of Gramicci, believes the Grammici line fits today's consumers' mentality. “Most important was bringing a Spring product line that was designed to meet head on the emerging consumer mindset,” said Weeing. “Give me REAL – product that exceeds expectations for being cool, and heightens the quality of the outdoor experience with REAL value, quality and function.”
In particular, he believes the focus will be on organic performance apparel. At Gramicci 42% of its product offering is made of organic or recycled materials, and the brand has several exclusives in sustainable performance products.
Horny Toad is launching its most extensive apparel collection to date with styles for men and women. The collections continue to be based around the use of sustainable fabrics and include ten new materials this season. For the Spring 2010 collection, 99% of the Horny Toad line features an eco-component. Layering and the combination of smooth, fine fabrics with an ultra soft hand is reflected with new materials and styles including light-weight jackets, dresses and skirts.
Kate Larramendy, design director at Horny Toad, is seeing a trend toward “Meaningful Consumption” that will be a key driver to consumer purchasing. “Consumers will not only want to buy products that are fresh, aesthetically pleasing, of enduring style and built to last, they will also want to buy from companies who are making responsible choices socially and environmentally when it comes to how they build their products and how they run their business,” said Larramendy. “As designers it is important to understand this value equation of meaningful consumption as we embark on Spring 2010. The clothes we design need to be socially versatile and actively accommodating allowing us the ability to do more with less.”
Woolrich highlighted both its tan label and white label collections for SS10 at OR Summer Market. “While the tan label focuses on lifestyle apparel, the white label focuses on performance both are geared for the active outdoors,” said Jerry Rinder, VP of sales and marketing for Woolrich. “This season, Woolrich is putting a lot of emphasis on the performance collection, sourcing branded materials such as Cocona, Teflon Fabric Protector, and Dri-Release with Freshguard, to provide ultimate comfort and durability on any adventure.”
At Merrell Apparel, execs believe its 2010 apparel collection is the one most closely aligned to its well-established footwear line since apparel was launched in Fall 2007. “One of the big things about the 2010 collection is that .if you covered up the logo and looked at it, you would get a very strong sense that this has Merrell DNA to it,” said Jordan Wand, VP and general manger of Merrell apparel. “That's one of the big stories we have to tell.”
For example, the Ride Of Your Life collection is designed for commuter cycling includes performance materials that enables the rider to perform on his or her bike on the way to work but also can be worn in the office or social setting. The pants include a drop tail to protect the rider from being sprayed by water from the road. Wand said the Merrell team is also finding that active women continue to look for much more beyond the “pink it and shrink it” of years past. The brand has come out with a broad selection of performance tanks and tops and for the first time is launching women's dresses.
Also aiding Merrell apparel side is that the group now has a dedicated team selling just apparel.
Royal Robbins' Spring 2010 collection plays up vibrant colors with the aid of fabric innovations. “We are seeing are softer fabrics with more functionality including wicking (Dry X-treme & Burlingtons M.C.S. Blocker Moisture Control System), UPF protection and stretch,” said Jud Taylor, director of sales and marketing, “Multifunctional features are in high demand. Roll-up pants, shorts and shirts are a growth area for us.”
Skirts and dresses are seen as a particularly big opportunity for Royal Robbins. A new category on the womens side is City Play, which features fashionable styles with technical fabrics. Its new Paseo Stretch Nylon fabric, which provides UPF 50+ protection, is also getting a great reaction. In men's, a new addition to its Go Everywhere category is the Adventure Canvas, which includes UPF protection and moisture wicking (Dry X-treme & Burlingtons M.C.S. Blocker Moisture Control System).
Columbia has been working to re-establish its brand among outdoor specialty retailers and is apparently making some real progress. This project has been underway for the past 18-24 months and the Spring 2010 product line is the first tangible result.
Going forward, Columbia will focus more on end-use product development and marketing rather than just building outerwear, sportswear and footwear. The company will focus on several key end-users, with product dedicated to trail, travel, water, fishing, golf, and seasonally, winter/snow sports. The company has also shifted its target demographic slightly. Previously, Columbia was targeting the 18-49 year-old customer, but now the brand is narrowing its focus to the 18-35 year-old demographic.
In particular, Columbia will be focusing the vast majority of its marketing resources around the trail running category. However, the company believes that there is much crossover between trail running, hiking, camping, and mountain biking, so the campaign should appeal to a broader audience.
Sierra Designs' Apparel 2010 collection will focus primarily on our ThermoFusion technology and soft shell fabrics. ThermoFusion uses heat and a small amount of adhesive to replace traditional stitching to create apparel that is stronger, lighter and easier to manufacture.
The Sierra Designs design team is seeing fabrics that are becoming increasingly flexible with more stretch to provide greater freedom of movement. Features such as waterproof zippers and electronics-compatible pockets are increasing in popularity. Miller also said fit is also becoming more universal with the introduction of stretch fabrics. “The look is more “techy” than ever while colors need to run the spectrum from bold and bright to muted earth tones, allowing customers to select the colors that work best for them and where they will be using the garment.”
GoLite is unveiling a brand new Adventure Travel collection that enables a man or woman to travel for seven to ten days anywhere in the world with no checked bags. The collection includes technical travel jackets, tops and bottoms in a natural color palette, all made from comfortable, wrinkle-resistant, quick drying fabrics. The cuts are stylish and details such as discreet passport and key pockets make the transition from trail to town.
GoLite's updated trail running collection offers lightweight, quick drying run tops in bright, bold colors that offer superior breathability and a UPF of 50+. The Trail Run bottoms feature an array of quick dry shorts and skirts that are extremely versatile and built to move. But a main focus for GoLite across its lines is its focus on using eco-friendly materials and minimizing its environmental impact.
Toward that end, GoLite is unveiling is a new tool called The GoLite Index to assess its products against its mission to deliver high performance outdoor gear with minimal environmental impact. The GoLite Index is a scorecard that transparently addresses the companys highest impact social and environmental decisions. Each product is run through a rigorous set of criteria that combines knowledge of the materials used, findings from audits of production facilities, transportation distances, and many other factors, to shine a light on three main areas of potential impact.
At Arc'Teryx, a big focus is on light fabrics that are durable. “The applications for our trail running/endorphin clothing and our new backpacks have us building some great new fast and light product that will stand the test of time,” said Carl Moriarty, Design Manager Apparel.
“Historically speaking light products meant less durable, and we did not see our competitors concentrating on making durable fast and light product. Our focus is always on durability so having our fabric partners support us with some great new fabrics has helped us bring to market products like the Ether series crews, and the Velox Comp Crew, and our Aerios, Altra and Axios pack lines. On another note we are psyched about our lifestyle casual clothing line, for we have taken what we know about ergonomics and range of motion for our technical clothing and infused these standards in patterning into our lifestyle clothes.”
The North Face is seeing a trend towards versatility and lightweight options. “The idea of doing more with less, especially in this economy. Consumers really value versatility, and aren't buying what they want, but what they need,” said Amy Goldhammer, spokesperson for TNF. “We are also seeing a lot more color, bright colors throughout the industry. In Men's category, which is traditionally a more neutral palate of navys, forest greens, greys and browns, bright colors are popping up.”
Mountain Hardwear is increasing its Trail Run apparel to go along with a rise in popularity. The very-technical collection features comfortable fabrics, 3M visibility, and fast colors.
“Springtime alpine pursuits require gear that is ultralight, breathable and easy to pack and layer,” said Mountain Hardwear's Outerwear Product Manager Sandra Rossi. “Spring Alpine is all about technical fabrics and advanced construction to protect from snow, rain, and sleet
typical Spring weather at elevation. This collection unites 20D shell fabrics, lightweight insulating pieces and durable soft shell in a collection defined by durability and packability.”
Mountain Hardwear is also introducing a new On-the-Go collection featuring commuter-friendly apparel with Dri-Release on the panels, body or waist for wicking comfort, flip-up 3m reflective hems for nighttime visibility. Organic cotton in casual pieces and recycled poly content. “For me, On-the-Go means being dry and comfortable no matter what you are doing or where youre headed,” said Mountainwear Product Manager Tracey Mammolito. “In this collection, I focused on the details using comfortable, stretch fabrics and Dri-Release in the body, lining and panels, perfect for running errands and long travel days. Several styles feature a flip-up, 3M reflective hems and cuffs for safety during the summer commute.”
In running apparel, in developing its Excel Run apparel styles, Fluid running packs and its run-specific accessories including gloves and gaiters, Mountain Hardwear tapped into the many resources available through Montrail, its sister company.
“The athletes were invaluable in creating a very technical and comprehensive line of running-specific styles that are made for comfort on the trail,” says Tracey Mammolito, Mountainwear Product Manager. “The key words for this category are: function, fit, moisture management and performance.”
At Patagonia, one highlight of its 2010 collection is the M10 alpine shell. “Last year, Yvon went to the design team and asked them to create the lightest, most durable hardshell they could- the sky was the limit,” said Rob Bondurant, VP of marketing. “The result is our new M10 Jacket and Pants, which are made of the lightest weight 3-layer fabric weve ever developed- only 2.2 oz per yard. The complete jacket weighs less that 11 ounces and the pants less than 9 ounces. This breakthrough is huge for alpinists, like our own Steve House, because a few ounces can make the difference between life and death.”
Overall themes for Spring 2010 for Patagonia are focused on three areas: super light alpine shells, technical fabrics translating to sportswear, and fashionable sun protection.
Smartwool is introducing a new SportStyle fabrication called Casuwool, a 17.5 micron, 100% merino fabric that we are using for tees and tops in both the mens and womens collections. The company is also seeing a bigger acceptance of color and pattern that we have in the past, especially in outdoors Indeed, a particular trend is toward more optimistic colors, which it calls Poptimistic.
“We have a strong, fun palette for women and a more traditional outdoor palette for guys,” said Kelly Gorder, SmartWool's director of sales, apparel & accessories. “Our wool takes these colors beautifully and we are excited for some fun and excitement coming into the line from the palette perspective.”
Gorder said SmartWool is hearing about some consumer spending tightening around sportswear purchases, more from an overall velocity perspective, and not necessarily individual price points. To help drive Spring 2010 business, Smartwool is offering more incentives for mutual profitability around our key initiatives.
“In season now for F09, we have identified and communicated where we have key inventory to help drive business through Q3 and Q4 with our strongest styles,” said Gorder. “And we continue to support in store presentations helping drive our product at retail.”
Sustainability and eco-friendly fabrics not surprisingly continue to be a major focus for Polartec. “Even in this tough economy, demand has grown worldwide for Polartec recycled content performance fabrics,” said Nate Simmons, Director of Marketing at Polartec. In fact, in 2009 over 30% of our total production will contain recycled content. Thats up from 20% last year.”
He said Polartec has also focused on several energy conservation initiatives to reduce our impact. New HVAC systems, efficient compressors and upgraded lighting have reduced its electricity consumption by 17%.
Redesigned hangtags use 60% less paper overall and include recycled content fiber starting in Spring 2010.
“These are all major capital investments but they will bear fruit both for the environment and our bottom line. We are also planning to re-commission a century-old hydro electric damn on our property in Lawrence, MA.,” said Simmons.
