Outdoor and fashion have been approaching each other for years – visible in trends such as gorpcore or fashionable functional parts. But what consumer: Combining the inside of course often brings brands and trade into a strategic dilemma.
Limits of the segments are still quite rigid in the trade
Gorpcore is only the latest example of a long series of mergers in the past few years. Sometimes it was advertised to place fashion brands in outdoor trading, sometimes for the fact that outdoor brands could make the fashion trade more attractive. After all, the consumers do it: inside: they combine both segments completely carefree, such as the outdoor jacket to the jeans or the trail running shoes to the skirt. Just because a product was developed for mountain sports does not mean that it is used there.
But: What is possible in the wardrobe: It is not possible in a very uncomplicated manner in the real trade world. The boundaries between the two segments are more impermeable than you might think – and even for good reason. Because in the long term, this indecisiveness of which side you want to belong can cause serious problems. A look at the past 20 years has been proven.
Fashion captures outdoor brands – not always to your best
Helly Hansen is an early example of this. The Scandinavian outdoor and sail mark was “hijacked” by the hip-hop scene in the 1990s, without this being intended by Helly Hansen. Suddenly the HH buffer jackets could be seen all over the streets and schoolyards, and it didn’t matter where the brand actually came from and what it originally stood for. The unexpected sales boom followed an unnecessary awakening, because the actual target group of Helly Hansen found this appropriation rather as a deterrent. And of course the fashion trend continued after a few seasons. The brand was burned.
Adidas had to struggle with the same phenomenon when the hip-hop band Rundmc sang a song of praise on the three strips, and finally went on to separate fashion and performance with the launch of Adidas Originals and other sub-brands-in the collection, in sales and in marketing. To this day, Adidas is doing well and creates the considerable balancing act between top sport, mass -produced and fashion world.
Adidas Terrex, the outdoor division of the brand, still has a hard time. When Terrex was launched in 2011, Adidas was able to buy the best mountain sports enthusiasts: on the inside for marketing, but that was not enough for the necessary credibility. The outdoor scene remained skeptical. Adidas adhered to exactly what she did not identify: mass market and fashion. To this day, Terrex looks like it is still in the finding phase: Sometimes the focus is on sustainability, sometimes urbanity, sometimes high-end functionality. It can be speculated whether the Terrex stores in Germany did not work in Germany.
But basically it can be said: The classic outdoor target group does not feel ennobled when suddenly modelers or stars keep their outdoor brands in the cameras and is no longer recognizable on the street who really loves outdoor sports and whoever adorns themselves.
Outdoor brands are actively distance from fashion image
The list of outdoor brands that have suddenly been hyped by fashion in recent years or suddenly developed hybrid, fashionable collections can be easily extended: The North Face and Salomon are now also trying to use separate performance and fashion collections, some with separate shops. Mammut also ventured into fashion with golden down jackets, white mountain boots and pink climbing ropes – and was punished for it. Today’s CEO Heiko Schäfer (who interests Boss, interestingly) last year advertised the slogan “We are not a streetwear brand” and likes to emphasize that such escapades will no longer exist at Mammut.
The Canadian premium outdoor brand Arc’Teryx had already founded a fashion branch with the sub-fire Veilance over 15 years ago, with high-priced, minimalist high-tech parts for everyday life. Interestingly, the fashion crowd did not fall on the fashion offshoot Veilance when Arc’teryx climbed the fashion Olympus two or three years ago-for example through a collab with Jil Sander-but on the classic outdoor line or even the military division. Here, too, the sudden fashion boom of the credibility of the fire should have harmed and little like the core target group. Therefore, Arc’Teryx now distances itself from the short but violent fashion Liaison. “The larger our footprint, the more we make sure that we communicate and define our core positioning more,” said Sven Radtke, General Manager EMEA of Arc’Teryx to open the new store in Munich in the fashionunited interview. “Of course, everyone can buy our products inside, but we would never position ourselves Gorpcore or another trend for the sake of fashion.” Larger fashion collabs are “no longer an issue and by no means planned for the coming seasons” is the strategy today.
The example of Arc’Teryx also shows that fashion is interested in outdoor collections because they have a certain image and stand for something. Why else does the fashion world are not satisfied with Veilance? Why does it have to be the hardcore outdoor line? Because outdoor is the original because it is primarily functional and therefore distinguishable from other looks. Because it lives from the technical innovation, not from the optical. Outdoor brands are proud that some of their products remain part of the collection unchanged for decades. Think of Fjällräven, which has almost unchanged its Greenland collection or the Kanken backpack for over 50 years. Or at Lowa, whose Renegade hiking shoe will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary. In contrast to fashion, this resistance is outdoor, and that is the same reason why tennis, football or ballet looks can be taken up by fashion as visible elements and remain recognizable as such.
Who benefits from the outdoor hype?
Let’s take a look at what the Gorpcore hype has actually brought-and who. In any case, he brought range and new target groups to the outdoor market-especially after pandemic, when an urban fashion audience suddenly started to be interested in functional clothing and the advantages of classic outdoor activities such as hiking and camping. However, this new target group and the question of how long it will remain relevant is (e) of the outdoor industry, however, because it is not primarily intended to capture the outdoor image for fashionable purposes, but really wanted functional clothing-but which suited her clothing habits, which was fashionable and did not feel like a cladding.
Who gave the hype more sales? The brands will definitely be at short notice. Arc’Teryx and Salomon have recorded good sales growth in recent years. For classic outdoor trading, however, the fashion hype may have been quite uninteresting, especially for the small dealers: inside who have no place to present the topic separately. “Fashion customer: Inside, not suddenly go to an outdoor business to buy an outdoor brand, just because outdoor is now trendy,” said a retail expert from the outdoor industry years ago and thus opposed the usual storytelling of some trade fairs or specialist publications. After all: Large dealers: Inside and Sport Schuster in Munich took up the topic and dedicated to the fashionable Gorpcore collections close to the ater-related surfaces in order to attract new customers.
Above all, it should have been the fashion retailers: inside who were able to implement the topic profitably. Businesses such as Newseum in Nuremberg, PRM in Prague or KA-YO in Copenhagen have new, hybrid concepts for fashion sectors: Inside, which are looking for this vibe between outdoor tradition and fashion innovation. This also created new stages for young, new brands that specialize in this hybrid world between sport and fashion.
Conclusion: The real approximation of the segments takes generations
Does the question remain how long this hype continues and where it develops? It cannot be assumed that the importance of physical cult and nature experience will decrease in the coming years. It therefore suggests that sport and outdoor will continue to remain an important source of inspiration for fashion, especially the authentic styles that are recognizable and trigger emotions. However, the extent of this influence will fluctuate. The only way to integrate is only the comfort that goes hand in hand with functional materials, and of which modern consumers: hardly want to say goodbye to the inside. However, as long as real outdoor athletes want to differentiate between inside and fashion people, they will neither shop in the same shops-not even online-nor will brands develop a real interest in focusing more and permanently.
However, the hybrid target group, which is younger, interested in sports and neither the classic outdoor target group nor the pure fashion customer: can be assigned to the inside. It is the germ cell for the gradual further development of the outdoor and sports collections as well as for the real approach between fashion and outdoor, even if these topics in mainstream fashion should no longer be so visible for a few seasons. For the near future, the trend barometer first turns to “conventional fashion”.