“We are still occupying nine exhibition halls, which is very, very strong,” said Lena Haushofer, Exhibition Director of Ispo Munich, during her presentation of the current data and facts about Ispo during the trade fair. 1,750 exhibitors from 54 countries, more start-ups than ever before, but also a little less space than last time, “everything has become a little more compact,” continued Haushofer. Well-filled aisles (at least on Monday), lots of opportunities to try out sports for yourself – from paddleball to boxing – and otherwise the event didn’t give the impression that Messe München had lost the fun of the ISPO.
There were top-class discussions, a successful premiere of the retail conference format with regional and international perspectives. The trade fair also had inspiration to offer: important brands that embody the spirit of an urban, modern sports community were presented in Highsnobiety’s special 520M area and the company’s own Zeitgeist area. The well-known brands here included Rains, On, Peak Performance, Merrell and Napapijri, but also newcomers such as Karma8a, a young bouldering community brand from Paris, the London golf brand Manors and Roa, an Italian urban outdoor brand. They were complemented by established outdoor greats such as Bergans of Norway, Icebug, fitness brands such as Athletica and winter sports brands such as 4F.
The further development of Urban Outdoor
There were also trade fair premieres, such as the European launch of the Chinese high-end brand Vertex from the Chinese down specialist Bosideng. This was developed together with the designer and Acronym founder Errolson Hugh. Bosideng, one of the largest down jacket manufacturers in China, is gradually venturing into the European market. The first flagship store was opened in London, and the company now wants to attract more European retailers and consumers with the Vertex brand. “Vertex is our answer to the market: urban lifestyle and the functionality of outdoor clothing are merging,” says Yuandan Feng, Executive Director of Bosideng’s Innovation & Research team. After all, highly functional fashion not only compensates for temperature fluctuations when climbing mountains, but also in cities where you constantly move from inside to outside. At Ispo, Bosideng could also be seen in another form, namely in the area of the Ispo Awards, with which the brand has repeatedly been recognized for its product innovations in recent years.
Serab Levent, Strategy Director at Highsnobiety, also points out that “outdoor is not just mountains and trails. It is also a culture, an identity and a community that is at home in urban regions. The built environment is the new wilderness, not in opposition to nature, but in constant dialogue with it.” Ice bathing or open water swimming in rivers and lakes in metropolises such as Paris, Munich or London bring wild experiences back into everyday urban life. But bouldering is also evolving. René Grianourt, founder of the bouldering label Karma8a from Paris: “We are a new generation of climbers and were looking for something that reflects our lifestyle and our identity. We didn’t find that with the big brands.” He now sees bouldering as a new, international movement, similar to what skateboarding or snowboarding used to be.
Urban looks could also be seen at the Japanese outdoor brand Snow Peak, which presented a down-lined, fireproof and waterproof poncho that can be converted into a sleeping bag or picnic blanket. In the clothing line, the brand relies on classic ripstop fabrics that create a retro feeling and at the same time appear clean and minimalist. In addition to light jackets, Roa also showed super-light, multifunctional handbags with a fashionable look, which are also aimed at an urban audience and are quite surprising within the classic outdoor scene. Rains, on the other hand, showed jacket and trousers combinations made of thick fleece fabrics with pleated trousers and short, wide jackets with elasticated hems.
The topic of sustainability is still in high demand
As in previous years, the sustainability area with the Material Lab was one of the areas with great appeal. Selected companies and organizations that support the industry in achieving ecological transformation presented themselves here. For example, Textile Exchange presented its new meta-standard “Materials Matter”, which will not be officially launched until December 12th. It is intended to replace all previous standards and combine them into one by 2027. “We want to reduce the complexity and make it easier for the end consumer to comply with standards,” said the Textile Exchange representative.
The shoe manufacturer Icebug presented an innovative solution for reducing CO2 emissions in the supply chain that should set a precedent: Instead of having to invest in solar panels to generate electricity, the roof areas were rented out by all supplier companies to electricity manufacturers, who generate solar electricity there at their own expense. The advantage: There are no costs for the suppliers!
One of the highlights in the Material Lab was the company Colorifix, which causes bacteria to recreate dyes in plants or animals based on their genetic codes. The color is obtained via a fermentation process and can be used in standard industrial processes. This process also saves 77 percent water and 35 percent energy and no environmentally harmful wastewater is produced.
Looking ahead: The new trade fair in Amsterdam
But of course the trade fair also showed the difficulties that led to the Munich location being abandoned. Before the pandemic, the trade fair had over 80,000 visitors; last year there were only 55,000. The almost complete loss of the winter sports segment – previously the flagship and mainstay of the winter trade fair – was also a serious loss that could hardly be compensated for.
“The consumer goods shows have changed,” says Messe München CEO Stefan Rummel. “New retail models have emerged and the industry has become fragmented,” Rummel continued. The trade fair was also unable to accommodate the earlier date that the industry wanted due to other occupancy. “We tried a lot. But it hasn’t improved.” Handing over Ispo to a different location and a new organization was a strategic decision that had to be made. Otherwise the Ispo would no longer have existed next year. Rummel: “You disrupt yourself, or you get disrupted”.
The new trade fair organizers, the Raccoon Media Group from London, also used the last Ispo Munich to advertise the new event in Amsterdam. It will take place there for the first time with a new concept from November 3rd to 5th, 2026. Companies like Burton Snowboards or Pentland have at least been able to win over speakers, reports CEO Mike Seaman. Raccoon also wants to integrate skateboard ramps and climbing walls to create the right atmosphere. Seaman wants to invest one million euros. As the saying goes: “For every end there is also a new beginning”.