Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/861940
The Last Outdoor Retailer in SLC 1. Sportswear takes a dive. e watersport companies are just better at the whole "beach and beers with friends" thing. eir clothing and presentation is younger, more relaxed, and dare I say it, Californian looking than the stodgy offerings from the traditional outdoor brands. Outdoor taste has always moved from West to East. 2. Prints provide differentiation. And designers thought picking color was hard... now they have to pick prints (and color them). is is a big company game and it separates larger development teams from the smaller brands with fewer resources. 3. Dogpatch comes alive. e climbing world is energized as the torch has been passed on to another generation. Note Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson on the Dawn Wall and Alex Honnold's recent solo of El Capitan. It was impossible to miss the throngs of excited young people filling the climbing companies' booths during ORSM. 4. Dupont's stretch circuitry. Certainly one of the coolest technical advancements we all knew was coming is Dupont's stretch electrical wiring for apparel. It stretches, recovers, launders great and everyone can think of lots of interesting things to do with it. I'm just not sure that making mass produced apparel is one of them. 5. It's a hard world. Camping accessories and anything made from plastic or steel gained prominence at this show. Sewn goods retreated as a surprising amount of floor space was devoted to binoculars, knives, water bottles (new shapes!) and the ubiquitous folding camp chair. Big booths with tiny products. 6. e Euros are still alpinists. e newer European outdoor companies are making innovative climbing and randonee ski gear, while the trendy new American outdoor companies are making blankets and café bags. 7. e uneven playing field. e elimination of duty on packs and bags coming out of the Philippines and Indonesia will throw the market into disarray as leading players have already invested in Vietnam. e 17.4% duty is real money and could have a big effect on retail pricing; however there are many links in this chain. Let's see who ends up with the windfall — the factories, the brands, the retailers, or the consumer. 8. Sustainability is a given. ank goodness for organizations like bluesign that offer a reality-based view of the effects textile manufacturing. More companies should trust and support them. e industry needs the same type of serious watchdog group for things like water bottles and injection- molded gizmos. The environmental downside of hardgoods can be huge. 9. Combustion engine prescience. Coleman Motorsports was proudly displayed in front of the pavilions. Can Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat and Yamaha be far behind? e future of the outdoor show includes engines and guns, get used to it. 10. He just might be right. "We'll be back in 18 months," - Jeff Blakley. e Outdoor Community, including the core brands and specialty retailers, are watching as the broader culture adds anything done outside to the definition of 'outdoor.' e tenets the community coalesced around in the beginning are again strong; have a good time outside and be good stewards of the land. At what point is the Outdoor Industry in conflict with those values? 11. Extra Credit Irony. Did anyone else notice that the China Pavilion was where e North Face used to be? n Disclaimer: Mr. Gray remembers when at the end of the OR Show the gridwall booths came down and the crews would go out and party especially hard; it was just the lowly sleep deprived minions, out on the town with the Visa card in hand and the boss long gone. Best night of the week. e publisher doesn't necessarily agree with Gray's opinions but does think tear-down-night sounds like fun. MORE PEOPLE, LESS FOCUS KURT GRAY'S ALMOST TOP 10 © 2017 Formula4media LLC. trendinsightmag.com 13