sportstyle

Active and Outdoor Brands Extend their Reach to Capture New Customers. By Suzanne Blecher Jenn Kriske started Machines For Freedom with the launch of the Endurance Bib, the first cycling bib that both "functioned well on long rides" and didn't make her "feel atrocious." The brand married performance with flattering shapes for women, with Endurance Bib sizing ranging from X-small to XXX-large. As a complement to the bib, Kriske set out to launch the Essential Cycling Short in Spring 2020. With typical cycling shorts crafted for beginners and short distances (along with a price conscious consumer), Kriske aimed to create fashion-forward, endurance shorts "to give an indoor cyclist the performance benefits of cycling apparel without sacrificing fashion." Her team selected a fabric with a high level of moisture wicking and compression. The elastic leg band was replaced with a silicone directly applied to the inside of the fabric to keep the hem from rising. A yoga-inspired waistband was inserted for comfort. The chamois took on a thermos-molded design to look and feel less bulky. And as luck would have it, after being in development for a year, the Essential Cycling Short launch coincided with stay-at-home orders, along with an explosion in Peloton and outdoor bike sales. "We sold out of the short in three weeks and our second shipment sold out in 24 hours," commented Kriske.l AUDIENCE EXPANSION Build Upon Current, Successful Product With hopes of better times ahead in 2021, brands are broadening their horizons. Whether extending into an entry-level product, reaching into a related category or plucking new collaborative partners, the ultimate goal is to keep people moving and harbor brand health. In talking to folks in the industry, we've gathered five ways that brands are diversifying to stay dominant. Taking cues from the car industry and sport utility vehicles, former Callaway Golf exec Harry Arnett set out to create "sport utility gear" brand Municipal in October 2019. Like an SUV, garments would be rugged and cool, yet also fitting for a wide range of wearers (think less techy, more versatile). While the idea was still solid in COVID times – "we were already positioned with apparel that could be worn from home (on work calls), but still look stylish," he said – the April 2020 launch plan had some holes. With USA factories shuttered, Arnett (with co-founders Stephen Levinson and actor Mark Wahlberg) decided "the best approach was to embrace the fact that we'd have to do a phased launch" with an entirely different merchandising plan since product was coming from the USA and overseas in a piecemeal fashion. The result was launching Fall 2020 styles – almost weekly – as they arrived, creating a "wave of excitement for early adopters," according to Arnett. As a result, customers have latched on to the functionality of the Sport Utility Hoodie with a kangaroo pocket for valuables, Ninja Lined Training Shorts with a pass thru slot for easy phone accessibility and the brand's best-selling cotton/Modal/spandex blend Enduro Stretch T-Shirt. l Launch A New Venture Municipal Sport Utility Hoodie offers a "less techy, more versatile" aesthetic. sportstylemag.com March 2021 ~ sportstyle 29

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