Outdoor Insight

C all it athleisure, adventure travel or lifestyle. Here are a few storylines for the year ahead. Described as "acknowledging the need to escape the everyday," Aventura Clothing's Fall '18 collection is a line of comfy, cozy, versatile styles designed to accommodate life on and off the grid. Highlights from the collection include tunics, flowy cardigans, plush fleece jackets and leg- gings with patterns and colors inspired by living a life outdoors. Continuing their commitment to sustainable manufacturing, Aventura will produce 25 percent of the collection in Fair Trade Certified factories. TREND | Athleisure Is an Outdoor Term, Too. In addition to its everyday collection, Aventura's Adira athleisure line will expand to include technical fabrics that provide moisture management in their tops and bottoms, as well as warmth and movement for cold weather activities. To meet an ever-increasing need from retailers, Aventura's Plus Size collection, which debuts in Spring '18, is growing to almost 50 new styles and sleepwear separates. Garments in the Adira line include the super soft Anya Wrap Cardi, a lightweight sweater with feminine details; and the Killian Vest, combining ripstop nylon with a fun circle pattern and knit ponte fabric side panels for stretch. Other key pieces in the line include the Shakti Legging and the Zahara Solid Hoodie, both made with wicking polyester fibers, making them ideal transitional pieces from home to the trail or gym. GUESS WHAT | Wool Works "Newness and innovation is an area that is driving excitement in the wool industry," says Woolmark's head of Americas, Michelle Lee. "Merino wool is taking on some exciting momentum in new product categories like footwear, accessories and shirting, as well as trans-seasonal, everyday items like tees and jackets. While it's always been a performance fiber, consumers are starting to really understand this con- cept, as evidenced by the increase in wool products in the sports and outdoor market." Merino's momentum is attracting industry and con- sumer attention alike. "In the last few years we've had more yarn spinners willing to make fine wool yarn and make fine wool yarn specifically for the active/outdoor market," explains Roy Kettlewell, wool technical service consultant for the American Wool Council. "People have finally woken up to the fact that wool fiber is ideal for sports wear." Tom Mason, U.S. brand manager for the Swiss firm Ortovox, states, "People want performance, but they don't want that old itchy stuff. Once people try today's wool, they say, 'Wow this really works.'" STORYTIME | Kids Included Luvmother is a Montreal-based company that designs soft, high-quality, durable children's Merino wool clothing. The company uses fair trade labor, offsets its carbon footprint from shipments from its factory and delivers its products in biodegradable packaging. Luvmother designs clothing to work as cross-over pieces for anytime and anywhere. For instance, leg- gings that can serve as long underwear for ski trips, play time, hike time and school. "We're trying to answer the perennial question: How do I bring least amount of gear that will cover me in all situations?" said founders Kevin Peacock and Giselle Murphy in a recent article for Outside Magazine. "We want to encourage people to get out there and have fun, get dirty and not think about their clothes." NOTEWORTHY | Performance Is Stylish Apparel brand Avalanche is unveiling a high-perfor- mance Pinnacle collection at the 2018 Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show. The line aims to offer consumers more technical options combined with the brand's style and quality. The Pinnacle collection includes base layers, mid layers and outerwear with 15 style offerings for men and nine for women, incorporating sleek styling and subtle technical details for today's consumer. PrimaLoft and Polartec technologies combine lighter weight, breath- able and quick drying solutions for ultimate comfort outdoors and on the go. "As today's consumer becomes more and more mind- ful of their options to look stylish while also staying comfortable in all situations, we felt it was the perfect timing to introduce a more technical line that speaks February 2018 • Outdoor Insight • 27 outdoorinsightmag.com TRAVEL IN STYLE Outdoor-inspired apparel for everyday wear is on-trend and is a defining aspect of the industry. And technology stories are not absent in these off-mountain performers. Aventura Anya Wrap Patagonia Silent Down Jacket

• Cover