Fall 2019 - Inside Outdoor Magazine

Inside Outdoor | FALL 2019 44 BrandWatch This winter, outdoor and eco- conscious consumers finally will be able to get their feet into what SOLE considers “the world’s most eco-friendly footwear.” For its winter 2019 collection, SOLE said its de- signers considered each aspect of every shoe to maximize sustainability and blaze a trail for an industry that doesn’t do enough to minimize its environmental impact. “The time for planning low- level incremental improve- ments is over. It’s simply not enough,” said Mike Bak- er, SOLE CEO. “People need drastically re-thought, innovative approaches to producing materials and products that satisfy consumer demand without costing the planet. Our winter 2019 line takes a huge step toward doing exactly that.” At the heart of the line is a proprietary new midsole made from recycled wine corks, col- lected by SOLE’s cork recycling initiative ReCORK. SOLE said its team spent hundreds of hours de- veloping the right formula to give recycled cork the flexibility, dura- bility and cushioning needed for industry-leading underfoot comfort. ReCORK has collected and repur- posed more than 100 million natu- ral wine corks so far. To produce “the world’s most eco- friendly shoe,” SOLE teamed up with responsible apparel company United By Blue. The SOLE x UBB Jasper Wool Eco Chukka combines a ReCORK mid- sole and United By Blue’s Bison- Shield insulation with ethically sourced merino wool, SOLE’s Bloom Algae Foam foot- beds with natural cork topsheets, Polygiene ant- microbial and natural rice rubber outsoles. Natural rubber requires less energy and petrochemical input to produce than synthetic rubbers, said SOLE, and rice rubber adds rice husks to the mix, utilizing an abundant natural material that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Rice also add durability to in- crease the outsole’s lifespan. The new Chukka debuted ex- clusively on Kickstarter on March 4, 2019 and was fully funded in 84 minutes “showing that consumers are hungry for more responsible, sustain- able products,” said SOLE. The North Face released new data on the state of rock climbing in Amer- ica and the sport’s increasing popu- larity. The new study, conducted by Marketing & Research Resources on behalf of The North Face, reveals that 30 percent of people are interested in learning to rock climb and 40 percent plan to watch the sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Despite the growing interest in climbing, the majority of Americans have still never rock climbed. Only four percent of the general population cur- rently identifies as a rock climber. In a continued effort to increase access and opportunity for exploration, The North Face hosted localized events at 281 climbing gyms across the globe in honor of Global Climbing Day on August 24. The North Face data also reveals that the sport is appealing to a more urban audience with more than half of today’s climbers (56 percent) living in an urban area. City-dwelling climbers may also be playing a large part in the changing perception of indoor climb- ing, which 53 percent of Americans think has become more popular. Bollé Brands Acquires Spy Optic Following the acquisition of Bollé Brands by A&M Capital Europe in August 2018, Bolle announced the ac- quisition of the Spy Optic brand. With this new acquisition, Spy Optic joins an existing brand portfolio of Bollé, Bollé Safety, Serengeti, Cébé and H2Optix. Bollé says Spy Optic is highly comple- mentary in terms of brand proposition, channel mix, and geographic presence. The combination will bolster Bollé Brands’ scale in North America, will allow Spy Op- tic to benefit from increased investment in product development and distribution, and will facilitate an international expan- sion of the Spy Optic brand beyond its current footprint. “Spy Optic has its own unique and irreverent identity with huge growth potential in North America, its home market, and internationally where Spy Optic will leverage our Bollé Brands international distribution network,” said Peter Smith, CEO of Bollé Brands. “Our dedicated approach, support and investment will drive exciting new de- velopments in product innovation and design which will form the basis of con- siderable global growth.” In parallel with this acquisition, Bollé Brands invested significantly in new systems (new ERP, new BtoB and BtoC platforms). SOLE Ups Eco-Friendly Footwear Bar TNF Study: 30% of Americans Interested in Rock Climbing Global Climbing Day at The Front Climbing Club in Salt Lake City