Merrell, an outdoor footwear brand, has launched its women-centric hiking club to provide inspiration and connection to the outdoors through a digital community.
“Merrell is leading the hiking revolution into the mainstream, and we recognize the needs of women hikers are quite diverse – all the way down to the anatomy of their feet,” said Lindsey Lindemulder, brand marketing director at Merrell. “We saw the critical demand for shared expertise and the right product design, and built a community around that insight to connect, empower, and inform women hikers.”
Merrell partnered with its trailblazers and partners including Erin McGrady, Tiare Bowman, and Shana Joseph, among others, to kickstart the U.S. community. The brand will build the club globally through its partners, local groups, and communities to share their expertise and engage with hikers.
The Merrell Hiking Club began in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) last December and has grown its reach to Canada and the United States. The EMEA group has reached an audience of more than 630,000 hikers online. There are 24 urban, suburban and adventure curated hikes throughout EMEA and Canada, with 25 expected to launch in the United States in the coming year.
To continue making the outdoors accessible for all, Merrell used the second generation of its Bravada hiking sneaker. The Bravada 2 was designed with a purpose, and every layer of the shoe was constructed to provide support.
Innovative features of the hiker include:
- A wider toe box
- Additional arch support
- Narrower heel
- Recycled materials across laces, webbing mesh lining, and removable EVA foam
“The customer experience is all about finding the right fit in hiking shoes and having the right resources and equipment,” said Lindemulder. “Women have been largely underrepresented in the outdoor space and in the design of footwear. In fact, many women don’t even know their shoes weren’t designed based on the structure of a woman’s foot. The Merrell Hiking Club and pinnacle technology of the Bravada 2 help to solve the problem many women face when looking to get outdoors.”
Bravada 2 was recognized with a 2022 SELF Certified Sneaker Award for the best low-cut hiking shoe.
For more information on Merrell, visit merrell.com. For more information on the Merrell Hiking Club, please visit www.merrell.com/us/en/merrell-hike-club.
