Winners of the second round of the 2023 ISPO Award

At the second of a total of four jury meetings for the ISPO Award 2023, almost everything revolved around the Outdoor category. This may have to do with the fact that OutDoor by ISPO 2023 starts in Munich just a few days after the meeting. The jury was made up of three industry experts and three consumer experts from the ISPO Collaborators Club, with the latter being newly selected for each meeting.

The latest trends

The range of new fabric and material developments was quite impressive. Even lighter yet robust and durable fabrics for backpacks, footwear, jackets and pants were presented, as were new, extremely thin laminates for waterproof down jackets and jackets with interwoven body mapping.

Whereas in the past product development was primarily concerned with gearing products to a clearly defined activity, the trend towards multifunctionality is now stronger than ever. Highlights included, for instance, a rain cape that can be transformed into a tarp or hammock, sleeping mats with removable seat cushions or swimming buoys with a cell phone pouch and camera adapter.

New target groups and micro-adventures

While Outdoor has always been an enormously crisis-proof growth market, the need for outdoor experiences has grown even more in recent years and has also created entirely new target groups with new demands. Young people, in particular, who have had little exposure to the outdoors, are often looking for gear that has a more urban feel.

Camping and vanlife are other facets of the ongoing outdoor trend. Here, the main focus is on increasing comfort with new products, such as new bags or coolers.

Sustainability is crucial

While textile brands have paved the way to more sustainable products in recent years, the footwear category is strongly following suit. More and more shoe manufacturers are taking a critical look at their own carbon footprint and have started to switch their bestsellers to more climate-friendly products made from recycled or even plant-based materials.

Circular shoes are not really a topic yet, but there are already good solutions for bags and packs. A real novelty in the hardware sector are trekking poles with shafts made of hemp.

Exposing greenwashing

The jury was once again joined by internationally recognized textile expert Louisa Smith, who is a jury member of the ISPO Textrends Award. To avoid greenwashing, she supported the jury with her expertise in what is an increasingly important and complex sustainability topic.

The ISPO Award will have an “angel”

During OutDoor by ISPO at MOC Munich, not only will the 34 current award winners be present, but also the Austrian professional athlete Nadine Wallner as the new “ISPO Award Angel.” Her task: to raise awareness of the award as an ambassador and thus further increase its importance for the participating brands. Wallner is a two-time winner of the Freeride World Tour and an ambitious climber. As a state-certified ski and mountain guide, she is confronted daily with the importance of good equipment and brings years of experience with top equipment from her professional sports career.

In the meantime, a LinkedIn post revealed that the ISPO Award may undergo another concept change in the foreseeable future. More details are not yet known, but we will certainly keep you up to date.

The winners of the second round of the ISPO Award 2023

(The award-winning products are divided into segments for the sake of clarity - the ISPO Award does not have any subdivision into winning categories.)