New Country Manager for Helly Hansen Italy
Michele Battocchio is the new country manager for Italy of the Norwegian brand Helly Hansen. Battocchio has more than 25 years of experience in sporting goods, footwear and fashion at the national and international level. He previously worked for UYN, Garmont and Northwave. Battocchio will be based at Helly Hansen’s ...
PETA reports progress in banning cashmere and angora
Animal rights organization PETA has reported that VF Corp. “has no plans to develop new products with cashmere in any of its brands.” More specifically, VF Corp. said that no core products across its brands will use goats’ hair. There may be some cashmere items remaining in stores, but there ...
U.S. outdoor industry praises launch of American Climate Corps
On Sept. 20, the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) celebrated the Biden administration’s historic action to launch the American Climate Corps, which will be tasked with building a clean and climate-resilient economy and promoting a strong outdoor workforce.
Eddie Bauer revamps CI, aims to get back on international stage
Eddie Bauer has unveiled a strategy to reposition and expand its brand. After outdoor industry veteran Tim Bantle joined the retail company as CEO a year ago, he hinted that he had discovered many missed growth opportunities that now needed to be changed. As a result, the 100-year-old brand is ...
Columbia Sportswear releases 2022 Impact Report
Columbia Sportswear Company has released its Impact Report 2022, which highlights the company’s performance and progress across the three pillars of its corporate responsibility strategy: Empowering People, Sustaining Places and Responsible Practices.
Textile Exchange has open-sourced its Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix
Materials standards body Textile Exchange has made the data in its Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix (PFMM) publicly available for the first time. The organization has described the decision as a “milestone move.” The PFMM, now an open-source tool for the industry, is an interactive tool that assesses the performance ...
KMD Brands’ FY results marred by poorer consumer sentiment in Q4
Strong sales growth from all three of KMD Brands’ brands – Rip Curl, Kathmandu and Oboz – was offset by weaker results in the year’s final period ended July 31. Annual Ebitda rose 11.2 percent to 200.1 New Zealand dollars (€117.1m), but net profit was essentially flat at NZ$36.6 million ...
Uptick at last in sight for Calzados Bestard
So far Calzados Bestard’s revenues for 2023 are down 18 to 19 percent from the comparable year-ago period, but the high season for boot sales is yet to come, and certain accounts have begun to buy again, months after their last replenishment of stock. Whatever the drop, moreover, current revenues ...
Ulvang rebrands, changes suppliers and collection
Norwegian wool apparel specialist Ulvang, a brand founded in 1995 and owned by the Brav Group, has undergone a complete rebranding. Since the first week of September, the brand’s website and social media have been reset and now feature a new logo and content. The changes also include a partial ...
Outnorth names new CEO
After Harald Ennen decided to leave Sweden-based e-commerce company Outnorth and his role as CEO this summer, a successor has now been found in Ville Kangasmuukko Nordström, currently CEO at leading Swedish fashion shopping company Bubbleroom. He will take up his new role on Jan. 1, 2024.
Infinited Fiber welcomes new board members
Infinited Fiber Company, the Finland-based textile technology specialist, has announced its new Board of Directors, appointed at the 2023 Annual General Meeting. The board includes Andreas Tallberg as Chair and Pertti Korhonen as Vice Chair. Elisabet Sallander Björklund and Elina Björklund retained their positions as Board members, and Markus Mannström, ...
Cascade Design appoints new VP of HR
Cascade Designs, the parent company of MSR, Therm-a-Rest, Platypus, SealLine, PackTowl and Varilite, has hired Minor Harris as its new vice president of human resources. Harris will be based in the brand’s Reno, Nevada office and will be responsible for the company’s human resources and culture strategy. He has more ...
PrimaLoft introduces new durable synthetic insulation
PrimaLoft, Inc. has introduced its latest innovation, PrimaLoft Utility. PrimaLoft Utility represents a new design approach and sets “new benchmarks in durability within the realm of synthetic insulation while also providing unparalleled ease of use and care.”
Equip receives Fair Wear Leader status for second consecutive year
Equip Outdoor Technologies Ltd., the owner of British outdoor brands Rab and Lowe Alpine, has received the Fair Wear Leader status for the second consecutive year. Despite using an updated methodology that is aligned with the OECD guidelines on Human Rights Due Diligence, including new indicators in 2023, Fair Wear ...
Pelican appoints new CEO
Pelican Products, a U.S.-based manufacturer of rugged, mission-critical protective cases, coolers, outdoor accessories and temperature-controlled packaging, announced the appointment of James “JC” Curleigh as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Phil Gyori, who has led the company since 2016.
National Geographic opens first outdoor clothing store in China
National Geographic Apparel has inaugurated a new store in Nanjing, at the Deji Plaza shopping mall. It is the brand’s first flagship store in Mainland China. Its pop-up store in Beijing will conclude the pre-opening business in October and start official operations in October. The Nanjing store features large-scale nature ...
Indorama releases new sustainability report
Indorama Ventures, the global chemical producer based in Bangkok, has unveiled its Sustainability Report 2022, titled “Shifting Towards The Next Generation.” The document highlights the company’s progress in its three business segments – Combined PET, Fibers, and Integrated Oxides & Derivatives (IOD) – as well as its contributions to achieving ...
Rocky Brands’ CFO departs
Sarah O’Connor, SVP, CFO, and Treasurer for Ohio-based Rocky Brands, has resigned. O’Connor had only officially taken over the post in March this year. Tom Robertson, the company’s COO who served as CFO from March 2017 until February, will re-assume CFO duties until a permanent successor is identified. O’Connor’s departure ...
The final program of EOS 2023 in Berlin
The European Outdoor Summit (EOS) is held annually for around 300 delegates to learn more about and discuss the issues that we, as an industry, collectively face. The topics are always related to industry needs and focus on current and future economic, technical and social trends, to develop a theme ...
Helinox signs SME Climate Commitment
Helinox, the South Korean maker of lightweight, packable outdoor furniture, has continued its efforts in sustainable business practices by taking an important pledge as part of the United Nations’ global Race to Zero campaign. The brand has joined the SME (small to medium sized enterprise) Climate Commitment and will integrate ...