CGPR was recently in New York City with adidas Outdoor where we invited mainstream consumer outlets to its showroom to see adidas Outdoor’s fall/winter 2016 footwear and apparel collection. CGPR met with more than 60 editors from outlets including Bustle.com, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Journal, O, The Oprah Magazine, People, Shape, Teen Vogue, themanual.com, and Travel + Leisure, among others.
Throughout the two days, we continued to see the same themes evolve from media which speaks to consumer state of mind and how outdoor activities influence apparel and footwear.
Athleisure is Here to Stay: Over the two days, there was significant dialogue about the continued presence of “athleisure”, the number of fashion brands creating their own athleisure collections, and how this is affecting the market overall.
Consumers Conscious about Wearing Style, but Being Comfortable: Media also raised the point that more consumers are conscious of wearing stylish, yet comfortable apparel and footwear.
Definition of the Outdoors is Changing: More consumers are participating in outdoor activities such as trail running, hiking, and adventure races, etc., and are taking vacations or weekend trips designed around getting people outside.
A few additional takeaways from our meetings:
- Performance Features Top of Mind: Consumers are becoming more aware of the performance features in apparel and footwear, and want products enabling them to push the limits and perform to the best of their ability.
- Comfort is huge: Comfort is every important, but consumers want it to be style that features bright colors, feminine silhouettes and cuts, color fading and color blocking.
- Value: Value without sacrificing quality or style is top of mind.
- Versatility and Functionality Reflect People’s Fast Paced Lives: Footwear and apparel needs to easily transitions from the gym, to work work, to travel and to a night on the town.
- People Care About Sustainability: Consumers are interested in products that feature sustainable elements.
- Train Running Continues to Grow: The trail running category is expanding, as more people want to incorporate different types of workouts and runs into their daily routines.
- Adventure Racing for Amateurs is Growing: Adventure races continue to be popular, e.g. Spartan Races and Mud Runs, and participants want footwear and apparel designed for this specific category.
- Light and Fast is King: Whether consumers are weekend warriors or out training everyday, people want apparel and footwear that is light and fast.
The Fashion and outdoor industries continue to intersect and we don’t see this trend abating any time soon. We love hearing about the trends from our media friends and look forward to returning in November, to present adidas Outdoor’s 2017 spring/summer line!
