May/June 2018
Call it co-mingling, or call it corroding barriers, but outdoor is affecting fashion and fashion is affecting outdoor like never before. “The way we live is changing what we mean by performance,” stated trend forecaster Haysun Hahn during an event held earlier this year. “Most consumer product must be multi-task, cross-seasonable and sustainability-conscious,” she said, adding, “There is no one sitting here that isn’t wearing at least two pieces that don’t come from an outdoor active sport genesis.”
Hahn’s observation rings true far beyond the garb worn by her Outdoor Retailer audience that winter afternoon, today’s modern wardrobe features functional fabrics in products developed and designed for an urban/outdoor lifestyle. “So, when we talk about an articulated sleeve in an outdoor jacket,” explains Hahn, “it applies to straphangers.” Meaning that the same kind of body movement needed to hang as the #6 subway barrels downtown during rush hour in New York City is similar to the freedom of motion originally constructed to enhance climbers’ performance. “The urban-centric idea is a very important idea,” Hahn concludes.
