RICHE$ RAGS T O... BLING BLING * NO LONGER COOL TO LOOK LIKE A DIRTBAG ON THE ROCKS, CLIMBERS AND BOULDERERS HAVE FOUND THEIR OUTER CLIMBING APPAREL

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1 CLIMBING APPAREL NO LONGER COOL TO LOOK LIKE A DIRTBAG ON THE ROCKS, CLIMBERS AND BOULDERERS HAVE FOUND THEIR OUTER BLING BLING * RAGS T O... *» BY CLYDE SOLES RICHE$ WITH CLIMBING CLOTHES KNOWN AS LOOSE, STRETCHY or just plain comfy threads, it shouldn t be too surprising that an increasingly wide selection of clothing that claims a climbing heritage is used more for climbing on and off a coffee shop stool than up and down crags. So what the heck is climbing apparel? Depends on your definition, but one thing is for certain you won t get a consensus from either climbers or manufacturers. In the 1960s, standard attire for rock climbing was corduroy knickers and a comfortable shirt. A decade later, the uniform of climbers nationwide appeared to be white painter s pants and a rugby shirt (women were essentially an unknown concept at that time). A shameful period in the 1980s had climbers wearing brightly colored Lycra tights and T-shirts. (No worries, this author has successfully destroyed all evidence of past transgressions.) It wasn t until the late 1990s that climbing and fashion could be used in the same sentence. Nowadays, climbing apparel is all about the urban outdoor lifestyle. The challenge is looking like a climber while ordering an iced double decaf mocha soy latte, while not really looking too much like a climber. The dirtbag look is definitely out. DIRTBAGS TO RICHES There is scarcely an outdoor clothing company that doesn t offer climbing apparel. The workbooks from The North Face/A5, Marmot, Patagonia, Arc Teryx, Mountain Hardwear, Cloudveil, Outdoor Research, GoLite and Sierra Designs all contain lifestyle products for climbing. Both Gramicci and Royal Robbins, formerly considered core brands, have since gone mainstream and lost much of their prior climbing-rooted identity. Among the original climbing brands from the 70s, Patagonia is the only one that hasn t been assimilated. Some of the earliest products from the Great Pacific Iron Works softgoods division were Stand Up Shorts ( These are not collegiate cut Bermudas or jive safaris; these are climbing shorts, the catalog copy asserts) and rugby shirts. Never a trend-follower, Patagonia didn t do much with its rock climbing clothing for decades, other than update colors and fabrics. In 2000, however, the company started paying more attention to fashion and fit with the introduction of the Rhythm Collection. When we started Rhythm, we didn t want to wear a uniform that had been coopted by a wider public, and we were certainly not going to slip into peg leg cotton/lycra tights, said Rob BonDurant, Patagonia brand director. So we went for funky, yet functional styles. None of it merchandised together, and we didn t want it to. That was the genesis for Rhythm. Though climbing continues to be a maledominated sport, 70 percent of the Rhythm line is for women. For either gender, the collection strives to standout from other brands. Our top difference is the environmental quality of our styles, said BonDurant. We stick to the Patagonia mission statement PHOTO: BROUDY/DONOHUE PHOTOGRAPHY. MODELS: MARIBETH LONG AND STEVE BRADY. 30» OUTDOOR» SUMMER 2005»

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3 CLIMBING APPAREL of making the best product and causing no unnecessary harm. For example, we have wholly committed to the use of organic cotton throughout our line, and PCR and recycled materials whenever possible. Also, what we hope is an obvious differentiation is the fashion direction of our styles, added BonDurant. We aim to make clothing for a climber that currently reflects a departure from the norm, we go for unique styling, fresh prints, hidden surprises, and most importantly, clothes that we want to wear that have a timeless quality. The other clear leader in the climbing apparel segment is Prana. Part of its success is due to the marketing genius of choosing a 5,000-year-old Sanskrit word (meaning life force and vitality) and opting for soft, organic, feel-good clothing. Prana started in 1992 by selling clothing to specialty shops in five major climbing centers: Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, the Gunks, Salt Lake and Smith Rocks. In the early days, the company dyed fabrics at home and made hangtags by hand. Now it is an industry leader with 60 employees half are in the main office, and they all answer the telephone. The brand grew with the rising tide of climbing and, as Beaver Theodosakis, president of Prana, told GearTrends, We had the luxury of slow growth; it was never force fed. A 14-year-old kid named Chris Sharma approached them a decade ago saying he liked their stuff and wanted to wear it. The growth of bouldering, at which Sharma was at the forefront, as well as the explosion of yoga, propelled Prana. On top of all that, a strong commitment to inhouse service (no sales reps) has contributed to Prana being named REI s Vendor of the Year for the last two years. BLURRING THE LINES Among the newer brands making waves is Blurr, a Canadian company that pushed the urban theme earlier than most. Indeed, when Blurr came on the scene in 2001, many buyers didn t get the concept. Of course, those same buyers probably never imagined a magazine called Urban Climber either. According to Gus Alexandropoulos, Blurr s marketing director, When Blurr started, there were and still are, plenty of good brands that served the needs of 8,000- meter mountaineers. What we were looking to provide was an alternative that allowed you to still get outside but not look like you have just summitted when you had to stop and put gas in the car. We no longer live such segmented lives, and we believe that you can climb hard and still live in a city. For us, the advantages that large urban 32» OUTDOOR» SUMMER 2005» What we were looking to provide was an alternative that allowed you to still get outside but not look like you have just summitted when you had to stop and put gas in the car. Gus Alexandropoulos, Blurr centers offer are just as compelling as the advantages found in the outdoors. So we started designing products that more accurately reflected this new urban-oriented approach to the outdoors. Clothing that worked but also looked good enough to wear when going out for a drink, added Alexandropoulos. Packs and bags that could carry your gear to the climbing gym and also safely transport your laptop when traveling. Ultimately, we wanted to create a line of products that reflected the way many of us actually climb, train, work and travel. While the traditional outdoor companies have been slow to catch on to what s happening at crags and climbing gyms, Alexandropoulos told us that Blurr has been an active participant. What differentiates the line is, he said, We are more unapologetically urban in our approach, and we try to allow that philosophy to permeate our products. Whenever possible we want to merge technical materials and construction with more mainstream urban style and fashion, said Alexandropoulos. Whether it s laptop sleeves in our bags, ipod pockets in our clothing or even the use of stretch denim, we want to build products that truly reflect this new urban-oriented attitude. The gear needs to work, but it also needs to look good and address your real world needs. Blurr has taken that unapologetic, urban-focused mentality into its marketing campaigns as well. Blurr s in-your-face ad campaign has created quite a bit of controversy among climbers. Like it or hate it, the ads get noticed (see them on Instead of the classic image of the dirtbag climber living alone in the desert, we decided to embrace another more urbanoriented direction by showing our climbing team members in their urban fantasy personas, said Alexandropoulos. The campaign was meant to challenge our own internal biases as to what a climber is supposed to look like and has garnered a huge response. All the folks involved in the ads, including the photographers, layout and production team and models, are climbers. RACK SPACE FOR THE LITTLE GUYS With climbing apparel, as in any other apparel and product category, specialty retailers need products from smaller, niche companies to be able to stand out from the chain stores. Ultimately, there is nothing special about a store that carries the same things as everyone else. To escape blandness, buyers need to take risks on the lesser-known lines that have a unique look and a core audience. When he was an elite climber in the 80s, Christian Griffith often heard from his sponsors that climbers don t buy clothing. Frustrated with this myopic vision, Griffith started Verve in 1988 to become the first company dedicated entirely to rock climbing apparel. He contends that in the early years, most of the other brands were focused on moderate movement in extreme conditions. Instead, our clothing was made for extreme movements in mild conditions. The heavy stretch cotton fabrics were functional and particularly flattering to female climbers. Undeniably authentic, and not chasing» PHOTO COURTESY OF STONEWEAR DESIGNS

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5 CLIMBING APPAREL» We recognize that climbers are wearing more urban-inspired clothes to the crags, and we tailor our designs to embrace that aesthetic. Jaime Grant, Ropegun the yoga rainbow, Verve remains a small company. Verve s entire product line is home-sewn in Boulder, Colo., by six grannies. Ropegun, a great name for a climbing company that seemingly appeared and disappeared overnight, is now back. According to Jaime Grant, Ropegun originally launched in the late 90s. My partner, Greg Loh, and I purchased the Ropegun assets in October of 2003 to reform the company after one and a half years of stagnancy. Asked about their motivation to revive the brand, Grant said, In the time since Greg and I started climbing, participation in rock climbing has increased in orders of magnitude. Surprisingly, sales of climbing-specific brands have not kept pace. Following the successful paradigm of surf brands that capitalized on the growth of that sport in the mid-1990s, we believe a climbing brand can both capture the loyalty of its core consumer base and reach out to broader markets not currently courted by most outdoor retail channels. Grant said he recognizes that it s difficult to stay out of the me-too trap, so Ropegun puts a lot of energy into development. We design our products from the climber s body out, beginning with movement-friendly design elements that undergo several iterations of fit-testing. Though engineered for movement, our clothes are meant for both stone and street. Climbers are looking for clothes that meet both their function needs and their lifestyle needs. We recognize that climbers are wearing more urbaninspired clothes to the crags, and we tailor our designs to embrace that aesthetic. While striving for originality, Ropegun isn t about to give up on a sure thing, the company told us. Let s face it; men love to climb in jeans. You might as well climb in a pair that is engineered for climbing. Historically, climbing has been very malefocused, but there is little doubt that a significant portion of the growth of climbing can be attributed to women entering the sport. Over the past decade, the ratio has gone from 90 percent male/10 percent female to something around 60/40 depending on the discipline (and to whom you listen). This has meant an opportunity for women s-only companies such as Stonewear Designs that truly understand the body shapes of different women. According to Kitty Bradley, director of sales for Stonewear, Our attention to fit and our truly supportive and comfortable floating bras differentiates us from the rest. Most of our styles fit many types of women s bodies, from athletic to curvy. For example, our Stonewear Pant comes in regular, petite and long, sizes XS to XXL that s 21 different sizes! While Stonewear started as a core climbing company, it sees opportunities in yoga studios, spa resorts and fitness stores. We even have a hospital that sells a few items in their store for post surgical and maternity patients due to comfort. CHECKING OUT Before there was a huge selection of apparel on the market, many climbing companies complemented their lines with clothing. Some, such as Five Ten and La Sportiva, made weak attempts that in hind- PHOTO: BROUDY/DONOHUE PHOTOGRAPHY 34» OUTDOOR» SUMMER 2005»

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7 CLIMBING APPAREL sight were doomed from the beginning. Others did reasonably well but decided that their energy was better directed elsewhere. Believe it or not, we got out of the clothing market because our line was too successful, said Brooke Sandahl at Metolius. Our passion was to make climbing equipment and supporting pieces that helped you go climbing. When our Canvas Pants and Shorts sales went ballistic, we were at a crossroads. We knew getting into the rag trade was not something we were that comfortable with and didn t understand it like we did the hardgoods side of things. We knew the path would be outsource, go overseas and, in the end, nobody internally wanted to take the bull by the horns...we still get hassled from people all over the country demanding we restart the clothing line. Black Diamond is another hardgoods company that has dabbled with clothing since the beginning. However, it too has decided to call it quits, according to softgoods category manager Robert Ytturi. In a directional shift, Black Diamond is moving more toward a promotionalonly based clothing line in supporting the brand, Ytturi told GearTrends. The technical apparel space is very crowded, and we ve decided not to play in it at this time. Grant at Ropegun summed it up well, The apparel industry is a tricky business. It yields nicely to economies of scale, but tends to eat up poorly funded start-ups and niche manufacturers. Some gear companies have made forays into apparel, but I imagine they discovered that their existing manufacturing business had little in common with apparel. The supply chain and manufacturing infrastructure are completely unique to apparel. You don t just start a small division and expect to make a successful run in clothing. No matter what your sales channel, you had better know the rag trade or you are in for a rude awakening. FASHION FORWARD Outdoor Industry Association does not track climbing apparel in its Top Line Sales Report, so it is difficult to assess the size of this segment of the market. With so much crossover into other categories, any estimates would be suspicious. It s clear that the old concepts of how and what to sell in the outdoor markets are changing rapidly. In-store boutiques with custom clothing racks, better lighting and good merchandising are no longer rarities. Savvy shoppers demand more because, after all, there s always the Internet. If your store fails to meet your customer s expectations when it comes to climbing apparel, remember always that the same customer can easily find a website like ThePerfectHigh.com, which sells nothing but clothing and gear for bouldering and yoga. Founded in 2003, and based in Crested Butte, Colo., The Perfect High offers one-stop shopping for the younger generation of climbers. With lines like Prana, Blurr and Ben Sherman, the online retailer caters directly to a market frequently ignored by climbing shops. Ironically, most of these radical visionaries have also lost sight of another truth: Honed, lithe young bodies sometimes turn into sedentary, plushier, older bodies. While there is no evidence that life ends above a 38-inch waist or size 14 dress, it s quite apparent that for many of the youthful climbing brands, larger sizes are a market that seems to have been mostly forgotten.» To become a free GearTrends trade member or to give us feedback, go to GearTrends.com. 36» OUTDOOR» SUMMER 2005»

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