I have been making the trek to Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer twice a year, for almost a decade. In fact, I think that I am coming up on my 10-year anniversary of attending OR, so for the next Winter Market, I am planning to wear my most impressive gear and pop bottles all over the trade show floor. Hopefully @quesofrito will be there to document it.
I love OR more than any other trade show or event that I attend. I have created lasting friendships, I have watched small brands become big brands and big brands look to the small brands for inspiration. I have cried, I have laughed, I have danced to P-Funk in Birkenstocks at Port O’Call and most importantly, I have taken around 20k photos for various reports and publications. When I started out at OR, I was young, eager and coming from the fashion world where I worked as a designer. I had my opinions on design and what I thought was relevant, but I had no real understanding of how the outdoor industry functioned and who the main players were. I was slinging trend books and color services for Promostyl and we had a booth on the main floor. I remember walking the show in my “NY” outfit as Shelly Glasgow labeled it, with my jaw dropped. So much khaki. So much plaid. So many ill-fitting shapes. But there was something that spoke to me. I had been a tomboy most of my life and camped as a kid, so I was naturally drawn to this new and intriguing community of people that were actually doing what they loved. They were living the life they wanted to, outside, out of the cubicles, breathing in fresh air and that alone was enough for me. From day one, I was hopelessly committed, and I still feel that same rush of excitement each time I walk into the Salt Palace.
Did I become an authority on outdoor apparel and gear overnight? Absolutely not. But eventually, I figured it out. What made me an expert was being able to come back, year after year, show after show and slowly understand the process. To listen to the innovators that built this industry from the ground up, the people that had been coming to the show for 20 and 30 years. When I finally felt like I was ready to have a “voice”, I helped to build the design center with my colleagues at Promostyl and Kathy from FabricLink. I gave countless presentations at 7:30 am, so that attendees could ride the “trend train” before the show. I mastered the “trade show hustle” and lived to tell about it. Just to give some frame of reference, when I first started to attend OR the term “being green” was a relatively new concept and brands had just started experimenting with recycled fibers and closed loop manufacturing. There was no hydrophobic down or barefoot running. No one was “tapping their archives” yet. There was no rapid prototyping, there was barely any carbon fiber or foam alternatives. There were no solar-powered gadgets, and there was certainly no alternative to Gore-Tex. “Urban Mobility” was the biggest buzz word on the block (that basically means riding something with wheels) and SUP was just a twinkle in someone’s mind.
Fast forward to ORSM13 and man, have things changed. “Action Outdoors” and “Urban Outdoors” are real categories. Yoga has it’s own “zone”. The paddle tank is across the street (what?!? people cross the street?!?) and product innovations are so mind blowing, that I can’t help but wonder how they can push the envelope any further. Conversations circle around the usual topics on the show floor, but usually end with, “have you seen anything cool?” As a matter of fact I have. I mean, everything is cool once you officially accept your fate as a gear nerd. Sure, some brands are shopping around the same color palettes and items that they have been banging around for years, but there is something special happening. The old school and the new school are coming together and making beautiful music. The “OR hipsters” are working side by side with the purists and the fashion community is looking to the technical brands for direction. Outdoor is no longer just a “members only” club. There is a rebirth of cool happening, and guess what? The car campers, glampers, weekend warriors and festival-goers are all invited.
Modular. Light and fast. Systems. Hybrid. These are the new buzz words that define the outdoor industry. Colors have shifted from safety shades to pastels and patterns have segued from chunky stripes to whimsical ethnic motifs. Silhouettes have taken direction from the runway and gear, well gear is a force to be reckoned with. Packs have become totally streamlined, softshells and hardshells have merged seamlessly, and kayaks fold like origami. Bloggers and climbers inhabit the same space. Motorcycles and mountains are united at last. Things are moving forward, both technically and aesthetically, and here I am, after 10 years, looking at my industry in awe. You guys are literally knocking the ball out of the park.
So, before I get any more dramatic, here is a little glimpse behind the scenes –courtesy of my Instagram— of what I experience when I walk the aisles of OR. I am so proud to be a part of this community and I value each show, more and more, every season.
XX Jeanine