Category: Communication

SIA Show Reveals Strength of Women’s Markets, Trends in Ski and Snowboard Apparel, New Directions for Industry

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The month of January, 2014, has been unusually packed with trade shows and snow sporting news. Starting with the naming of the USA snowboarding team, Kelly Clark’s gold win at Winter X Games in Aspen, Sochi Olympics kick-off, Outdoor Retailer Trade Show, and now, followed up by 2014 SIA Snow Show January 30-February 2, in […]

Bonfire Snowboarding Turns 25 and Still Burning Hot: Brings Back the Fireman Parka, Launches Collab with Fourstar

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Premium snowboard outwear brand Bonfire celebrated their 25th Anniversary at the SIA Snow Show last week in Denver, CO. The brand, which was one of the first to incorporate a street-sensibility and artistic lifestyle element into snowboarding can also claim durability and quality to their pants and jackets, as attested by many riders who wear […]

H & M Up 9% and Reports Strong Response to &Other Brands, Sportswear Collection, and U.S. Online Sales

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Fast-fashion retailer and brand H&M, based out of Sweden has released their year-end financials which show a strong response to several different factors. First, H&M’s Group sales were up by 9% during the financial year and 356 new stores were added, predominately in China and the USA. As our youth culture studies show, H&M is […]

HitRecord on TV by Joseph Gordon-Levitt Is the Game-Changer for Future Entertainment; Debuts at Sundance

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Collaborative entertainment is moving fast into the mainstream and with actor, director, writer Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s new show, HitRecord on TV, which premiered the first three episodes at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, last week, the future of entertainment will never be the same. While Gordon-Levitt is also well-known for his acting in […]

Outdoor Retailer Winter Trade Show Expands Efforts for Diversity, Youth, Plus Why Outdoor Apparel Is Getting More Fashionable

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Story and Photos by Tom Wallace and Kathleen Gasperini The big question is why is the outdoor lifestyle becoming more popular? The jam-packed Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2014 from January 21-24, 2014, in Salt Lake City, UT, was energetic, inspirational, a networking hub, and business-central for a marketplace that seems less effected by the economic […]

2014 Outdoor Inspiration Awards by Adidas Outdoors Brings Issues of Diversity and Youth to the Forefront

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Outdoor Retailer trade show wrapped-up last week, January 24, 2014 in Salt Lake City, UT, marking another successful show and capturing the energy of the on-going evolution of the industry about the outdoors. One of the most exciting aspects took place during the 2014 Outdoor Inspiration Awards, created by Adidas Outdoors, and the attention brought […]

USA Snowboarding Dreamteam Announced for 2014 Sochi Olympic Games

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On Sunday night, January 19, 2014, after the final Mammoth Grand Prix, a qualifier for snowboarders hoping to make it to the Olympics, the results were in.  The 2014 USA Olympic Snowboard Team which includes Halfpipe and Slopestyle, is an American dreamteam and will be a dominate force to watch during the Olympics in Sochi, […]

Wearable Technologies and Youth Culture Markets = New Crossover Platform for Fashion and Tech

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While earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the main talk was how brands like Intel are now finally moving into the realm of wearable technologies, the focus has often been on pieces and ideas that are not actually youth culture focused. And yet, it is the youth marketplace of today that are […]

Bread & Butter Berlin Kicks-off with Festival-like Extravaganza, Illustrates Trends in Trade Shows

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The kick-off to Bread & Butter Berlin, which ran from January 14-16, 2014, at the Airport Berlin-Tempelhof, launched with a massive opening party, a spectacle of lights, and a celeb-studded crowd. Under the theme “Ich Bin Ein Berliner” (I Am Berlin), Bread & Butter continues to be the centerpiece of European contemporary trade shows, but […]

Fast Fashion’s Uniqlo Targets Youth Culture: Choose Dakota Fanning and Tom Odell for Spring Collection

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The Japanese-based fast-fashion giant Uniqlo has tapped Dakota Fanning and British singer-songwriter Tom Odell for their Spring Collection. As we noted last week, the retailer continues to pave its way into the hearts of the U.S. and UK youth culture markets, especially with their “lifewear” clothing, unique apps, and online campaigns that make the brand […]