Old school meets new school
The vibrant and entrepreneurial community of climbers in California in the 1960s and 70s spawned many of the brands that have shaped today’s outdoor industry. Royal Robbins founded his eponymous apparel brand with his wife Liz in 1968, a few years before Yvon Chouinard would establish Patagonia. In 2018, Swedish group Fenix Outdoor International acquired the Royal Robbins brand that had by then come to specialise in travelwear. Thomas Håkansson, a long-time freelance designer for Fenix-owned outdoor brand Fjällräven, revives the spirit of the era in RR68 Adventure Originals, a capsule collection for spring/summer 2023.
Who was Royal Robbins and what makes his heritage, vision and life relevant to today’s outdoor enthusiasts?
There are two elements that drew me to Royal Robbins. The first is the spirit of the climbing community in California in the 1960s. It was a special, very tight-knit community of strong-minded people who were also very respectful of nature, they were the ones to pioneer ‘clean climbing’. In addition, they were also very stylish, especially Royal Robbins; stylish was a word he often used in fact. The clothes he wore were relaxed, they were sportswear, but more formal than today’s sportswear. The photos portraying him with his wife Liz really inspired me to bring this aesthetic back to life. I believe the spirit of Camp 4 [in Yosemite], where the rock climbing crowd would hang out, share equipment, where everyone would chip in, brings something very new to the table. It is not a competitive spirit, it is not all about performance, and I think this is what drives today’s outdoor communities. People are not out to one-up each other. They just want to spend time outdoors with friends and close ones. That is what excited me the most about Royal Robbins and this period. It is not only a great story but also a time that was very modern, foreshadowing what is now called sustainability.
What type of clothes would they wear, and how have they inspired your own designs for RR68?
These avid climbers did not wear technical clothes, they wore jeans, army pants, checked shirts. Their down jackets were made from cotton fabrics. They wore a lot of cotton, which is why I am reintroducing cotton mix fabrics in the range [see article Plastic free performance on page 10]. The clothes they wore were also versatile. Versatility is a key concept of the RR68 collection. We are not targetting ‘performance outdoors’, but rather ‘active outdoors’. My design thinking here was to create a system of products that work together and that make sense for the consumer. As Royal Robbins’ roots are in California, not in Europe, we have focused on classic styles, easy, wearable colours, and Americana aesthetics. Since Royal and Liz were a couple, we also developed some unisex, or genderless, styles, as that is how they themselves dressed.
Why choose to focus on natural fibre fabrics?
The first reason is that the clothes Royal Robbins wore were mostly made in natural fibres. Cotton is an important part of the collection not only because it is a fibre that everyone loves to wear for the comfort it provides but also because it is linked to US heritage. We have chosen an extra-long staple US pima cotton fibre that is GOTS certified. I would say that it is the Rolls-Royce of cotton. It has a great hand feel, it looks great, and it ages beautifully. It is important to think long-term how these products will age over time and natural fibre fabrics tend to age well. We have created what I think is a market-first, a soft-shell made in 97% cotton with 3% elastane. It is a double-weave that feels like a knit fabric, it is extremely comfortable. For winter, we have had it brushed. Pants and shorts are made from a 100% cotton fabric that has mechanical stretch.
Optimising a fabric’s performance through weave texture can only go so far. In truly rugged conditions, you need the performance of synthetic fibres. The range’s key fabric is what we call ‘The Royal Poplin’ – it is a blend of nylon with the pima cotton in a very tight weave construction. If water resistance is needed, we have it coated with a PFC-free water repellent, if it is used for a down jacket, we have it calendered to make it downproof. The most protective products in the range will be no more than wind- or water-resistant. That was the extent of the technical properties of performance fabrics back in the day. It also makes the clothes more comfortable to wear. We have a tendency to think of sustainability or performance as a being either all black or all white. In sports apparel, everyone seems to accept the view that cotton is not functional. That is not true. Cotton has some great properties: it is comfortable, it manages moisture, it is long lasting, it is fresh in hot weather. If you need more protection, I say just add wax. Look at Fjällräven and Barbour.
How did you approach product design and features?
We wanted to make a product that was truly versatile, and what works the best is what I call non-design, or generic design. The pieces are made to offer a complete layering system that adapts to changing conditions, seasons and uses. They are transversal, robust and repairable, they are made with elements that can be replaced. We have also deliberately limited the number of fabrics to generate less waste. A flannel fabric chosen to make an overshirt is also used as a lining fabric for some jackets. Leftover or excess material will be used to make the pouches that Royal Robbins wore across the shoulders. We’ve put a lot of effort into making the pieces as monomaterial as possible. We plan to carry over fabrics from season to season. We have chosen to buy from fewer suppliers, which means we can work more closely with them. We want to build a relationship over time, not chase short-term profit.
What challenges did you face in the product development process?
The sports apparel industry likes to promote the high-performances properties of its products. A hiking jacket will be made to protect the user from a water column of so many centimetres. These properties are easy to explain and easy to understand. But we have forgotten to ask why: why do we need so many centimetres of water column? Polyester is no doubt a good fibre for some applications, but not all. We need to challenge the consensus, and we need to be more open-minded. Monomaterial design thinking is a challenge in itself. Blends are everywhere, they are difficult to avoid. It can be done by making styles that are simple, inspired by workwear, that have patch pockets for instance. In this collection, we are using a single type of taping and all garment labels are 100% cotton. This range is for people who want to enjoy being outdoors, it is not high-tech equipment for elite climbers. The industry is very much focused on performance, water repellency, waterproofness, and so on. Historically, function comes first. But it is possible to provide these functions through fabric construction. A Ventile fabric can block wind and water without any special finish or membrane. Its water-repellency can be improved by applying a wax. It won’t have the performance of a Gore-Tex jacket, but it will be very breathable and possibly more versatile.
Do you think this approach to design and product development can be applied on a broader level in outdoor clothing?
For one, what I find in my own approach to design is that there is no single solution or single track to more sustainable product. There are hundreds of ways to be sustainable. We have chosen to make RR68 products premium in quality and craftsmanship, and they are manufactured in Europe. Quality is an important aspect of sustainability. If we want to promote repair, reuse and resell, we need quality garments that can travel that distance. One thing that I really appreciated in developing this range has been made possible by the philosophy of the Fenix Group itself. The company is on the stock exchange but it is still managed by the family and it has a long-term perspective and strategy. This range embodies a different approach to success in business: it seeks not profit from volume, but profit from value. This circles back to the spirit and vision of Royal Robbins and his era. These values were important at the origin of the brand, and we, meaning the sports apparel sector, may have lost sight of those values with globalisation.
CREDIT: Thomas Håkansson
