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.
Features
2022Archive
14 December 2022
Old school meets new school
07 December 2022
Lawmakers take on fashion
Can two proposed bills — one state and one federal — harness US law to mitigate fashion’s social and environmental impacts globally?
30 November 2022
A new day is dawning
Brands are giving themselves plenty of time to bring circular footwear programmes to market, but, for innovative companies in the shoe supply chain, work to develop the materials those programmes will need is...
23 November 2022
New leadership at Foot Locker
With Richard Johnson retiring, new Foot Locker CEO, Mary Dillon, might be exactly what the sportswear and apparel retailer needs.
16 November 2022
From forests to footwear midsoles
It only became a player in the $30 billion global market for MEG (mono-ethylene glycol) recently, but UPM Biochemicals..
09 November 2022
PFAS have an Achilles’ heel
Problematic chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been present in moisture protection technologies for years, but time appears to be running out for them.
02 November 2022
A new crop of biomaterials
The agricultural and food industries generate waste products that can yield valuable raw materials to make fibres or dyestuffs... but only if the cellulose or colouring agents from these leftovers can be...
26 October 2022
Plastic-free performance
Concerned by microplastics and seeking to avoid materials derived from fossil fuels, a few pioneering active and sportswear brands are taking the radical decision to phase out synthetics in the belief that...
05 October 2022
Innovation in seaming
A combination of welding techniques may provide a new solution to a critical feature of performance outdoor clothing: making watertight and airtight seams.
28 September 2022
Double discs
Footwear brand Altra has partnered with lacing system specialist Boa to create its latest long-range trail-running shoe, the Mont Blanc. It uses not one but two Boa discs on each shoe.
20 September 2022
Lightweight protection
An idea that began as a way of reducing foam waste has opened up wide-reaching opportunities for apparel group MAS Holdings in the field of protective clothing for sports, health and wellbeing.
14 September 2022
Vital statistics
The stage is set for a summer 2022 launch of Zozofit, an accessible – and highly accurate – wearable 3D body-measuring system designed to track physical transformation from the comfort of home, the gym or...
17 August 2022
The quest for common metrics
The need to back sustainable practices with bona fide third-party certification has led to the development of countless labels and standards serving the varied environmental, social and governance (ESG)...
10 August 2022
Higg MSI claims under scrutiny
The Higg Materials Sustainability Index has often been the object of criticism and debate, but an investigation conducted by the Norwegian Consumer Authority into Higg-based marketing claims has added the...
03 August 2022
rPET’s future is in danger
Authorities and organisations are taking an increasingly critical look at sustainability claims to expose instances of greenwashing.
22 June 2022
Seven concerns about sustainability
A report from Eco-Age raises serious questions about the way brands and campaign groups in the textile and clothing industry present sustainability claims at the moment. The call for change is loud.
15 June 2022
Out of this world
Adidas’ director of footwear innovation, Arnau Sanjuan, tells WSA how software program Gravity Sketch is changing his approach to shoe design.
08 June 2022
Out in the open
Running and ski mountaineering star Kílian Jornet has launched a new footwear, clothing and accessories brand with Mallorca-based footwear group Camper.
25 May 2022
Alternative carbon blacks
The development of black inks and pigments that are derived from sources other than petroleum and are even proven to be carbon-negative could be a game-changer in the apparel industry and beyond.
18 May 2022
Carving up territory
Mapping new fibres and textile terrain would appear to come naturally to Finnish renewable fibre producer Spinnova.
11 May 2022
Next generation biopolyesters
The polyester family includes a wide array of biopolymers that have long-standing uses in plastics and are being tested for their potential in apparel.
04 May 2022
Nylon in many shades of green
Recycled, biobased, biotech, made from cleaner processes or difficult-to-treat waste, the new nylon yarns that are in development cover an array of carbon footprint-reducing measures.
03 May 2022
The pace picks up
Sustainability remains firmly on the agenda of almost every sports and outdoor company in 2022. More than that, a detailed new report insists that, as a result of covid-19 and the recent United Nations Climate ...
19 April 2022
Graphene keeps on giving
Engineering company Versarien sees vast potential for graphene to add beneficial properties to textiles and sportswear, with research unlocking new properties and applications.
11 April 2022
Second chance for circular suede
Puma has launched an experimental shoe collection that will test strengths (durability) and weaknesses (biodegradability) and determine if industrial composting could create value as fertiliser at the end...
06 April 2022
A bright outlook
For international winter sports brands, the issues of how to harness the energy around Beijing 2022 and grow market share in China are of standout importance. Particularly in the current, ever-changing,...
29 March 2022
Biodegradable breakthrough
New synthetic yarns that biodegrade in landfill hundreds of times faster than ordinary polyester have caught the eye of running apparel brand Pressio.
16 March 2022
Cellulose from cotton comes full circle
Processing cotton waste to reprieve its cellulose content is one of the more advanced chemical recycling processes in development. The companies in this field are optimising their technologies and securing...
08 March 2022
New momentum for smart textiles
Two accelerator and innovation programmes, SmartX and SmartEEs, believe collaboration is key to unlocking opportunities in smart textiles. Promising projects selected by these platforms have access to a...
01 March 2022
Unwanted legacy: chemicals in textile waste
Hazardous chemicals in textile waste has slipped under the radar for many promoters of a circular economy. A study into this issue finds risk to be low, but real. It brings to light the need for more research...