Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine

Permeation Cell (ASTM 2298), a test
used by the United States military to
evaluate fabrics because it more closely
predicts actual user experience.
As for the branding, Polartec is
selling its new fabrics only as Polartec
NeoShell and says it has no intention of
white labeling the collection. Similar to
eVent, however, Polartec is actively collaborating
with partner mills, converters
and vendors to develop fabric packages
with specific performance capabilities.
“This is a point of differentiation,
and I think a competitive advantage for
Polartec NeoShell,” says Fielding Miller,
who handles Polartec for marketing and
PR firm Backbone Media.
Outdoor apparel brands such as
Westcomb, Rab, 66North and Eider are
using more lightweight hardshell-like
iterations of Polartec NeoShell with a
nylon face and a flat tricot back, says
Miller, while others such as The North
Face and Marmot are using more thermal
softshell-like versions of NeoShell
with a stretch woven face and fleece
backs. And Mammut is using “a superbomber,
stretchy version that’s kind of in
between,” he says.
“So there’s a lot Polartec can do in
terms of sandwiching the membrane
between different face and back fabrics,”
says Miller.
Retailers, for their part, appear somewhat
split as to whether or not branded
fabrics and components are crucial to sell
through, at least when it comes to backpacks.
About half of retailers (48 percent)
who were surveyed by CORDURA and
Inside Outdoor said branded components
were very or somewhat important to
the packs they carry in their stores. The
remaining 52 percent were either neutral
or said branded components were
unimportant. Incidentally, retailers do
want their packs adorned with informative
hangtags and labels. Nearly eight out
of 10 retailers said information tags and
labels were very or somewhat important.
Still, regardless of the route breathable
waterproof fabric contestants take,
it’s never easy to challenge a large, established
and respected incumbent such
as Gore-Tex. On the other hand, there’s
never been a better time for competitive
providers and market attackers.
One would have to be living under a
rock not to see and have experienced the
disruption wrought by the increasing
fragmentation of media, communications
and consumer shopping behavior.
Power has shifted decidedly into the
hands of the individual, and critical
mass in marketing can be built in an
increasing number of ways.
Nowadays, it’s quite possible that
an independent specialty retailer, such
as Moosejaw, that understands social
marketing, mobility and the power of
the “network effect” (that a network
grows stronger with every node or
user that connects to it) can be more
influential than a million-dollar branding
campaign and a team of intellectual
property attorneys.
That’s not to suggest Gore-Tex’s market
share will suddenly drop precipitously.
It’s just that competitive providers
have more tools and opportunities
than ever before to gain chunks of loyal
and vocal followers.
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© 2011 BODYGLIDE, Bellevue, WA USA
Fall 2011 | InsideOutdoor | 19