2020 was a very special year for the outdoor sports sector which, except for the spring lockdown period that put a bit of a strain on all sectors, benefited from a positive rebound in summer and a renewed interest in outdoor sports in winter too, where the closure of the ski facilities has prompted many people to practice alternative sports such as skialp or winter trekking with snowshoes. La Sportiva therefore closed the year with a significant increase despite some very important commercial decisions with a strong ethical content, such as postponing most of the new spring / summer clothing by one year. The past year, despite the difficulties and adaptations required by the market, has also brought with it many new opportunities both in the commercial field, see the conversion of a production line aimed at the realization of the protective Stratos Mask, and in the marketing field where the company has intensified the use of digital tools to communicate with its market in both the B2C and B2B fields.
The events and trade fairs suddenly disappeared, the company presented its news to the market through digital sales meetings on ad hoc platforms and participated in the annual ISPO Munich trade fair in a 100% digital format within the portal made available by the fair. In fact, from 1st to 5th February, the company’s product specialists were available to meet those who visit the virtual fair and visitors could access the workshops to see presentations of the novelties for next winter 2021-22. The program included some live events including Q&A sessions and moments of video streaming.
SUSTAINABILITY AS A KEY ELEMENT
The new products that La Sportiva presented in the clothing sector for the FW21-22 season are numerous and are divided into the categories of Ski Mountaineering, Winter Running, Hiking and Winter Climbing with a clear trend: sustainability. Alongside the now best sellers of the collection made with fabrics and padding derived from recycled plastic bottles which represent over 50% of the collection, the company’s research and development department has introduced new technologies that increase the eco-compatibility of the collection.
Base layers in Amni Soul Eco. This features a highly biodegradable polyamide yarn: its original molecular composition accelerates its decomposition. Amni Soul Eco biodegrades into biomass and biogas in a record time of 5 years. La Sportiva uses this yarn on the next generation next-to-skin base layers.
Outer layers in P.U.R.E. Recycled Down. For the new line of thermal down jackets such as Deimos, Titan and Atlas jacket, La Sportiva has chosen to collaborate with the Italian company Minardi Piume and insert in its garments a 100% recycled down: totally sustainable and with very high warmth (Fill Power 700+ cu.in.), it provides perfect thermal insulation, breathability and lightweight equal to a traditional down, extending the life cycle of the original down potentially indefinitely. PURE Down is in fact recyclable for the production of other garments.
Protective shells in Evo Shell. In collaboration with Sympatex, La Sportiva has created the three-layer Evo Shell ™: totally eco-friendly thanks to the total elimination of PTFE, PFC and every component and fluorocarbon-based treatment. The highly abrasion-resistant outer fabric is made from recycled polyamide from industrial waste, the membrane and inner laminate layer are made from recycled polyester using end-of-life plastic bottles. The brand-new Sirius and Northstar shells for him and Firestar for her, adopt this innovative, environment friendly and very low CO2 emission technology in the processing phase.
STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY In SKIALP
The development of the innovative VANGUARD ski mountaineering boot with 4 hooks also originates from an eco-sustainable basis. Made of eco-friendly material Pebax® Bio Based Rnew 1100 obtained from castor seeds, it is the non-plus ultra for the demanding ski mountaineer: thanks to a perfect balance between comfort and technicality both uphill and downhill, it is designed for touring and free touring. The heart of the boot is the leg with asymmetrical V-SHAPE ™ closure that combines a high excursion with a very intuitive fit: making it easy to put on, just put the boot in walk mode and open the front hooks: the ski mountaineer is immediately welcomed with a wide fit and very easy closure system for the cuffs which automatically bring the front tongue into place. The liner in Ultralon® and a high durability Vibram® V-Lug sole complete the features of a cutting-edge product.
FOOTWEAR BETWEEN RESTYLING, EVOLUTIONS AND ECO-COMPATIBILITY
There are two novelties in the climbing footwear field: the technical aesthetic restyling of the TC Pro model, now made famous by the film Free Solo by Alex Honnold. The re-edit was designed to add eco-friendly elements such as eco-tanning, a wider edging and an even more performing fastening in the slit. In addition, the upper shows a heat-branded graphic that recalls the two most iconic ascents made with TC Pro on El Captain: FreeRider by Alex Honnold and The Dawn Wall by Tommy Caldwell.
TC PRO VIDEO PREVIEW:
Sustainable is also the new entry Geckogym Vegan which, as the name implies, is made entirely with vegan materials, thinking of those who also pay attention to this aspect in selecting their purchases.
In the running field, there is space for the Gore-Tex edition with Invisible Fit technology of the iconic Bushido II model dedicated to sky and mountain running uses, while one of La Sportiva’s all-time best sellers, Ultra Raptor, will have two releases with upper in leather: Ultra Raptor II Leather in low cut and mid cut versions: perfect for winter hiking sessions thanks to the Gore-Tex Extended Comfort membrane.
BUSHIDO II VIDEO PREVIEW:
ULTRA RAPTOR II VIDEO PREVIEW:
INFO: La Sportiva
