Houdini Sportswear Debuts Fall ‘23 Line, Expanding Forward to Nature Brand Message; Do More with Less

100% of line has environmentally-preferred materials; recycled, renewable, biodegradable and bluesign certified

Mono Air Vest and Pants, with Polartec Power Air Light, and Double Dunfri performance jacket lead new offerings

 

STOCKHOLM (January 5, 2022) – Houdini, the global circular sportswear company, committed to designs that are timeless and functional, today introduced its Fall 2023 line, a minimalist outdoor approach, encouraging consumers to buy clothes that do more. The entire line is 100% recyclable, renewable, biodegradable and bluesign® certified. In addition, Houdini is introducing the Mono Air Vest and Pants, with Polartec® Power Air Light, creating a lightweight all-season vest and insulated pants that provides durability and warmth.

“This line is getting closer to our overall goals with 100% environmentally friendly materials and 87% is fully circular,” said Niclas Bornling, Houdini’s general manager of North America “We continue to ask, ‘Does this product deserve existence?’ and that philosophy carries over into the Fall 2023 line. “Creating the best quality gear while using the most innovative fabrics, Houdini silhouettes are timeless in design and using nature itself is our blueprint.”

Specifically, the Mono Air Vest is light, durable, and versatile. Polartec Power Air Light combats plastic waste by shedding 80% less microfibers compared to conventional fleece. The vest is wind and water resistant, made from recycled and recyclable fibers. MSRP $160

The new Mono Air Pants is an all-season, durable insulation pants designed with a Hardface© treatment for durability and water repellency. MSRP $160

In addition, the fall 2023 line includes technically designed insulated, lightweight layering and durable comfort pieces, including base layers, jackets, shells, pants, and vests. New colors include Evening Haze, Pink Moon, Crispy Blue, and Mother of Greens.

 

Product Specifics:

  • Power Up Jacket: Versatile, relaxed fit fleece jacket, providing comfort and durability for every outdoor adventure made with bluesign® certified material and a great warmth to weight ratio. MSRP $230
  • Heyday Jacket and Pants: A mountaineering shell jacket and pants designed for rugged adventures in the mountains. Using 100% circular fabrics and shaped for optimal freedom of movement, the jacket and pants have stash pockets, zippered harness-compatible pockets and reinforcement for added durability. MSRP $800 (jacket) & $650 (pants)
  • Double Dunfri: A lightweight performance insulation shell jacket, ideal for any winter adventure. Wind and water resistant, and made with smooth, fully circular fabrics. MSRP $480

 

About Houdini

Houdini is an odd band of scientists, artists, designers and adventurers from Sweden on a quest to reimagine the future of functional life wear. Ever since the start in 1993 Houdini has challenged the norms of the textile industry, as a company led by women, as innovators of responsible design and as pioneers of circular business models. Houdini believes that humans are not built to go backwards, but we can go pretty fast when we know the right way forward.

 

Forward to Nature.

 

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Darby Communications Announces New Ownership Structure

Agency Adds Partners to Support Expansive Growth in 2023 and Beyond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Asheville, NC – January 5, 2023 – After celebrating fifteen years in operation and following a record-breaking year in 2022, Darby Communications announces the expansion of agency ownership to include two new business partners. Effective January 1, 2023, agency ownership will be shared amongst three key shareholders, long-time employee and agency President, Angie Robinson, recently appointed Vice President of Operations, Cory Van Auken, and agency founder, Coral Darby.

Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of western NC, Darby Communications is the original PR and digital marketing firm of the area serving the outdoors, active lifestyle, fishing, and craft food/beverage industries. Incorporated in May of 2007, Darby Communications has experienced exponential growth every year since its inception. Today, the agency is in partnership with over two dozen clients ranging from locally based outdoor and craft food and beverage companies to national and international outdoor, active lifestyle, and fishing clients. The agency employs thirteen full-time staff members who facilitate a full spectrum of earned, owned, and paid communications services for its clientele.

“I am so honored to have Angie and Cory as agency partners,” states founder Coral Darby. “With their leadership and focus on the agency’s health, we can double down on our commitment to innovation within all aspects of business operations, client management, and best practices in PR and digital marketing. This change in our business structure will help us continue to scale the agency while simultaneously creating a positive environment to best serve our clients and our work family.”

In the past three months, Darby Communications has added NC-based Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Blue Ridge Chair Works, Farm to Feet, and Let Me Run to its client roster, with additional regional and national brand partners expecting to continue fueling record growth into 2023. By combining impactful brand storytelling, expanding searchable digital product coverage, and focusing on relationship-building media engagements, Darby Communications has built a reputation on its well-rounded strategic PR mastery. The agency complements its PR services with expertise in digital marketing, and owned and paid social and content management.

“It has been extremely inspiring to be a major part of building this agency since 2010 and I’m thrilled to be in partnership with Cory and Coral to lead this agency into its next growth phase,” shares Angie Robinson, President. “Throughout my time here, we’ve been committed to smart growth and have worked diligently to dial in our processes to be more efficient and provide some of the best client services in the industry with a strong focus on relationship building.”

“Working alongside my industry mentors is a dream come true. Over the past decade, Coral and Angie have built this agency on the tenants of people before profit, and hard work and transparency will always pay off,” says Cory Van Auken, Vice President of Operations. “Because of these values, our staff and client retention rates are phenomenal. I look forward to collaboratively expanding on our success one partner, employee, and client at a time.”

Learn more about Darby Communications at darbycommunications.com.

 

About Darby Communications

Darby Communications is a boutique PR & digital marketing agency serving the outdoor, active lifestyle, fishing, and craft food and beverage industries through impactful content creation, media placement, email marketing, and social media management. Headquartered in Asheville, NC, with a coast-to-coast portfolio, Darby Communications takes a team approach to everything it does for clients and has worked with many respected companies. Darby Communications’ current client roster includes Appalachian Gear Company, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Around the Crown 10K, Astral, Blue Ridge Chair Works, BRANWYN, Devil’s Foot Beverage Company, Farm to Feet, Green River Preserve, Ignik, Johnson Outdoors, Knog, Let Me Run, LifeSaver, Nine Mile, Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn, Sierra Designs, SylvanSport, Ultimate Direction, and Wildwater. Learn more at www.darbycommunications.com or follow on LinkedIn.

 

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Outdoor Industry Association and Shift Advantage Partner to Provide OIA Members Discounted Climate and Sustainability Consulting Services

January 04, 2023, Boulder, CO — Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and Shift Advantage are pleased to announce that Shift Advantage is now an official partner of OIA’s Climate Action Corps, supporting OIA members on their climate journey. With the new Shift Advantage partnership, OIA members can now save up to fifteen percent (15%) on climate sustainability consulting services. *

Shift Advantage has an experienced team of climate and sustainability leaders from the outdoor, apparel, and footwear industry. They have supported dozens of outdoor-related brands and suppliers on their climate journey over the last two decades. Shift Advantage works closely with each client to identify relevant opportunities and provide customized support. Offerings include measuring greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint), setting emission reduction targets, initiatives for reducing GHG emissions in operations, products, and supply chain, partnerships for removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere, and publishing reports that follow the leading global standards. Shift Advantage enables brands to take action that sets them on a path to success, and they can help your brand achieve OIA Climate Action’s Corps goal for the industry to become climate positive by 2030.

*Savings vary per member and their individual consulting agreement. Please reach out to Shift Advantage to confirm your savings amount.

Please join us on Thursday, January 26, 2023, from 1:00-2:00 pm MT for a special webinar to find out more.

About Shift Advantage:
Shift Advantage utilizes corporate responsibility and sustainability expertise to empower brands to meet new market demands, reduce costs, create competitive advantage, and foster long-term growth. They have proven success in designing and implementing a wide range of sustainability strategies and initiatives for brands of all sizes. By understanding the unique needs of each client, Shift Advantage delivers customized solutions with a focus on business value.

Shift Advantage’s services include: GHG inventories, carbon reduction planning, and climate strategies; climate risk/opportunity assessments; setting Science Based Targets (SBTs); Higg Index assessments; materiality assessments; product, material and packaging lifecycle assessments (LCAs)/footprints and improvements strategies; environmental preferred material guidance, sustainability vision creation, goal setting, and strategies; metrics & KPIs development; supply chain sustainability initiatives and assessments; chemistry programs; employee trainings and engagements; B Corp certification; and sustainability/ESG reports aligned with GRI, CDP, SASB & TCFD requirements. www.shiftadvantage.com