As the original American hiking boot brand, Vasque has been a “hike-first” brand since its inception in 1964. Decades later, the brand has only strengthened its legacy, always creating purpose-built footwear.
Aiming to meet the needs of a variety of consumer segments, Vasque is expanding its product line while remaining committed to the outdoor hiking shoe category.
This growth can be seen in the brand’s fall 2024 collection which introduces a new range of products created to appeal to hikers at all levels of skill and interest, from the technical hiker to light hikers and everyday outdoor enthusiasts.
Most notably, Vasque will launch its Horizon line within its fall collection, which introduces their most accessible hiker shoe yet.
Here, Amy Peck, director of product creation at Vasque, sat down with Fairchild Studio to discuss Vasque’s new product line for the fall 2024 collection, including advancements in technology, incorporating sustainable materials and more.
Fairchild Studio: With Vasque’s legacy in crafting high-quality hiking footwear, how is the brand’s promise of being “built with purpose and intention” integrated into the design and development process of your new fall 2024 collection?
Amy Peck: Every product concept brief starts with the consumer and end use which drives the design and development process. The brief provides details on what is needed to build the footwear from design styling to technology, to sizing and ultimately pricing. This is all driven by who the consumer is, what their intended use is for the footwear, and how these insights can help pay off our dedication to outdoor hike. Throughout the research and development process, we are guided by the original brief to ensure we are building a product that meets our consumer’s expectations and needs.
Horizon in Kodiak Brown.
Fairchild Studio: How does consumer feedback shape the development of new products at Vasque and specifically with the upcoming fall 2024 collection?
A.P.: Consumer feedback is one of the very first data points we use when creating new products for Vasque. We continue to obsess over the consumer and what their needs and expectations are, both of which ultimately drive our product briefs.
A good application of this is our fall 2024 all-new Horizon family. It was developed knowing the consumer was looking for great value in an essential hiker but didn’t want to compromise on technical features like waterproof protection and athletic styling. With inflation on the rise, we knew price accessibility was an important aspect that the consumer was looking for — and we didn’t sacrifice performance to achieve it.
Fairchild Studio: What is the process behind the technological incorporations in your products and why did the brand choose to incorporate Gore-Tex® Invisible Fit?
A.P.: Over the past few years we analyzed our entire technology portfolio to edit and create a technology hierarchy within the product line. When creating the product brief, we know which consumer, end use and price point we’re going after, and then assess which technologies fit within that space.
During our editing process, we identified two waterproof technologies, VasqueDry® and Gore-Tex®, that best align with our consumer segments and their needs. We’ve also identified that waterproof materials have better breathability, which led us to explore new and innovative materials by using Gore-Tex® Invisible Fit in our Now GTX light hike shoe.
Gore-Tex® Invisible Fit allows us to provide enhanced waterproof protection while providing more breathability, a better fit and reduced weight. We see this technology growing and becoming the future of waterproofing.
Fairchild Studio: How do you balance the need for durable, high-performance products with consumers more interested in eco-friendly materials such as sugarcane and recycled VasqueDry® Waterproof technology?
A.P.: Vasque originated in 1964 with a focus on delivering quality and performance in the hike category. Vasque has always been committed to designing footwear that allows everyone to enjoy the outdoors, now and for generations to come. We are constantly pushing ourselves to incorporate more recycled materials and sustainable practices with every pair.
We’re not willing to sacrifice quality or performance, so when we move to eco-friendly materials, it’s paramount to have the same or better performance results than we had previously. We do a significant extensive amount of in-house lab testing to ensure we are meeting our quality and performance standards and use those results to analyze material choices.
Fairchild Studio: How does maintaining a sharp brand focus help Vasque thrive in the fast-paced outdoor footwear industry that is known for its quick innovations and competitive nature?
A.P.: The outdoor industry is extremely competitive and moving faster than ever, and while we are continuing to advance with those changes, we also know how important it is to remain true to your brand and origin. We’ve been hike-first and remained hike-first since 1964. We’ve built with purpose and intention to craft dependable, high-quality performance hike footwear for those who love being outside for over 60 years. And we’ll continue to do so into the future.
We are an outdoor performance brand that values quality and being purpose-built, and therefore we are not going to sacrifice what we stand for as a brand to hit the latest and greatest trend. To be clear, we want to ensure the innovation and trend opportunities we identify are long-term consumer needs vs. a quick fashion trend that’s here and gone. This allows us to stay true to who we are but still be able to adapt to what is happening in the marketplace.
Fairchild Studio: With the rise of hybrid outdoor and urban lifestyles, how do you see Vasque’s role in accommodating consumers who seek versatile, everyday outdoor footwear?
A.P.: We saw this trend early on and started to go after this consumer with our Re:connect category launch in fall 2023. We currently offer two styles in this category, the Here and Now styles. For fall 2024, we’re introducing the Now GTX.
The Re:connect category was created with the hybrid consumer in mind. They need something that has performance capabilities for light hikes but is also comfortable enough for all-day wear, and aesthetically pleasing in a way that the shoes can be worn for both outdoor and daily style.
We are learning fast in this space and will continue to amplify this category by adjusting to the consumers’ needs and expectations.
Fairchild Studio: As the company expands its assortment, what strategies do you employ to explore new market opportunities while remaining true to Vasque’s hiking roots?
A.P.: As we look at new market opportunities, we are primarily focused on protecting our core. Our core is our legacy Vasque consumer and as their expectations change, we know there is still a product DNA that we must maintain because they’ve grown to expect it from us. We’re constantly working to strike the balance of delivering on their expectations while aligning with our brand DNA.
Our fall 2024 collection is a great example of this principle in action. We have the new St. Elias XT, which will be our most technical, premium core hike boot. We also introduced the Horizon, with an accessible price point while not compromising quality. Both of these remain true to our brand and history — quality hiking footwear for those who love being outside. We also continue to expand our line through the Re:connect collection. This fall, the Now GTX rounds out the assortment and delivers a fully capable light hike shoe in a package that meets the expectations of the modern hybrid outdoor consumer.
Fairchild Studio: What are some emerging trends or technologies that excite you and how do you see them influencing the next generation of Vasque hiking boots and shoes?
A.P.: We see technology from the running and athletic world moving into the outdoor category, such as Gore-Tex® Invisible Fit, supercritical foam midsoles and carbon plates. We’re always analyzing technologies like these to determine if they solve a key consumer need, the future of hiking footwear and how our brand can continue to provide the best in outdoor performance.
For the fall 2024 collection, Vasque has introduced new products to appeal to a wider range of consumers, with the introduction of its Horizon, St. Elias XT and Now GTX shoes. The Horizon shoe is aimed at casual hikers, St. Elias XT is for the more technical hikers and the Now GTX is an option for lightweight modern hikers across the board.
The introduction of the new Horizon helps to provide consumers with the “best level product at an accessible price point.” The athletic-inspired lightweight performance shoe maintains its traditional hiking protection at the heel and toe. Horizon combines durable leather, VasqueDry® Waterproof technology made with 25 percent recycled materials and a proprietary lug pattern for all-terrain treading.
St. Elias XT is an extension of the St. Elias family for the technical hiker — providing stability and durability, plus comfort out of the box, for a variety of challenging hikes. The boot’s full-grain leather upper ensures a long-lasting shoe and its Gore-Tex® Waterproof Membrane keeps hikers dry and protected during wet conditions.
As innovation continues to be a core value of the hiking brand’s strategy, the Now GTX is Vasque’s most lightweight shoe. Gore-Tex® Invisible Fit gives breathable waterproof protection and its breathable rip stop mesh upper provides even more durability than other athletic shoes.
“As a hike-first brand it is our priority to remain loyal to our core hike consumer continuing to deliver premium performance hike footwear,” said Peck. “One of our fall 2024 collection goals was to expand our assortment — at both ends of our product hierarchy.”
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