Gneiss To Climb All Day
Brand: Gneiss Climbing
Services: Market Analysis, Concept Creation, Product Design, Product Development and Sourcing
The Challenge
Gneiss(pronounced nice) is a metamorphic rock with a banded or foliated structure. Gneiss Climbing is a climbing brand with gyms from the interior of British Columbia out to Vancouver Island. They approached us because they wanted their brand to stretch beyond their gym, and offer climbing dedicated products.
The heart of climbing is the outdoors, but the proliferation of indoor climbing gyms is driving the growth of the sport. The first step was turning our hands into a collection of calusses to understand the demands of the sport and its participants. Sufficiently bloodied, we got to grips with the marketplace for both brands and participants.
Understanding the Culture
Our analysis showed a clear marketplace gap for a climbing brand that could bring a sport-specific point of view. Products from classic outdoor category titans were the standard. We wanted to capture the spirit of Gneiss, the demands of their gyms, and the local boulder fields, into an all-action collection.
Carving Out the Niche
The All Day Pack
A collection of staples that would cover all of the climbing enthusiasts’ needs and keep them looking sharp, whether in the boulder field, at the climbing gym, or out in the street.
At the core of the All Day concept was the All Day Pant. The culture around climbing is pretty relaxed when it comes to wardrobe choices, with one exception, your pants. Your ability to climb without restriction is a must and this was the style that needed to do all the heavy lifting and stretching.
The Perfect Pant
The Collection
The Solution: Build From Cornerstones
The All Day Pant continues to drive Gneiss´s apparel business. It has been carried over in a wide variety of colors and fabrics, there´s a zip-off version, a shorts version for the summer, and more iterations on the way. Cornerstone products are the styles that encapsulate your brand and drive your business. Not sure if you have one?