Outdoor brand Berghaus has been innovating since 1966 and Dan Taylor, Head of Sales for Outdoor and Cycle at Pentland Brands, tells us why they’re not thinking of slowing down anytime soon.
Berghaus, a B Corp certified company, believe that the outdoors is for everyone and innovation plays a large role in developing new fabrics and benefits. To that end they are looking to encourage more women to venture outdoors and develop gender specific gear. They also believe in sustainability and the longevity of their products and have an exceptional repair service.
Touching on designing specifically for women, Dan said: “Berghaus has a commitment to innovation and we’ve invested significantly into our innovation team at Pentland.
“We believe that women have been a very under catered for consumer group bringing product to market. There are two key areas that we are currently innovating around, legwear and backpacks. Both have been designed to work with women’s bodies.”
Berghaus has launched ZonalAdapt, responsive legwear technology that is engineered to adapt to the way women’s bodies move and change. Tested and shaped by over 100 women, anatomists and scientists, the new products adapt to the unique needs of a woman’s body. The Farren leggings and trousers mark the return of MtnHaus, Berghaus’ pioneering innovation initiative.
ZonalAdapt is the result of an 18-month project that has been informed by extensive consumer insights. The latest quantitative research states that over 50% of women avoid wearing their favourite clothes due to bloating, while seven in ten feel restricted in leggings when their bodies fluctuate. Women report feeling self-conscious when bloated, two and a half times more than men. Led by head of innovation Rosie O’Sullivan, the MtnHaus team set out to engineer leggings and trousers that truly support the natural shifts of women’s bodies, without compromising on performance.
Dan said: “Many women we spoke to were feeling unloved in the outdoor industry, we hope to change that with our products. To make them excited and get out on the hill.”
If retailers want to check out Berghaus new products and their extensive range, then they can have that opportunity in their new showroom in the Lake District.
Located in Staveley, north of Kendal, the new base will be used to present the brand’s latest collections of outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment, and as a convenient venue for a range of meetings.
The new Berghaus showroom is situated in Staveley Mill Yard, a popular hub for leading outdoor and sports brands. With floor space of around 50sqm, there is plenty of room to display key styles from the company’s latest seasonal ranges. The Berghaus sales team will use the showroom to arrange appointments with specialist customers in Northern England and the Midlands, and it will be available for other departments, such as product development and marketing.
Dan said: “We have a good cross section of our ranges there. All our performance product, like Extrem and Trail, is there based on it being a performance location. And what better place to test our products than in the Lake District!”
Retailers who would like to make an appointment in Berghaus’ Staveley showroom should contact their regional account manager or Kris Gray on [email protected].
Retailers can get a look at Berghaus’ new autumn/winter 2025 products. The new Extrem range, which is being launched, is looking to build on its previous successes.
Dan said: “Last time we launched the Extrem range in 2022, we won ISPO and Polartech Apex Awards. We’ve iterated on the good work that’s been done there, redeveloped items, particularly the Shell product, to make sure that that it’s working as well as it could from an articulation standpoint, we’ve put on new trims and redeveloped all the pockets, so your body works better with the product.”
Looking ahead to Spring/Summer 26 Berghaus innovation and sustainability continues with their new Trail range.
Dan said: “Traill is an outdoor performance area of the range. We’ve got a lot of products dropping in there across windproof, waterproof all the way down to first layer. One of the interesting points is our Ivyhill first-layer range which uses coffee beans to create the fabric. They can make a very good performance yarn from them. Positive businesses is a big part of Berghaus but also overall with Pentland Brands’ agenda, in terms of sustainability commitments and CSG commitments, and this is an exciting performance fabric that’s weaved into the range.”
The sustainability ethos is also something Berghaus are proud of, they’re especially proud of Repairhaus, an updated version of the repair service that the brand began when they started out.
Led by a talented team at the brand’s headquarters in Northeast England, Repairhaus attempts to repair any damaged Berghaus clothing, footwear, pack accessory, however old, worn or weathered the item is.
Dan said: “Repairhaus is a big part of what we do and something we’re very proud of. We repair thousands of products each year up in our Sunderland office. We have people upstairs repairing on the machines or, depending on how challenging the repair, we send the product off to a third party.
“My message to consumers is please come and use the free of charge service. It’s always amazing because you do get some product sent back that are probably 35 years old. And there’s some amazing stories that come from it. Also, it’s something that fills you with a huge amount of pride when someone can wear your coats and walking boots and made them last for 20 years.”
When Berghaus say the outdoor is for everyone they mean it. Launched in February, the Berghaus Adapts project invited members of the public to request bespoke changes to clothing and equipment that will help them get into nature. Berghaus Adapts supports people living with physical disabilities to get active outdoors
There are 16 million people in the UK living with a disability and lack of access to suitable kit is a barrier that prevents many of them from spending time in nature.
