Tim Selby, Merrell VP/GM Europe , explains the brand’s drive to make the outdoors more inclusive, diverse and open it up to new communities.
Merrell, a leading outdoor footwear and apparel brand, has actively championed inclusivity and diversity within the outdoor community through various initiatives and collaborations.
The Merrell Fund, in particular, was created with one purpose – to share the power of the outdoors with everyone. The Merrell Fund aims to provide funding for charities and non-profit organisation that have projects and initiatives that make the trail more inclusive and/or protect the trail environment. Merrell mainly want to engage and actively encourage those who may find it difficult to get outside into nature or for those who want to protect and preserve green spaces, so the next generation can enjoy the outdoors.
Merrell has also focused on promoting diversity and inclusion through initiatives like the Merrell Hiking Club, which offers curated hiking experiences designed to be accessible and welcoming to all. These efforts aim to break down barriers and encourage participation from underrepresented groups in outdoor activities.
Tim said: “I’d really like to highlight the fact that charities and organisations can apply for money through The Merrell Fund if they’re in that inclusive space of getting people outdoors. We have an online portal to access funds to aid their projects. We work with many charities all over Europe both large charities, like the Youth Venture Trust or the YHA, down to some really small ones. There’s one that holds cinema screenings for women in the Alps to encourage participation in the outdoors.”
For Merrell the outdoors is not just hiking miles in the countryside but also closer to home, a lot closer to home. It’s about getting everybody involved in the outdoors wherever they live. Tim explained: “We try and be really inclusive. There are epic trails across the Alps, which are very worthy, but not really what we’re looking to promote, which is trying to make the outdoors accessible to everybody.
“When you look at how the outdoors is portrayed, most of it is the Lake district, the Pyrenees or the Alps. What percentage of the population, probably five per cent or even less, ever get to go to those places?
“So, it’s about trying to work with the majority of people. We have our women’s Hiking Club that we’re working on as well. We hold around 40 events a year across Europe where we have ambassadors that we employ that take about 30 to 50 people out on hikes.
“The great thing is we’re building a Facebook community which is growing organically and now networking so groups can organise their own walks rather than the brand doing it.
“But we shouldn’t even really call it the outdoors – it should just be the outside, the second you walk out your front door there is so much to enjoy.
“We hosted the Sporting Goods Industry meeting in London and about 30 people attended. One of our Women’s Hike Club ambassadors took us on a one-and-a-half-hour walk through inner London. People were astounded by the route she found, along canals, parks and little hidden gardens. If you look to your local community, there are outdoor calming spaces that you can find.
“If you’re doing that then you don’t have to travel for two to three hours to the South Downs, the Chilterns, the Peak or Lake Districts to find that outdoor space.
“We’re going to really accelerate that story this year and we’re going to see which other companies we can collaborate with to try and make these ideas bigger. All our research says that people don’t want to go out for full days, most hikes are less than half a day. The whole you’ve got to go for three days up into those big mountains for it to count is gone.”
Tim believes that the industry has also moved on with the development and design of new products which has opened up a new area of inclusivity.
He said: “I think one of the big changes is the product we design is so much more accessible. Apparel and backpacks made that step change earlier. With outdoor footwear we’ve been a little bit late on that curve. It was always used to be about it’s got to perform, it’s got to perform, it’s got to perform. Whereas now you have to look good and perform.
“A lot of people used to say ‘I’m not going to buy outdoor footwear because it’s leather, brown and clumpy and you’d only ever wear a few times out on a hike’. So why would want to spend £200 when it’s only designed to go to the Lake District, especially these days when money is tight.
“Now the product is so much better designed and you’re seeing that product being worn every day. People are happy to wear outdoor footwear to commute to work, walk the dog, walk through the park or whatever else.
“These days you need a product that can be versatile over a number of different activities. So, yes, I wear it for outdoors or for daily activities – even walking to the pub because they now look so good! Over the last two to three years brands have done a much better job in terms of making the product trend right and that in itself makes the products more inclusive.
“That’s where the puffer jacket made that step change from being a top of mountain technical jacket to being every day, the kind of silhouettes, cuts and detailing allowed that to happen. The same happened with backpacks, they went from a clumpy outdoors style, taking the same performance, but redesigning for everyday and suddenly their market grew. Footwear is now doing the same. If you can do something that grips, keeps your feet dry, is durable but still looks good, then why wouldn’t you buy them.
“I think there is a movement into hybrid, versatile, lightweight hike shoes that is starting to move into mainstream culture.
“And if you do that, you change the communication about what the outdoors is and suddenly that makes it far more inclusive and open to a much wider section of community.”
