007-07-19 - OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARD

A top-class international jury presented one GOLD and six SILVER awards for outstanding performances at the second OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARD in Friedrichshafen

One GOLD and six SILVER awards were presented to especially outstanding products at the OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARDS, which was held at the OutDoor 2007 event at the Friedrichshafen trade fair grounds for the second time (19th – 22nd July 2007). Prior to the event, an international jury had selected 30 products from a total of 204 entries from 21 countries to receive an award, following the same format as the competition organized by the iF International Forum Design earlier in the year.

Jury, Categories, Criteria

The competition set itself the aim of giving consumers a guiding line in the market by awarding the OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARDS seal of approval. All products that received gold, silver or bronze awards are in a special display from 19th – 22nd July 2007 in the ground floor of the trade ground’s west foyer. The Outdoor INDUSTRY AWARDS’ 2007 jury consisted of: Stefan Engers (Intersport Deutschland GmbH, Germany), David Fisher (Designer, seymourpowell, England), Thomas Lipke (Contractor, Globetrotter Equipment, Germany), Thorsten Schwabe (Architect and building biologist, Schwabe & Baer Research & Development company, Germany), Fredrik Sträng (Adventurer, photographer and lecturer, Sweden) and Graham Thompson (Journalist, Trail Magazine, England). The products in the different competition categories – apparel, shoes, backpacks/travel luggage, mountaineering equipment, camping equipment, sleeping bags, water sports and accessories – were evaluated by experts using the following criteria: degree of innovation, design quality, workmanship, choice of materials, environmental compatibility, functionality, utility, safety, trendsetting character and brand value/branding.

Jury statements about the competition

The jury established that innovations in the Outdoor industry are generally taking place in small steps: evolution instead of revolution is the motto. With isomats, sleeping bags, tents and accessories, for example, the focus is predominantly on the smallest weight minimization or speed of use increase; details are being continually enhanced. In the area of ecology, the jury saw further potential for innovation in the future. The products’ entire eco-balance could be worked on here and there and the use of materials that can be easily recycled must become more widespread, summarized the jury.

There were exceptions, of course. The jury thought that helmet developer “Madillo” from Edelrid’s new treatment method – developed by the Schoeller AG – for black textiles, and their development of innovative fastener mechanisms for bags and accessories were radical new developments and groundbreaking innovations. “These radical innovations can and will inspire the industry further,” the experts said in a statement. David Fisher went on to say, “As a product designer, I’m looking at an industry that’s passionately focusing on improving its products. The companies are addressing concrete problems with appropriate solutions. You can see that the people who work in this industry love their jobs, as they themselves mostly come from this area and know what they’re talking about.” And Graham Thompson said: “The outdoor industry is a very positive one. It’s about nature and a healthy lifestyle. And when good products motivate more people to get out into nature, then that’s a very good result.”

The GOLD award winner and the six SILVER award winner at the OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARD 2007

The jury presented awards to 30 products from a total of 204. This included one GOLD, six SILVER and 23 BRONZE. The winners received their awards at a presentation at the OutDoor trade fair on the fashion show stage in Hall E0 on 19th July.

GOLD Award

“Madillo”: foldable climbing helmet, Edelrid, Germany
Jury’s decision: “This product is a 360-degree innovation. The entire product was newly thought out and therefore newly invented. Helmets used to be essentially just metal pots in one shape or another. This product is completely astonishing and displays just what makes a true consumer product – it’s a pot that folds up. Everyone immediately understands the problem that it solves. Brilliant!”

The 6 SILVER Awards

“Big Turn Catch All”: Fastener, Fidlock GmbH, Germany
“This is an unconventional and, in comparison to other fastener mechanisms, completely innovative idea. This fastener can be used in any number of situations, and the best thing is, it’s a magnetic system that provides a truly functional fastening action. The two key elements of a lock, the closing and opening functions, are solved here easily and cleanly.”

“R 320”: Harness, ARC’TERYX, Canada
“This product changes the way we think about harnesses. Instead of an uncomfortable, often poorly designed belt, here you have an aesthetically pleasing design solution with perfect functionality. This belt is just as functional as a belt, but looks better and is also very comfortable. In the outdoor industry, function is usually everything, but this product breaks that trend, as it shows that good design and functionality can go together hand-in-hand.”
“ColdBlack”: Treatment method for black textiles, Schoeller Textil AG, Switzerland

“The ‘product’ here is a special treatment technology for handling black fabrics. It ensures that black materials do not warm up too much under heat and expend heat in the cold. This means black textiles ‘work’ the same as normal white or light-colored fabrics. This a great functionality boost for the outdoor industry, as it means black materials can be used in a much wider range of applications.”

“Carbon Fyre”: Trail running shoes, The Timberland Company/Golite, USA
“An innovative shoe consisting of a plastic-barbed sole, which prevents slipping on mountainsides. The look of the soles tells you immediately what the shoe is for. This is a unique solution. The entire show is also well-designed, with all parts coming together well.”

“Radikal”: Mountaineering shoes, MILLET SA, France
“The shoes impress with their successful mix of materials. All parts and materials come together well and look good. If you think of traditional mountaineering boots, and then see these light, well-designed shoes, which fulfill all expectations and replace the traditional leather with rubber and other modern materials, then it’s not only highly functional, but also a nice design.”

“Primus EtaPower MF”: Outdoor multi-cooker, Primus AB, Sweden
“This is a complete cooking set, whose low weight minimizes the total backpack load and also works extremely efficiently. Everything has been though of here. In this product you can find many small innovations that all come together to form a complete outdoor cooking solution. The result is a single backpack cooking system, that is not too technical to operate – you can hold the pot even when there’s warm water in it, etc. – and which fulfills one or more useful functions, such as the textile bag, which is used to carry the cooker, keep food warm, save fuel and you don’t burn your fingers. This makes the system very easy to operate; you can’t do anything wrong.”

OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARD 2007 jurors: Biographies

Stefan Engers, 48, gained his first management experience as an industrial engineer at head of production control at Siemens AG, following his studies in engineering and postgraduate studies in industry. For 17 years, Stefan held supervising positions in Management and Marketing, most recently as a member of the management team at VAUDE. Stefan Engers was a Creative Director and Implementer of the Ecology brand concept. Since 2006, he has been a member of the management team at Intersport Germany eG, where he is head of the Hardware division.

David Fisher, 41, graduated from the University of Northumbria, England, in 1990. From 1990 until 1993 he worked as a designer for London Associates. Since 1993 Fisher has worked for the product design consultancy Seymourpowell. He was responsible for key customer accounts, such as Nokia, BMW, and Mercury. Today he is Design Director and focuses on innovation and flexible design processes, ranging from groundbreaking conceptual projects to designing and managing products through to production. He is a member of the D&AD and DBA. Fisher is regularly on the judging panel for international design awards.

Thomas Lipke, 48, made his hobbies of mountaineering, trekking, canoeing and skiing into his career in 1980 by playing a major role in developing the Globetrotter Equipment business enterprise into one of Europe’s leading outdoor stockists. As Managing Partner, he is today still in charge of sales, personnel and IT. Globetrotter Equipment achieved a turnover in 2006/2007 of 150 million euros, and employs 830 people in seven locations.

Thorsten Schwabe, 38, completed an Architecture course at the Technical University in Munich and then a Building Biology course at the University of Applied Sciences in Rosenheim. Thorsten was Managing Partner of micros systems in Munich and Art Director at the Serviceplan advertising agency. Today, he is Managing Partner of Schwabe & Baer Developments GmbH, and responsible for the Indigo & Bogner Ski brands as Creative Director.

Fredrik Sträng, 30, is a professional photographer, lecturer and adventurer. He has set a Guinness World Record for being the fastest person to climb the highest mountain on every continent in 191 days. Sträng produced a documentary about the first person to set foot on the top of Mount Everest and sailed in Antarctica participating in a documentary. Sträng is working together with his sponsors testing equipment and apparel to the very limits and contributes greatly to improvements in clothing, tripods, camera bags, tents and more.

Graham Thompson, 43, is the Technical Editor of Trail Magazine. He was voted “Among the 10 most influential people in the outdoor industry” by UK trade magazine OCC in February 2007. Graham also contributes to the trade newsletter Outdoor I, Country Walking Magazine, Camping and Caravanning Club magazine as well as the Sunday Times newspaper. He also speaks on outdoor clothing, equipment and skills at outdoor shows in the UK. Graham has also worked in outdoor retail as an outdoor instructor and sells stock photography through the Getty Images brands Image Bank, Stone and Riser.