CFO Grube in an interview
Wolfskin does not want to be a fashion brand
06/23/2023, 2:45 p.m
The best-known German outdoor brand wants to get rid of its senior image. However, the company should have nothing to do with fashion in the future.
How do you change the image of a clothing brand that is perceived by many as a symbol of sprightly seniors? Jack Wolfskin, probably the best-known German outdoor brand, asks this question. The company with the pawprint logo is trying to give itself a fresh image, also because outdoor items are being worn more and more in everyday life. “Of course, we also have to face demographic change,” says André Grube, the company’s CFO, in the podcast “The Zero Hour”. “And the needs of consumers are changing.”
As a result, new materials are now used, the logo has been refreshed and there are products for warmer conditions. But the CFO is sticking to one thing: “We don’t want to be a fashion brand.” According to Grube, functionality should continue to be in the foreground. “When you see what some of the competitors are doing, that’s something we don’t necessarily want. We want to remain authentic.” Jack Wolfskin, who is regarded as one of the inventors of the “three-in-one jacket”, will continue to be measured by the practicality of the clothing in the future – a fine line.
The company started as an independent brand in the 1980s and is now part of the US group Callaway Golf Company. One of the goals now is to gain a foothold outside of the German-speaking market – in Poland or Spain, but also in the Asian market. “Of course, the aim is to develop a global collection,” says Grube.
Listen in the new episode of “Zero Hour”
- Which outdoor garment performs best
- Why Jack Wolfskin is sticking with the pawprint logo
- Which is why the company is researching a jacket without adhesives
All episodes can be found directly at RTL+, Apple or Spotify or via Google.