At ISPO Munich, Sunday is trophy day

By

Olivier Guyot

Published
Jan 27, 2020

The ISPO trade fair, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, opened the doors to its January edition this Sunday. It’s an opportunity to discover winter sports collections along with running and outdoor wear from the industry's major players. In total, more than 2,800 exhibitors are hoping to entice multi-brand retailers and intermediaries from across Europe and Asia before the show's end on Wednesday.

As with previous years, the show’s organizers appointed specialists in the field, including journalists, athletes, consultants and brand owners, to the jury panel tasked with  selecting the winning products from over 430 applications. The winners, who had already been announced, were showcased on the first day of the show.

The winning product in this year’s Running category was Condor by French brand Veja. The sneaker brand made quite an entrance at the show with its very first running shoe model. In the textiles category, the jury selected the Gore R5 Gore-Tex Infimium jacket, impressed by its quick drying and breathable properties along with a weight of only 250 grams.

For Outdoors, which is spread across four different halls at the show in Munich, the jury lauded safety by selecting Protegear’s A*LIVE SmartSafety Tool. The multi-functional tool is able to pinpoint athletes' exact positions in case of an emergency.

The North Face also scooped a prize for its Summit L3 50/50, a second layer jacket with a new hood constructed for improved breathability and ability to fit more easily into a bag.

For the skiers, the product of the year comes from Alpina, who have created  a vest that protects the athlete’s back and is also made of comfortable sheep’s wool. Its name: the Prolan vest. Finally, the 'product of the year' prize went to a new inflatable surfboard made by German company Tripstix.

The sustainability award places bold initiatives at the forefront, with three products notably emerging from the fray. The first is that of Bergans of Norway, which worked with Spinnova on a bag made from 100% recycled materials.

In a similar vein, Swedish brand Klättermusen put forward a high-tech jacket, named Farbaute, with a weak carbon footprint. Finally, Canadian brand Norden took a much more urban approach with their Anja parka, which also employs a circular model of design and incorporates recycled materials.

The same day, French attendees, gathered at the Outdoor Sports Valley cluster of the base camp, saw the French Outdoor prizes awarded to three emerging Gallic brands present at the show. Tibtop and Black-line were awarded for their wireless shin-protectors and new-generation snowboard foot bindings respectively. Lastly, the brand Mero Mero was recognized for its practical and waterproof children’s bag.