Who are the people and brands setting the trends around fashion/lifestyle in trail running? Where do we look for inspiration around how to show up in the sport?
I reckon Terignota is coming up and, like Hemingway's no-style, will spur more anti-fashion tastemaking. And/or transparency and authenticity will make a comeback.
Love this piece. Really curious on why big brands didn’t come up for your audience- is it because of that authenticity piece? Smaller brands can target a more specific archetype where bigger brands fall flat trying to adhere to a space that feels like success comes from ‘freedom of expression’ .
Big brand are too risk averse to be original. As simple as that really. They only want proven concepts so they copy and are usually late to the game as a result.
Really cool analysis! 🙏 I think the Roches have an iconic vibe that resonate with every post. They capture the adventurism and joy of trail running perfectly, and without specific product mention. And I'd be hard pressed to not mention our great storytellers Dylan Bowman and Billy Yang. All of these four are quoted regularly in the start corrals, from those who are there to find their best, rather than look their best. And everyone ends up dressing like the people in their work. #realinfulencers
Nice to see Tiempos on the list with more established niche brands . Not sure they are solving any problems but the intention is there.
Gnuhr is making thoughtful items and stirring the pot a little bit which I can appreciate.
It’s unfortunate we cant use influencer in its original context because I see Courtney as this naturally. She just wears what she wants and that would organically have an impact on others who also might like long shorts.
The whole look of Tattoos and Mustaches is true, however those are generally just cultured people who are creative. It’s cool there is room for outsiders within the outsider activity.
I’m drawn to the completely nieve runners who show up and just wear what they have and make it work.
Great Article. I think one person is missing from the list. Ruddy Trobrillant. @trobrillants. Parisian runner associated with HOKA and Satisfy and SUUNTO. Started a run club in Paris, PWRUP. If you look at his feed, you can see he loves exploring his personal style and he moves beyond just wearing a full Satisfy kit. He is an influencer, he's fast, and one of the nicest guys around.
Love that Ricky Gates is in the list. A truly unique and interesting soul - the type that was never swayed by trends and labels. We don’t see that any more. He wore Salomon. It never wore him.
This is really interesting because so much of what you are wearing and carrying while on the trails is functional. You can get away with silly clothes on a 5 miler around your house. Maybe less so in extreme conditions.
Check out Lydia Oldham, she definitely deserves a spot on this roster. She just ran across Portugal in 5 days for an FKT project, and is constantly pushing the boundaries in long distance running.
Surprised there's no mention of David Roche. Is he 'cool'? No. BUT he does appear to have had a significant impact on the way people approach nutrition in trail running. And there's more to tastemaking than personal style, right? It's about their influence on the culture.
And Walmsley! Ethan Newbury's video of Walmsley at the 2016 Western States, ripping 5:30/mile through the feed in a cropped, holey singlet, wearing tiny shorts and road shoes was punk AF. https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLNishBXui/
Though not exclusively trail, it seems District Vision could squeeze into this cool crew.
I reckon Terignota is coming up and, like Hemingway's no-style, will spur more anti-fashion tastemaking. And/or transparency and authenticity will make a comeback.
Love this piece. Really curious on why big brands didn’t come up for your audience- is it because of that authenticity piece? Smaller brands can target a more specific archetype where bigger brands fall flat trying to adhere to a space that feels like success comes from ‘freedom of expression’ .
Big brand are too risk averse to be original. As simple as that really. They only want proven concepts so they copy and are usually late to the game as a result.
Really cool analysis! 🙏 I think the Roches have an iconic vibe that resonate with every post. They capture the adventurism and joy of trail running perfectly, and without specific product mention. And I'd be hard pressed to not mention our great storytellers Dylan Bowman and Billy Yang. All of these four are quoted regularly in the start corrals, from those who are there to find their best, rather than look their best. And everyone ends up dressing like the people in their work. #realinfulencers
Nice to see Tiempos on the list with more established niche brands . Not sure they are solving any problems but the intention is there.
Gnuhr is making thoughtful items and stirring the pot a little bit which I can appreciate.
It’s unfortunate we cant use influencer in its original context because I see Courtney as this naturally. She just wears what she wants and that would organically have an impact on others who also might like long shorts.
The whole look of Tattoos and Mustaches is true, however those are generally just cultured people who are creative. It’s cool there is room for outsiders within the outsider activity.
I’m drawn to the completely nieve runners who show up and just wear what they have and make it work.
Really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing. Rickey Gates is top of my list (close 2nd Anton) - iconic.
Great Article. I think one person is missing from the list. Ruddy Trobrillant. @trobrillants. Parisian runner associated with HOKA and Satisfy and SUUNTO. Started a run club in Paris, PWRUP. If you look at his feed, you can see he loves exploring his personal style and he moves beyond just wearing a full Satisfy kit. He is an influencer, he's fast, and one of the nicest guys around.
Thx for the shout out
Love that Ricky Gates is in the list. A truly unique and interesting soul - the type that was never swayed by trends and labels. We don’t see that any more. He wore Salomon. It never wore him.
Must catch-up over TrailCon/States
Thanks for including me, Matt! 🙏
Of course! Keep up all the great things you are into!!
This is really interesting because so much of what you are wearing and carrying while on the trails is functional. You can get away with silly clothes on a 5 miler around your house. Maybe less so in extreme conditions.
Check out Lydia Oldham, she definitely deserves a spot on this roster. She just ran across Portugal in 5 days for an FKT project, and is constantly pushing the boundaries in long distance running.
Came here to say this, Ty
Anton is such an OG and is so cool! He made some of my videos way back when.
https://youtu.be/kjDLorXfkao?si=0V5lQ_-fvsZOt3Tz
Surprised there's no mention of David Roche. Is he 'cool'? No. BUT he does appear to have had a significant impact on the way people approach nutrition in trail running. And there's more to tastemaking than personal style, right? It's about their influence on the culture.
And Walmsley! Ethan Newbury's video of Walmsley at the 2016 Western States, ripping 5:30/mile through the feed in a cropped, holey singlet, wearing tiny shorts and road shoes was punk AF. https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLNishBXui/
100% on both call outs
Holy hell, that's the moment I fell in love with trail running. Thanks for re-finding that epic clip.