This image above is a concept website page I created for this post based on a concept called City Hiking. I built the splash page to show how Merrell could create a subsite for this category. I browsed their regular site (https://www.merrell.com/) and found 5 styles that could crossover into the utilitarian fashion scene. I intentionally chose white as we enter spring and summer. The 5 pair are integrated throughout this post.
Merrell may be one of my favorite brands, but to state that the company has any relevance in outdoor as fashion circles would be like a politician saying they’ll get it done. The brand has been behind the scenes of some of the most amazing moments in outdoor sports, but with a heavy reliance on their Moc and Moab Lines they’ve been relegated to people who wear field shirts with pleats and air vents on the back tucked into oversized khaki pants with brown belts. Merrell has never navigated or been thought of by the fashion stylists or IG Gorpcore fans. I’ve discussed this in several posts.
#1. Men – Nova 3 – Low | Merrell
In 2019 I began analyzing Merrell. The brand was fixated on remaining true to its outdoor roots. The decision to focus on solely serving their community I thought limited the reach of the brand. Certain demographics don’t feel welcomed in outdoor sports or the communities. Merrell does a fantastic job of studying and researching issues to help create more opportunities for BIPOC and underserved communities, but without a distribution strategy that reaches the untapped various demographics, the brand might be helping outdoor sports diversify, but they are doing very little to help their sales.
#2 Men – Moab Speed GORE-TEX® SE – Low | Merrell
An interesting thing is happening within Merrell. As I wrote in 2019, they have not figured out the imagery and merchandising. Their Instagram page has pics and videos that fit in perfectly with their outdoor consumer, but several flicks or scrolls through the content only delivers one set of images that display how the brand is capable of entering a space currently dominated by Salomon and The North Face. The image is of stylist Jason Bolden (who recently did a dope interview with Idea Generation… he was rocking Nikes in the video) with actor Taylor Zakhar Perez. You can see this image above in the faux landing page I designed.
#3 Men – Moab Mesa Luxe 1TRL – Shoes | Merrell
Merrell’s lack of imagery is actually a smart move as any proliferation of IG styled model shots would be out of character for the brand. If the company were to pursue this customer it would have to happen organically or via a campaign geared towards making hiking and outdoor inclusive in a manner that highlights lifestyle and culture in cities across the country and around the world. If this is beginning to sound like a pitch, that’s because it is. It’s rare to see a brand that has products already available waiting to be introduced to a new market. I also love the challenge of finding a way to create content that will engage, entertain and highlight opportunities to connect.
#4 Men – Moab Hybrid Zip GORE-TEX® 1TRL – Low | Merrell
Developing this ranking list of the top 5 sneakers I see that have the ability to move beyond the typical trail will hopefully inspire a connection with Merrell and give readers insight into an alternative that has yet to be screwed up sneakerheads looking to suck up inventory to flip. Then again, I may be introducing these styles to that community looking to for the next movement. I’ve been writing for years that Merrell has products that should be reaching a new demographic. With an added focus on style and performance and with these five styles included in this post, it seems they are right on the verge… let’s hope I’m right, but wrong about the resale aspect. Use the links throughout to discover these and other kicks perfect for your next city trek.
#5 Men – MTL Long Sky 2 – Shoes | Merrell
A Memphis City Hiking Path for a day visit to the Home of the Blues
The neighborhood of Cooper-Young in Midtown Memphis features a quirky, other world of local shops, bars and restaurants. The trek begins in Overton Square, but truly starts once you cross at Central Avenue. If you start your walk at Central and Cooper you’ll hit Aldo’s Pizza, Tacos N Ganas Food Truck and within a half mile these two locations you run into Memphis Made Brewery. A short walk down the block from Memphis Made is Soul Fish Cafe. It doesn’t stop there. Walk another mile and a series of bars and Irish Pubs line the street across from each other. Alchemy is the home of the best bar with over 100 different custom drinks and Celtic Crossing might be the loudest place in the city when the music revs up and patrons begin telling stories and congregating. At the four-way intersection are 7 different styles of cuisine, a yoga studio, kickboxing studio, record shop, and art gallery. Walk another block and there is a restaurant that goes against all that is Memphis, Bain’s Bakery and BBQ. Bain’s was created by a couple of Austin, Texas transplants who decided to deliver Texas Brisket to BBQ U.S.A. Here are a couple of pics. While you can get a workout doing this city hike, every pound you lose is sure to find it’s way back after stopping at Bain’s. The picture you see below of the bacon wrapped jalapeno, is called a Texas Twinkie… so much for being haflway vegan, smh.
