While analysts continue to speak of the demise of performance running and espouse that brands should move towards a more casual line of footwear, one of the most powerful groups in footwear and apparel has acquired a technical performance running company and added it to their portfolio. VF Corp owns Vans, North Face and Timberland as well as other brands. They completed an acquisition of Altra (details weren’t disclosed).
Vans saw considerable growth in the last year benefiting from the recent retro trend and a successful investment in marketing the authentic nature of Vans’ skate history in conjunction with music and counterculture which appealed to a new generation of potential fans of the brand.
If technical running is performing so poorly it would seem to be a misstep by VF Corp to acquire a technical company like Altra. In my opinion this acquisition speaks to a point I’ve been making consistently that casual athletic has a foundation built on performance. Without the technical aspect of the research and the creation of footwear made for performance there wouldn’t be a casual alternative available. Confusing? Let me explain, the shoes that are currently selling and making up the strong push towards more casual footwear are all takedown models of more technical models, or actually older performance models.
Altra’s claim to fame is their beautifully constructed FOOTSCAPE natural positioning design. Their footwear tends to be constructed with a wider forefoot allowing the toes to splay naturally when running. It’s a tech that would feature very well within Timberland and Vans footwear if VF Corp made a decision to move in that direction. As Altra has already applied their concepts to their own casual line a North Face collaboration could be a natural play. It’s a smart acquisition by the VF Corp. You can read about it in more detail: https://www.vfc.com/news/press-releases/detail/1655/vf-corporation-completes-acquisition-of-altra
