byLarry EderSaucony has announced two new shoes for winter running, featuring Gore-Tex products. Good news for winter running and also good news for Gore-Tex, who is getting more aggressive promoting and partnering with major footwear companies, encouraging runners to use Gore-Tex products all year long….
SAUCONY® UNVEILS NEXT GENERATION TRAIL COLLECTION WITH GORE-TEX® BRAND TECHNOLOGIES
Building on award-winning trail heritage, Saucony, the global performance running brand joins forces with world leader in extreme weather protection to outrun
rain, sleet and snow.
Saucony Xodus 3.0 GTX
LEXINGTON,
MA (February 2, 2012)
– Old Man Winter, keep on knockin’! Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow can penetrate
Saucony‘s new
RunAnywhere (RAW) Trail Collection engineered with
GORE-TEX® high performance fabric by W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.,
the well-respected
inventor of high-performance materials. Aimed at performance-oriented
trail runners and hikers who constantly seek improved protection to
venture
out in extreme weather conditions, Saucony introduces waterproof, windproof and breathable GORE-TEX into two of the brand’s new Fall 2012 off-road
footwear styles: the Xodus 3.0 GTX® trail runner and the Adventerra GTX lightweight hiking boot.
For running footwear and apparel brand Saucony,
keeping runners weatherproofed comes with the territory:
The brand’s hometown of Boston,
Massachusetts, was ranked #2 on Forbes‘ list of “America’s Worst Winter Weather Cities.”
“Running
is the ultimate outdoor sport and we get to design and test our
products in some of the harshest New England weather conditions
possible,” said Patrick O’Malley, senior vice president of global
product for Saucony. “Our goal in partnering
with GORE-TEX is to create an innovative solution for trail runners and
hikers alike, enhancing their experience no matter how wet and soggy the
conditions might be. We’re also exploring opportunities to engineer
additional Gore technology into our future trail and road offerings. We
look forward to a long-lasting relationship with the brand; they share
our relentless commitment to delivering athletic
performance while pushing the boundaries of innovation,” added
O’Malley.
“Saucony
proved very early in our relationship to be a great partner,” said Matt
Schreiner, global footwear product specialist at
Gore. “Their commitment to product performance and their deep
understanding of their consumer gives us tremendous confidence that the
GORE-TEX brand styles they will be introducing are going to be very
successful in the marketplace.”
The
waterproof, windproof and breathable protection
in both the Xodus 3.0 GTX and Adventerra GTX
is achieved by
laminating a GORE-TEX membrane to the shoe’s high-performance textile
upper, then sealing it with an innovative solution for durable
waterproof protection. The membrane’s microporous structure
keeps external moisture out, while still allowing moisture from perspiration to escape,
delivering optimal comfort when battling the elements.
Both
the trail runner and hiking boot are engineered with a 4mm heel-to-toe
offset, allowing the foot to move naturally and uninhibited while
increasing the runner’s
proprioception and balance over uneven terrain. An exclusive, super
aggressive Vibram® outsole on both shoes provides confidence-induced
traction on slippery, wet terrain.
The
Xodus 3.0 GTX and the Adventerra GTX® will both be available on August
1, 2012 in both men’s and women’s sizes at run specialty retailers
nationwide. The suggested
retail price of the Xodus 3.0 GTX is $130.00 and the Adventerra GTX is
$170.00.
About Saucony, Inc.: Saucony,
Inc., a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. is a leading global
running lifestyle brand that fuses performance, innovation and style to
create compelling footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands
Saucony and Saucony Originals. Founded in 1898,
Saucony continues to inspire runners everywhere
with its award winning innovations, including Flexion Plateâ„¢, ProGridâ„¢,
Arch-Lock®, and ViZiPRO® apparel. For more information, go to
www.saucony.com.
About W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
With
more than $2.5 billion in annual sales and approximately 9,000
employees in 30 countries worldwide, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.,
provides
diverse, high-performance solutions in consumer, industrial,
electronic, medical, and surgical markets. As well-known for its unique
corporate culture as for its products, Gore’s 50-year success story
rests equally on product and organizational innovation.
Perhaps best known as the inventors of expanded PTFE (ePTFE) and the
makers of GORE-TEX® fabric, Gore is a leading manufacturer of thousands
of advanced technology products that comprise a breadth of capabilities.
About Collective Brands, Inc.:
Collective
Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle,
fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to
consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units
covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points
and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and
licensing. The company operates three strategic units covering
a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and
selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing.
Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource®, focused on
democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories
through its nearly 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands Airwalk®,
Dexter®, Champion®, Zoe & Zac®, the first-ever affordable green
footwear brand, and designer collections Lela Rose for Paylessâ„¢,
Unforgettable Moments® by Lela Rose, Christian Siriano for
Paylessâ„¢, Isabel Toledo for Payless â„¢ and Silvia Tcherassi for Payless
â„¢, among others; Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group,
focused on lifestyle and performance branded footwear and high-quality
children’s footwear sold primarily through wholesaling,
with its brands including Stride Rite®, Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider®,
Robeez®, and Saucony®, among others; and
Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management
and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk®,
Vision
Street Wear®, Sims®, Lamar® and LTD®. Information about, and links for
shopping on, each of the Collective Brand’s units can be found at
www.collectivebrands.com
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GORE-TEX® and GTX® are registered trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
