When I asked my husband if he wanted to go check out the grand opening of Adidas TERREX’s first-ever North American retail store in Portland, Oregon, he was game. He was hoping to find some classic three-stripe Adidas track pants or maybe a T-shirt. But when we arrived at the opening, my old-school hiker/fitness buff husband was confused. Where were the plain old track pants? Why were the hiking boots in shades of bliss lilac, beam orange and pulse magenta instead of dirt brown? Was this even Adidas?
Well, yes and no. TERREX is a subbrand of Adidas. As Kiana Jensen, market activation manager, outdoor for Adidas told me, “The special thing about TERREX is the combination of style mix and performance.” This means durable gear that’s never boring to behold. True to its roots, TERREX products may still sport Adidas’s signature triple stripe. But instead of running all the way down a pant leg, you’ll spot three shorter stripes on the back of one cuff, or on the hood of a jacket.
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The new Portland store is a long-term pop-up. It opened in early December and is scheduled to stay open until May 2023. It has a boutique side and an activation side. In retail, you’ll find each room dedicated to trail running, hiking and snow. The activation area features movies, demos on things like outdoor cooking or upcycling with tie-dye and a bar serving beer from 10 Barrel Brewing, which is located next door. Meanwhile, Canada just got its first TERREX store in the upscale Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver.
In addition to the fun colors, the most impressive thing is the eco-engineering of materials. Elisa Schaller, senior category manager, outdoor, told me about prioritizing overall sustainability to disrupt the outdoor industry. The in-house innovation team is perfecting new materials like flooce, a fleece alternative that minimizes microfiber shedding while trying to achieve the same coziness.
“The warmth ratio is even better,” Schaller told me. Post-consumer recycled materials also figure prominently. The HS1 hoodie uses material made from wood pulp. Inhabitat has previously reported on some of TERREX’s innovative products, such as the Nothing Left Behind Free Hiker Gore-Tex hiking shoes made from leftover materials and the MyShelter PrimaLoft Hooded Jacket made with 100% recycled fiber that uses a no-dye technology.
TERREX is anything but basic. My husband came home from the opening empty-handed. I got a very nice TERREX backpack, which my black cat Lucifer immediately commandeered for a cat bed with all the tenacity of the fiercest wannabe brand ambassador. He’s hardly left it since. The youngest, hippest member of our household best grasps TERREX’s street style.
Images via Adidas
