Three years after Recreation Outfitters became its North American distributor, Korea-based label Treksta is clearing its own path in the crowded outdoor market here.
Rob McCurdy, director of sales for Vancouver, British Columbia-based Recreation Outfitters, told Footwear News that Treksta’s Nestfit comfort technology is helping to fuel the brand’s growth in the U.S. and Canada. Nestfit — found in every shoe in the North American offering — uses a last that closely resembles the shape of a human foot, formed as a result of 20,000 3-D foot scans.
“Everything from the outsole to the upper is built around that last, so you have a very supportive, comfortable shoe right out of the box,” said McCurdy.
For fall ’16, Treksta is focused on the female consumer, pushing its winter-specific Arctica collection of three boot silhouettes — low, mid and high — that have a casual look but high-performance features such as insulation and waterproofing. For men, the brand will continue to tout its popular all-purpose Cape boot.
In addition, Treksta believes its burgeoning running and trail-running categories will be growth areas this season.
However, executives admitted that brand awareness remains a challenge. To bolster its name, Treksta signed on as a sponsor of the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival in Banff, Alberta, and its corresponding world tour, which wraps up in November.
“We’re speaking directly to an outdoor audience and because we’re a major sponsor, that gives the consumer a feeling of confidence in the brand,” said Jackie Swanson, GM of Recreation Outfitters.
Treksta has taken a similar approach with its retail strategy, engaging consumers directly through e-commerce. That channel will continue to be a priority, but executives also plan to focus this fall on specialty retail stores because they have a more hands-on selling style.
“The fit of our shoe is not obvious until you try it on — you can’t see the benefits of Nestfit on the wall,” McCurdy said. “We want people to tell the brand story and indicate how Treksta is different.”
