On August 3, 2017, the sixth-generation Ozark store debuted in Beijing’s Century Golden Resources Mall. Brand owner Mrs. Patricia Mueller, along with distributors from across the country and friends from various fields, witnessed the launch of the new flagship store and the first public unveiling of Ozark’s brand-new 2017 Autumn/Winter product collection.
As the outdoor consumer market matures, China’s outdoor industry faces both significant challenges and opportunities. Two years ago, Ozark began its transformation, conducting extensive research, trials, and preparations in brand value, retail models, and product structure. In the 2017 Autumn/Winter season, Ozark makes a triumphant return.
In the 2017 Autumn/Winter season, Ozark officially unveils its brand slogan “Move Forward with Pure Heart” and releases a brand video. Since 1996, Ozark has continuously supported the development of professional outdoor sports in China, encouraging Chinese people to participate in and enjoy outdoor life while advocating an active and healthy lifestyle. Twenty-one years later, the evolution from “Ozark Your Life” to “Move Forward with Pure Heart” represents a comprehensive upgrade of the brand philosophy under new circumstances—moving from experimentation to depth, and from the external to the internal. Moving forward, Ozark will continue to support China’s professional mountaineering endeavors, designing and manufacturing high-quality outdoor apparel and gear with vision and expertise, supporting explorers in achieving their dreams, while also placing greater emphasis on promoting authentic, participatory healthy outdoor living for consumers, pursuing a pure outdoor experience for both body and mind.
In today’s increasingly developed retail environment, consumers have more shopping channels and value demands. Traditional mall-based outdoor brands have begun proactive transformation efforts to adapt to the new landscape. Two years ago, Ozark started researching its next-generation store image. After testing operations at multiple locations, the sixth-generation store image was finalized.
As the designer of Ozark’s sixth-generation store, Qiu Shuyi said: “I gradually became involved in the Ozark 6.0 retail space design project starting in 2015. The design process was not without its challenges—long, fraught with obstacles and decisions, much like climbing a high mountain. But this journey has been incredibly valuable and necessary. It is precisely this experience of growing and exploring together with the brand that has given the design its true soul, infusing the final space with vitality. I have always believed that a great retail space is never the work of a designer alone. Without the brand’s full involvement, without shared brainstorming, without multi-party validation and research, any unilateral creation lacks conviction. We hope to create commercial spaces that truly express the brand and gain recognition from the market and our customers—that is the only criterion for measuring a design’s success.”
Centered around the new store image, Ozark will gradually establish a completely new retail model: physical stores will be re-categorized by type, significantly improving product and operational efficiency, while complementing and interacting with online retail; experience will become the core of offline retail, upgrading from simple product purchases to experiential shopping; overall, there will be a greater focus on consumers’ personalized needs, achieving differentiation based on consumers in all aspects including products, services, and channels.
This year, Ozark launches a brand-new Autumn/Winter product line, meticulously designed by French designer Mr. Sebastien Bouffay. The new product line is divided into five series: CORE, ACCESS, VOYAGE, TREK, and SKI. With cutting-edge concepts, professional design, exquisite craftsmanship, perfect color coordination, and exceptional attention to detail, the 2017 Autumn/Winter collection is redefined. “Redefine” is the keyword for Ozark’s 2017 Autumn/Winter products, completely breaking away from the traditional outdoor brand approach of defining product lines by sport. People-centric, while maintaining Ozark’s consistent high-quality, technical products, the brand introduces new concepts such as “CORE—All-Weather Series” and “ACCESS—Sport Outdoor,” delivering higher-quality, more user-friendly products with a truly international perspective. In terms of product color, it stays in sync with Europe while catering to the consumption characteristics of the East Asian market.
Speaking about this season’s new products, Sebastien said: “TREK represents reliable high performance, born from years of professional mountaineering experience—you can confidently take on any outdoor activity; CORE is the all-weather series, from hiking to urban travel, gracefully handling all situations; VOYAGE is adventure travel, where function meets fashion; ACCESS is comfortable and dynamic, modern mid-layer clothing offering the comfort of home.”
Following the grand opening of the Golden Resources flagship store, Ozark will also hold its 2018 Spring/Summer new product launch and distributor ordering event. We look forward to seeing how the Ozark brand will once again lead the direction of China’s outdoor product development and become a driving force in China’s outdoor sports movement.
