MERRELL LAUNCHES HIKING CLUB, FURTHER CONNECTING WOMEN WITH THE OUTDOORS

To support the launch of the Merrell Hiking Club, the brand announced the second generation of its leading women's hiking sneaker, Bravada

ROCKFORD, Mich., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Merrell®, the world's leading outdoor footwear brand, has launched its women-centric hiking club to provide inspiration and connection to the outdoors through a digital community.

"Merrell is leading the hiking revolution into the mainstream, and we recognize the needs of women hikers are quite diverse – all the way down to the anatomy of their feet," said Lindsey Lindemulder, brand marketing director at Merrell. "We saw the critical demand for shared expertise and the right product design, and built a community around that insight to connect, empower, and inform women hikers."

Merrell partnered with its trailblazers and key partners including Erin McGrady, Tiare Bowman, and Shana Joseph, among others, to kickstart the U.S. community. The brand will continue to build the club globally through its partners, local groups, and communities in order to share their expertise and engage with hikers.

The Merrell Hiking Club began in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in December 2021 and has since grown its reach to Canada and the United States. The EMEA group has reached an audience of more than 630,000 hikers online. There are 24 urban, suburban, and adventure curated hikes throughout EMEA and Canada, with 25 expected to launch in the U.S. in the coming year.

To continue making the outdoors accessible for all, Merrell utilized its innovation and technology to introduce the second generation of its beloved women's Bravada hiking sneaker. The Bravada 2 was designed with a purpose and every layer of the shoe was constructed to provide support to the average female foot. It is the most sustainable Merrell Bravada to date.

New innovative features of the ground-up women's-specific hiker include:

• A wider toe box
• Additional arch support
• Narrower heel
• Recycled materials across laces, webbing mesh lining, and removable EVA foam

"The customer experience is all about finding the right fit in hiking shoes and having the right resources and equipment," said Lindemulder. "Women have been largely underrepresented in the outdoor space and in the design of footwear. In fact, many women don't even know their shoes weren't designed based on the structure of a woman's foot. The Merrell Hiking Club and pinnacle technology of the Bravada 2 help to solve the problem many women face when looking to get outdoors." 

Bravada 2 was recently recognized with a 2022 SELF Certified Sneaker Award for the best low-cut hiking shoe. SELF editors and experts rigorously test each shoe under consideration during a variety of activities to find the best fit, comfort, performance, and style.

"Our efforts to get more women outdoors are an extension of the More Less campaign – demonstrating the greatest form of self-care has always been pretty simple: get outside and get moving," said Lindemulder.

For more information on Merrell, please visit merrell.com. For more information on the Merrell Hiking Club, please visit www.merrell.com/us/en/merrell-hike-club.

ABOUT MERRELL:
Merrell® exists to share the simple power of being outside and is committed to building an inclusive and sustainable environment for future generations to enjoy. As the global leader in outdoor active footwear with the Moab hiking boot and Jungle Moc, Merrell is focused on merging performance, styling, and comfort to empower all people to confidently explore the outdoors. Visit Merrell.com or follow us on social @Merrell. Merrell® is a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW), one of the world's leading marketers and licensors of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's and uniform footwear and apparel.

SOURCE Merrell