If you’re like us, Burton has been a household name since the 90’s. They were started in the 70’s as a snowboard brand which quickly grew to world domination in the industry. With all of the top name pros, Burton logo’s plastered over every event, and the most loved to be hated brand, It was hard to not walk around the snowboard scene without seeing something Burton plastered close by. People in the industry have turned, imitated, mocked, loved, hated, and started all over again. So what is there to think of Burton now with the new focus on “Durable Goods”?
Well things have been changing over the last few years. Burton has let go some big names on their snow team, Side projects like uninc, knowbuddies, and restricted have disappeared. Jake Burton got really sick, now his wife is CEO, after Mike Rees was appointed just a short time ago. Changes have been happening quickly. As you may notice based on the homepage (http://burton.com) there isn’t even a sign of a snowboard. If there is one thing for certain about Burton snowboards is that they will change. From new ideas and new focus. The snowboard industry is a hard one to be in as of 2016. Companies are doing whatever they can to stay afloat, while some continue to grow, many have fallen and faded away.
Burton has been a long time industry leader, and ground breaker for much of the industry. So why do they seem to be more interested in selling clothing than snowboards? In a recent article published in Transworld Business (http://business.transworld.net/features/donna-carpenter-shares-the-details-behind-her-new-role-jake-burtons-status/#HjkJLfHy66qZlHxB.97) Donna Carpenter (Jake Burton’s wife and now CEO) explains the company strategy and why they are focusing on clothing. Additionally she explains the many collaborations with Disney, Playboy, Big Agnes, Marvel and many more. So with the shift in snowboarding, and snowboard companies looking for other ways to stay afloat, we took a look at some of these Burton durable goods that are so dominate on the burton.com website now.
Burton has always had hoodies, t-shirts, and other goods, but there is something new with their durable goods collections. New textiles, prints, designs, and re-designs, even re-issues. There is something for sure about Burton hardware, software and other durable goods, they aren’t afraid to try something new or out of the box and you will always find something unique about to love about the items.
The tags on the hoodies state:
“With over 35 years experience building the best products in the world, we believe in quality, craftsmanship, and progression. Our apparel line brings it all together – fit, function, and an uncompromised attention to detail, all combined with a healthy dose of attitude.”
We remember back when all hoodies were short, and fit all funky. Big arms, short waist, tiny hoods, short selves, etc. We still remember trying on a Burton hoodie and feeling like “Someone finally figured this out” it was long, the sleeves were long, the hood fit over your head.
We tried the Burton Bonded Pullover Hoodie. It’s made with Dryride material that is a quick drying fleece that’s an option for riding, or hiking in. Burton seems uncompromising in details. Where it would be easy to stamp out a bunch of cheap hoodies overseas, and slap a Burton logo on them. They are still “designed” and details are there that were obviously though through.
Burton Durable Goods – Spring and Summer style show some promise and indicate where the trends are going. It seems like a bit of indian, Arizona, sailor mix when thumbing through the summer collection. There will always be new trends, and I’m sure Burton will continue to follow them. These are just a few of the products that stood out to us from Burton.com
What to expect from Burton in the future? Burton is an industry leader, a best in breed, and seem to always be coming up with high quality snowboard gear, year after year So what does this new focus of durable goods, collaborations and hardware really mean? Times have defiantly changed, and we will indefinitely see more change in the future, and focus shifts.
We will be keeping an eye on Burton in the next year, five and ten years. Seeing what comes in the future, we are sure to see new collaborations with new ideas and new products.
Keep an eye here at GearChase.com for new updates on Burton Snowboard durable goods.