An affordable outdoor footwear and apparel brand that reflects quality, function, fashion and performance, Khombu has a jump start on the market’s demand for multi-talented product. Brandy McCarty, Khombu divisional vice president of global brand strategy, said, “Every style in our line has at least one of five proprietary technologies, including K-Guard, K-Grip, and K-Comfort.”
For Fall ’16, Khombu is building on its commitment to bring lightweight innovation, adventurous functionality and a sense of fashion to footwear designed for everyday wear. Along with exciting collaborative partners like the United States Ski Team, the brand is also on track to introduce the first men’s lightweight Vibram Après ski Collection.
“Fall’s overarching theme is ‘Born in Adventure. Raised in the City,’ McCarty explained. “We’re essentially taking outdoor functional details and applying them to innovative, fashion-forward consumer products.”
Some highlights from the collection include the Andie, which merges fashion sweater and nylon uppers with an insulated faux fur lining to provide a unique and fun winter boot option for women. Next up is the Altaira, weighing in at less than 10 ounces for the most functional backpack boot in the game (its temp rated to -20 and is one-hundred-percent waterproof).
For men, Khombu touts the Eavar, the lightest men’s Après ski boot ever created. It features Vibram’s IceTrek bottom, a fully-waterproof and lightweight upper, and was created in partnership with Erik Arvidsson, Khombu’s recently-signed brand ambassador with the United States Ski Team.
“To align with what’s trending, we’re currently using a lot of lightweight memory foam footbeds and blending them with boiled wool sweaters and boucle uppers,” McCarty added. “With that said, boots are starting to trend on the short side, which is especially evident in this season’s more classic, tailored looks.”
While winter’s unpredictable weather has many retailers stressed about sales, McCarty said the Khombu team is “cautiously optimistic in terms of our retail partners.” He added, “They understand the unique nature of this season, however, as an outdoor fashion brand, we are working to blend and address consumer needs and retailer nervousness by giving them an expanded offering of year-round, all-season boots.”
However, McCarty noted that feedback from buyers has been fantastic thus far, citing the Copper, a suede short bootie, and the Senora, a classic-inspired rainboot, as new-season bestsellers.