Khombu shares insight on all-season technology for outerwear

Innovative footwear and outerwear brand Khombu just expanded into a new collection of hoisery and cold weather accessories. As an outdoor enthusiast brand, the label incorporates all-season technology in order to provide clothes with the right comfort and protection. The New York-based line recently showcased at the Colorado Convetion Center at the Outdoor Retailer and Snow Show. FashionUnited chatted with Brandy K. McCarty chief merchandising officer of Khombu, about the brand and its expansion using this smart technology launching this fall for the U.S.

Please tell us a little bit about Khombu and the brand's heritage.

The Khombu brand started in 1969 with a rich heritage in apres ski waterproof footwear and has expanded it’s offerings to multiple outdoor lifestyle product categories. Though Khombu began as a Fall / Winter brand, we have since evolved into a year-round outdoor lifestyle brand in multiple categories. The name Khombu comes from the KHUMBU Valley at the base of Mount Everest. The brand represents the merger of functional outdoor lifestyle products (beginning with footwear) with everyday fashion and unparalleled value. Khombu is simply an outdoor lifestyle brand that began in the apres ski culture. We take that alpine skiing heritage seriously in our products - our piece of the adventure. Khombu is “Born in Adventure," yet “Raised in the City."

What is the current price range for the brand and where can you find Khombu?

For footwear - our prices ranges are from 75 to 130 dollars for women’s; 65 to 110 dollars for Men’s and 50 to 65 dollars for Children. [And] our top retailers include: Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Famous Footwear, DSW, Lord & Taylor, Academy Sports & Outdoors among many others.

Can you tell us a little bit about your specialty All-Season Technology System?

Khombu's All-Seasons Technology System is a proprietary technology platform that was built with U.S. Ski Team and KHOMBU consumer feedback that focuses on specific outdoor product functionalities across multiple product categories.

1) K-Guard: Proprietary Weather Protection and Other Protective Qualities

2) K-Vent: Ventilation and / or Quick-Dry Performance Materials

3) K-Comfort: All Things Comfort: Memory Foam, Raised Arch Orthotics, Seamless Stitching, etc.

4) K-Grip: Specific to Gripping Outsoles in Footwear or Other Gripping Technologies.

5) K-Drain: Specific to Ventilation or Quick-Dry Drainage Ports in Product, etc.

These functional systems can be used and applied to Footwear, Hosiery, Cold Weather Accessories, Outerwear, etc. They are guiding functional systems that we and / or our customer’s have identified as being of utmost important to them when selecting products in our product offering categories.

Currently, where are your customers located?

Our consumers are truly nationwide and are now ever increasing in the Canadian markets. Not to mention, we are quickly moving into other international markets.

With Canada covered, what other large markets are you targeting next?

We are passionate about bringing outdoor functionality and everyday fashion to our consumer’s regardless of demographic or geographic location. We closely study the trends and needs of each market we enter, to make sure that we are developing specific products to meet our consumers needs. This has served us well in the USA and we are quickly becoming students of markets worldwide.

While we are definitely growing here in the USA & Canada, we are entertaining multiple other International opportunities as they emerge. Our goal is to be the best we can be where we are today and, when the timing is right, we will expand accordingly.

With footwear and outerwear doing so well for the company, what inspired you to launch hosiery and cold-weather accessories?

Our product category expansions have been requested from consumers for some time - our niche of providing authentic outdoor functionality with everyday fashion and value. However, it has been of utmost importance to grow the right way. Our relationship with the U.S. Ski Team has been a key piece of this growth and the categories of hosiery and cold-weather accessories are easy extensions of the Khombu brand.

What were some factors you considered in launching hosiery/cold-weather accessories?

We consider many factors when launching any new product - especially in our footwear, our heritage. Our goal is to be the best outdoor lifestyle / fashion brand in the market place, and our product expansion categories have to make sense for the brand and Khombu's DNA. Hosiery and cold weather a ccessories are our first categories in that they were easy compliments to our core footwear business - especially in the winter season. We were also fortunate enough to partner with true product specialists in these categories that share our passion for the outdoors, fashion and value product. They are experts in their field and have brought Khombu and our All Seasons Technology systems to life in both the hosiery and the cold weather accessories categories.

In your own words, how is Khombu different from other cold weather companies such as Patagonia?

Even though our heritage is in the Winter Season, we do not see ourselves as a Cold Weather company. Our goal is to provide the right combination of functional outdoor lifestyle consumer products regardless of the season. Our secondary brand tagline is “All Seasons. All The Time” and we are continually pushing ourselves to take create relevant product for the Spring / Summer and Fall / Winter collection.

We are an official supplier and the official apres ski boot of the U.S. Ski Team. We work closely with U.S. Ski Team athletes on a variety of concepts, technology and products that will get created for our lines. For example, we recently launched our latest boot specifically for the U.S. Ski Team at the Olympic Games in South Korea. This product was developed specifically for the athletes (not for sale this season) and has the latest technology that we will then utilize and roll-out to the balance of our product lines in the future. We feel this relationship gives the KHOMBU brand a unique edge in providing authentic outdoor product with specific functionality for our consumers. By the way - these products are built for year-round use - not just the Winter.

Any future plans for the company, including retail?

Multiple plans, but one over-arching. [We want] to continue to provide the greatest value in outdoor lifestyle and fashion products for the Khombu consumer.

Photo Source: Khombu