Arc'teryx

Arc'teryx (stylized ɅRC'TERYX) is a Canadian outdoor high-end clothing and sporting goods company founded in North Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1989.

ARCTERYX Equipment Inc
Subsidiary
Industry
Founded1989 as Rock Solid
1991 as Arc'teryx[1]
FounderDave Lane
Jeremy Guard
HeadquartersNorth Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Number of locations
  • 32 brand stores globally
  • More than 3,000 retail locations in 40 different countries
Area served
Global
Number of employees
  • 1,000 globally (2018)
  • 60% of employees are women[2]
ParentSalomon Group (2001–2005)
(Amer Sports (2005–2019))
ANTA Sports (2019–present)China
Divisions
Websitearcteryx.com
Arc'teryx Zürich Store
Arc'teryx, Mercer Street, London

The name and logo of Arc'teryx refer to the Archaeopteryx, among the earliest known birds. The logo, designed by graphic designer Micheal Hofler, is based on the "Berlin specimen", a fossil of the bird, the most complete skeleton found to date. Arc'teryx is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation, owned by the chinese group ANTA Sports [3], with sister brands Wilson, Atomic, Sports Tracker, Salomon, Precor, Suunto.

in 2018, Arc’teryx owns and operates 32 brand stores globally, with these key cities: Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, New York, Seattle, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London and have a retail presence in key resorts of Vail, Chamonix, Whistler. There are 16 brand stores in North America; 5 in Canada. Their distribution goes through more than 3,000 retail locations in 40 different countries.

In British Columbia, Canada, the Global headquarters and design centre are located in North Vancouver next to their manufacturing facility called ARC’One, located in New Westminster. There are Overseas teams located in Munich, Shanghai and Tokyo.

The distribution breakdown presence is global with 23% of sales in Europe; 32% in United States; 26% in Asia; and 19% in Canada

There are more than 900 employees in North America (not including retail, sales representatives and dealer services) and more than 1,000 employees globally.

Company history

Originally named Rock Solid by founder Dave Lane, the company's first line of products was climbing gear. Dave Lane sold his 50% interest to Blair Murdoch and Tim Duholke who became silent partners in 1989. Then-principal Jeremy Guard changed the company name to "Arc'teryx" in 1991 to reflect the company's vision of creating disruptive "evolutionary" innovation within the outdoor products industry. Using a heat laminate (thermolamination) technology, the partners designed and marketed the Vapor harness, which would become the company's most popular item. In 1993, after a series of relocations and staff additions, Arc'teryx released the Bora backpack using the same Vapor technology. In 1996, after obtaining a license from W. L. Gore & Associates for use of the Gore-Tex fabric, the company adapted it for its new line of outdoor technical apparel.

Needing a larger manufacturing space, the company moved its headquarters to Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1999. In 2005, the Arc'teryx head office moved back across the Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver. Their products are usually associated with climbing, skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, and hiking-related activities.

Guard was president and principal of the company from 1991 through 2001. In January 2001, Arc'teryx was purchased by the Adidas-owned Salomon Group.[4] In May 2005, Amer Sports purchased the Salomon Group from Adidas.[5] The Arc'teryx head office is still located in North Vancouver, although harnesses, backpacks, and much other laminated equipment is made in its own factory in New Westminster, BC. Their apparel line has expanded, thus Arc'teryx has consequently outsourced to plants in China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Laos, and Greece.

Arc'teryx made and donated capes for homeless in Vancouver[6] in Vancouver with scrap fabrics to help them facing winter in 2012.

In 2019 the company joined the Leave No Trace[7] ethics.

Products

Product lines and namings
Arc'teryx clothing

Arc'Teryx product list is over 500 items. Their lifetime warranty covers the reasonable lifespan of each.

Product collections are activity-based:[8] Ascent for rock climbing and alpinism; Whiteline for skiing and snowboarding; Traverse for hiking and trekking; Endorphin for running; and 24 for technical urban; Essentials are most polyvalent garments and best sales.

Legacy family products names are made of a Greek letter. The nomenclature usually follows garment names nod to the weather and the impulse activity they are designed to withstand. AR stands for “All-Round”, MX for “Mixed Use”, LT for “Lightweight”, SL for “Super Lightweight.” and FL for "Fast and light".

Explanation for Alpha SV according to Arc'teryx:[8] Alpha stands for Lightweight, minimalist climbing and alpinism products that protect from alpine environments. and SV means Most durable materials and weather protection, for prolonged exposure to severe conditions..

Renowned products

Arc'teryx's flagship jacket, the Alpha SV, has received a lot of attention for its design, performance, and high price.[9][10]

Other top selling items in their clothing line include the Theta AR and Gamma MX jackets. Over the years Arc'teryx' designs have won a number of awards from Backpacker, Outside, Climbing, Men's Journal, and Powder magazines.[4]

Subsidiaries and program

Veilance

Arc'teryx Veilance is a luxury performance product line started in 2009. The products are made to be top of the line business wear while also being very functional for different climates.[11]

LEAF

The Arc'teryx LEAF (Law Enforcement and Armed Forces) product line is composed of equipment targeted to the military and law enforcement markets. Although some items are simply counterparts in design to their civilian models, other items, such as Arc'teryx's Tango and Charlie packs, are made in camouflage patterns and constructed to military specification, including numerous PALS-type attachment loops and fabric featuring neutral and camouflage coloring. Due to dissatisfaction with the MOLLE gear, the United States Marine Corps chose Arc'teryx's Tango design for their new backpack, the ILBE. Arc'teryx LEAF has also been adopted for use by the United Kingdoms Specialist Firearms Command, specifically, Arc'teryx assault uniforms in Wolf Grey have been issued to Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers.

Recommerce Program

Launched in 2019, Arc'teryx Used Gear[12] is the official used Arc'teryx gear trade program where customers can give back some of their garments in exchange for a refund in the shop. The company repairs and refurbishes used products and put them back on sale on a dedicated second-hand market place. This augments the life cycle of the products, allows new customers to access more affordable high-quality equipment and reduce their impact on the planet by not extracting new resources for manufacturing new apparel. This program is only available in the United States for now.

References
  1. Mackie, John (October 2, 2013). "Arc'teryx 'flagship' store lands in Kitsilano". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  2. Corporate factsheet, newsroom.arcteryx.com, May 01, 2018
  3. "Anta Sports buys Amer Sports for 4.6 bln euros". news.cgtn.com. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  4. Nowakowski, Natasha, "Arc'teryx a perfect fit for adidas' Salomon business", The Portland Business Journal, November 8, 2002.
  5. Crane, Leah, "Salomon Sold to Amer Sports" Archived March 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Transworld Business Magazine, August 9, 2005
  6. Tristin Hopper, Vancouver to have best-dressed homeless in Canada, National Post, November 28, 2012.
  7. "Arcteryx partners with Leave No Trace.", newsroom.arcteryx.com, May 10, 2019
  8. Collections Naming Collection naming press release, newsroom.arcteryx.com, May 01, 2018
    and Complete explanation of Arc'teryx namings for collections and products, arcteryx.com
  9. Schiller, Jakob, "Behind the $675 Arc’teryx Jacket"Powder Magazine (skiing), December 10, 2014.
  10. Hansman, Heather, "How Arc'teryx Builds the World's Priciest Jackets", Outside, April 25, 2018.
  11. Rakestraw, Alex, "Climbing Higher: A History of Arc'teryx Veilance", https://www.grailed.com, October 02, 2017.
  12. Official Rock Solid press release, 2019 June 18th

Official websites:

Other:

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