{"id":4642,"date":"2015-06-12T08:30:50","date_gmt":"2015-06-12T15:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=4642"},"modified":"2018-11-11T21:43:13","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T05:43:13","slug":"introducing-evrgrn-gear-for-good-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/introducing-evrgrn-gear-for-good-times","title":{"rendered":"Introducing evrgrn\u2122 – Gear for Good Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 26 was an exciting day here at REI<\/a>, because it marked the launch of evrgrn, our new brand of outdoor gear.<\/p>\n

We created evrgrn with a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts in mind, people who experience nature in a variety of environments, from woodsy campgrounds to less traditional \u201coutdoor\u201d venues, like music festivals and backyard barbecues. The brand kicks off with 11 items, all of which are designed to be intuitive, versatile and stylish.<\/p>\n

\"evrgrn<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery generation redefines what the outdoors means to them,\u201d said Nasahn Sheppard, Vice President of Product Design. \u201cWith the launch of evrgrn, we\u2019re embracing a new outdoor community in a way only REI can.\u201d<\/p>\n

To create evrgrn, we made sure to always put the consumer at the heart of the experience. The result is a curated collection of products that\u2019s rooted in people\u2019s love and passion for the outdoors and is designed to adapt from one social activity to the next.<\/p>\n

This is the story of how the evrgrn collection came to be.<\/p>\n

It Started with People<\/h4>\n

Before a single product was built or even a sketch was drawn, our team of designers needed to see firsthand how people use gear and what it is they want. So they hit the road for Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo understand this new consumer we traveled the country to learn from them. We camped with them, we cooked with them, we roasted marshmallows around the fire with them, all to understand what\u2019s most meaningful to them in the outdoor places that they love the most,\u201d said Sarah Nagle, Design Insights manager.<\/p>\n

\"evrgrn<\/p>\n

Our team of designers discovered a few things that fundamentally shifted their thinking. They learned that an outdoor escape doesn\u2019t have to be to the top of a jagged peak. It can be a rooftop barbecue, a picnic in the park or a weekend away with friends at a favorite campground. They discovered that food and drink are always at the center of these adventures, but above all, they learned that the gathering is the activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this new understanding and hundreds of other insights, we set out to design products that set the stage for memorable outdoor experiences,\u201d said Sarah.<\/p>\n

Generating Ideas<\/h4>\n

Back at REI headquarters, our designers sharpened their pencils and began translating what they learned into new product ideas. They sketched chairs, hammocks, tents, lights and tables. Day after day, they filled boards with ideas, coming up with new ways of thinking about outdoor classics. The unconstrained creativity was deliberate and purposeful, intended to create an environment where every idea was free to flow.<\/p>\n

\"evrgrn<\/p>\n

The team pinned hundreds of drawings to the walls. As the drawings were sorted, shuffled, discussed, revised and tweaked, themes began to emerge. The hundreds of ideas were whittled down until the team arrived at a cohesive collection. The evrgrn assortment is truly designed as a group intended to work together, with every product considered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe listened to our customers\u2019 desire to bring the comforts and style of home to the outdoors,\u201d said Nasahn. \u201cEvery product in evrgrn is an opportunity to challenge our assumptions and think differently. We didn\u2019t take anything and just re-label it and say, \u2018now it\u2019s evrgrn.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Prototyping<\/h4>\n

When the design team turned on the power tools and threaded the sewing machines, they built prototypes that embraced the evrgrn personality.<\/p>\n

If evrgrn were a person, it wouldn\u2019t be the life of the party, but rather the individual who gathers your group of friends to enjoy the outdoors. evrgrn is the warm, inviting and charismatic host.<\/p>\n

\"evrgrn<\/p>\n

Every piece of wood that the designers cut, every metal tube they bent and every stitch they sewed was considered a trait of the evrgrn personality. \u201cWarm materiality\u201d was the slogan to guide the design, with the warmth of the evrgrn personality manifesting itself in the materials used. When you see wood on the table and rocker, it\u2019s real wood, not plastic. The metal that makes up the foundation of the table and the frame of the rocker is not cold and sterile, but rather has warmth to its finish.<\/p>\n

\"evrgrn<\/p>\n

Even the shapes of products display warmth. The rocker and hammock are both wide in the front and narrow in the back, issuing an invitation to \u201cplease, come sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the prototypes came to life, the team went camping to test them out. Learning from these experiences, the designers let each version of a prototype inform the next. The patent-pending design of the Campfire Rocker alone had close to 20 different designs, shapes and patterns before the team landed on the best idea.<\/p>\n

Product Testing<\/h4>\n

Simplicity and robustness were key areas of focus while developing the evrgrn products. To test these traits, the design team had new campers setup the Starry Night Tent without aid or instruction. They also tried to flood the tent with buckets of water to simulate a downpour. The team used and abused the Picnic Table, loading it up with heavy objects and pressing down hard on it. They even rocked the Campfire Rocker until it wouldn\u2019t rock anymore (it\u2019s rated to handle 100,000 cycles of rocking while fully loaded with its 250-pound capacity.)<\/p>\n

\"evrgrn<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile simple on the surface, there\u2019s a lot of technology, development and testing built into our products,\u201d said Nasahn. \u201cIf we do our job right, it\u2019s invisible to the customer. We don\u2019t want anything to get in the way of their outdoor experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Launch and Look to the Future<\/h4>\n

After roughly a year and half of brainstorming, prototyping, testing and iterating, our designers created a collection that\u2019s clever, well thought out and useful.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery idea, product and touch point has been carefully curated, considered and built\u2014from the ground up,\u201d said Nasahn. \u201cThe look and feel of our products has shifted, but the technical capabilities have not. Every product is backed by decades of technical expertise, with designs that are relevant to this new consumer.\u201d<\/p>\n

evrgrn doesn\u2019t end with 11 products. Building the brand and the initial gear for the launch was only the start. The journey continues and the team is working hard to create more great products. The future is bright.<\/p>\n

\"evrgrn<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very thoughtful about what we bring to market. Our goal is to make sure \u00a0that evrgrn is adding value to the outdoor experience, that it\u2019s relevant and that it\u2019s meaningful to people,\u201d said Nasahn. \u201cI think that you\u2019re going to see some really awesome products coming out over the next couple years. Some of them are going to be evolutions on old ideas and some of them are going to be completely revolutionary to how we think about outdoor products.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our designers have set the stage for you with evrgrn. Welcome to the party; it\u2019s time to connect with friends and get outdoors.<\/p>\n

Check out the evrgrn line at\u00a0REI.com.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 26 was an exciting day here at REI, because it marked the launch of evrgrn, our new brand of outdoor gear. We created evrgrn with a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts in mind, people who experience nature in a variety of environments, from woodsy campgrounds to less traditional \u201coutdoor\u201d venues, like music festivals and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[385,105,361,386],"internal-tag":[1672],"class_list":["post-4642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","tag-evrgrn","tag-interviews","tag-joe-pasteris","tag-letscamp","internal-tag-pre-redirect-camp"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/camp\/introducing-evrgrn-gear-for-good-times","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Introducing evrgrn\u2122 – Gear for Good Times","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/introducing-evrgrn-gear-for-good-times","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/introducing-evrgrn-gear-for-good-times"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/06\/Bondi-021715-0195.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/06\/Bondi-021715-0195.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["evrgrn","interviews","joe pasteris","letscamp"],"dateCreated":"2015-06-12T15:30:50Z","datePublished":"2015-06-12T15:30:50Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T05:43:13Z"},"rendered":"