Schöffel Alpine Trousers: Performance Gear for Mountain Enthusiasts

Schöffel pants for alpine use offer many functions. At the outdoor trade fair in Friedrichshafen, we were shown what is currently in fashion: functional clothing that is also suitable for everyday wear. Functional outdoor clothing doesn't necessarily have to look like mountain sports these days - many people appreciate the functional aspects, but also want fashionable trousers for the city. Does that work? Accompany our trade fair TV presenter Jürgen Groh to Schöffel and find out!

Schöffel - pants specialist for outdoor athletes

Jürgen Groh: I've already seen and held a lot of jackets at this trade fair, but now I'm interested in pants. Schöffel is the right place for me, right? Johanna Keinath: Absolutely right. As a trouser specialist, we have the Cordova trousers in the classic alpine range. Here we have made sure that we have a mix of materials. We have different materials here, especially for the robustness of the knee insert or the back of the seat insert. A ripstop and a nylon, a smooth fabric that we have used in a nice mix. The pants meet all the technical requirements I need on the mountain today. In other words, I have a ventilation zipper on the leg, or I have a shoe hook at the bottom of the pants that I can attach to my shoe. I can also lace up the pants, i.e. wear them as 7/8 pants at the top or lace them up completely on the mountain boot. So that no snow or debris gets in. Jürgen Groh: The outdoor clothing market is literally exploding. There are clearly an incredible number of manufacturers. What is Schöffel trying to do to stand out? Johanna Keinath: For us, the colors are very important and of course the message that we are now sending out with our athleisure theme, because the mountain is also coming into the city. People who like being on the mountain naturally also want to have a function in the city, but they don't always want to look like they're on the mountain. They also want to have everyday trousers in the city. If we stay with the topic of trousers, we simply switch to our Seoul trousers, which we have for men, also with nylon. Jürgen Groh: Like the nice gentleman on the poster.

Alpine pants free of PFC and with sun protection 25

Johanna Keinath: Exactly, that's the combination that's included. It's a nylon blend of polyester and elastane. These trousers are super stretchy and also have a bit of a denim look thanks to the contrast stitching. They are PFC-free, which is very important for us on our way to becoming completely PFC-free in 2020. The Seoul trousers are water-repellent and also have a sun protection rating of 25. Jürgen Groh: 25 sun protection on a pair of trousers? Johanna Keinath: Yes, UV protection, of course. Jürgen Groh: So no UV gets through at all? Johanna Keinath: With 25 I'm well catered for, I can wear the trousers not only in the city when I go for a coffee, an iced coffee. I can also wear the pants when I feel like going up the mountain, that's absolutely possible.

Pants with design and function for mountain & city

Jürgen Groh: How much do I have to pay for these urban trousers? Johanna Keinath: These trousers are €99. They can also be rolled up as you can see here, I can roll them up nicely. There are nice slit pockets on the back with piped pockets and our Athleisure logo is included in multicolor. Jürgen Groh: Is it a general trend that outdoor is going into the city? That outdoor clothing would be wearable for the office worker? Johanna Keinath: Yes, I think the boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred and it's also a generational story that is becoming more and more blurred. It's no longer just the classic 40 or 50-year-old or just the young on the mountain, there are many people on the mountain together. The average person in society also wants to dress accordingly. On the one hand in the sense of sport, i.e. sporty and active, and also in bright colors that he/she uses on the mountain for safety reasons and then does not want to do without the function in everyday life. Jürgen Groh: Here at Schöffel you really stay true to the clothes, the clothing. Competitors have all sorts of things, backpacks and so on. Are you staying true to yourselves or will you be moving in the direction of backpacks and so on in the future? Johanna Keinath: No, we're definitely staying true to that. With today's product, you can't say that there is a standstill or that it is not developing further. I think that we are constantly improving every product series we have - T-shirts, shirts, midlayers. I think it's really important to take the end customer on this journey with us. The feedback we get is that they notice the improvements to the jackets and that is the success for us and the driving force behind our continuous development. Jürgen Groh: I wish you all the best for the future.

More articles about the Outdoor 2017