The outdoor brand fighting to protect our winters
- Text by Huck
- Photography by Courtesy of BUFF®
Around 30 years ago, BUFF® was born in a family-run factory just west of Barcelona. Since then, the outdoor brand has continued to evolve: what began with an idea for a multifunctional seamless tubular now encompasses a variety of head and neckwear, masks, and urban and lifestyle accessories
Given the label’s connection with the natural world (BUFF® is committed to creating “more outdoor moments”, as well as “bringing nature to the streets”), the existence of their DO MORE NOW sustainability program should come as little surprise. Operating through three core pillars – ACT MORE, PROTECT MORE and CARE MORE – it serves as a key part of the brand’s identity.
In the latest instalment of that program, BUFF® has announced a global partnership with Protect Our Winters (POW), a movement founded by snowboarder Jeremy Jones that seeks to unite athletes, creators and companies with the goal of delivering systemic solutions to climate change.
© Timm Schröder
“Brands are a part of my professional life, so I am very particular about who I want to represent,” says Castán.
“I was happy when my BUFF® products arrived to see recyclable packaging. I do my research about each sponsor and sustainability and only work with people I share values with. I think more and more people are conscious of that when they buy things.”
The campaign will also see BUFF® donate $50,000 annually, as well as the launch of a new BUFF®xPOW limited edition product collection – which will include a series of three Original EcoStretch Multifunctional Neckwear from artist and outdoor guide Jessa Gilbert, with the designs representing “humans, the elements, and our playground”.
BUFF® will also support POW in all that is related to the “promotion of changes in government policies at the local, national and international levels”. These changes are sorely required. BUFF® hope that, by inviting their ambassadors to share their experiences, this urgency will be conveyed to their audience even more effectively than before.
“The thing that is most noticeable and dangerous is the rapid changes from freezing to warm weather,” says de Martin, in regards to the changes he himself has noticed in his local landscape. “Where we can be in a deep cold one day and the next is 20ºC, as it increases the chance of avalanches. Locally all the summer rain spoiled the food growing season.”
“Ten days ago, outside my house it was -15ºC,” adds adds Maynadier. “Now it is above freezing again, and in the sun during the day, it was 10ºC. That’s not normal. Those rapid changes and the extremes are getting more [frequent].”
© Guillaume Broust
Learn more about the partnership and the POW limited edition product collection on the BUFF® website.
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