The Exordian: February Edition
From Mountains to Main Street: Sportswear’s Fashion Takeover, Pop-Up Power, and Burberry’s Comeback
In 2025, fashion isn’t being dictated by Paris or Milan—it’s being shaped on mountain trails, city streets, and the intersections of tech, culture, and community. Welcome to a world where a hiking boot can be a status symbol, a pop-up store can be a social movement, and a 168-year-old British brand can become the future of fashion.
Let’s break it down.
What used to be niche is now aspirational. In a post-pandemic world that values both function and self-expression, technical gear has transcended its original use-case. The performancewear boom—led by brands like Arc’teryx and Salomon—isn’t a trend. It’s a cultural shift.
Arc’teryx, once known only to climbers and skiers, has become a streetwear grail. What was once “gear” is now “fashion.” Across China, the brand is part of the coveted “Three Treasures of the Middle Class,” and its urban crossover has been nothing short of meteoric.
£630M in sales in 2024
£1.08B IPO in Q1 2025—marking it the largest public exit for a hybrid performance-fashion brand
Arc'teryx isn’t just selling jackets. It’s selling identity, competence, and cool.
Salomon's trail running shoes—once reserved for ultra-marathoners—are now appearing in magazine shoots, design studios, and underground clubs. Collaborations with high-fashion labels like MM6 Maison Margiela and appearances on the Paris runways have turned the brand into a sleeper hit of the decade.
In 2025, technicality is the new luxury. Gore-Tex, Vibram soles, moisture-wicking base layers—once purely functional—are now aesthetic codes. They speak to a lifestyle of capability, even if the most “extreme” environment you’ll face is the subway.
But this growing mainstream appeal raises tension:
Can these brands stay authentic to their original communities?
Are they at risk of becoming just another aesthetic?
“Gorpcore,” once a fringe fashion movement named after trail mix (“good ol’ raisins and peanuts”), has now hit the mainstream. The question is no longer if you wear Arc’teryx—it’s how you wear it.
“The mountain was the moodboard. Now it’s the runway.”
Pop-Ups are the New Flagships: Culture-Led Retail in Action
Retail in 2025 isn’t about shelves and checkout counters—it’s about community, immersion, and storytelling. In an East London pop-up last month, HOKA transformed a basic storefront into a hybrid retail x culture hub. Think group runs, Q&As with wellness creators, and limited drops tied to live data.
It wasn’t just a store—it was a platform for shared identity.
Key Results:
23-minute average dwell time
300% increase in social mentions
40% increase in LTV
30% drop in CAC
3x higher loyalty sign-ups
What’s Driving This?
Psychographic-based location choices (not just footfall)
Real-time tech integrations
Content-ready activations that feed the social loop
This is owned media meets physical experience—and it’s exactly where modern consumers want to be.
Burberry’s Epic Comeback: Blending Heritage With Hyperrelevance
If 2022–2024 was about Gucci, Prada, and Balenciaga, then 2025 belongs to Burberry.
After a series of lukewarm campaigns and identity confusion, the British house has pulled off a masterclass in cultural reinvention.
Burberry’s Four-Part Rebrand Formula:
Return to Local: Collaborations with British subcultures and homegrown creators
AI-Assisted Storytelling: Reviving 90s campaigns with tastefully animated content—not full synthetic swaps
Humour as Premium: Think trench coat-clad dogs, knights at parties—subverting luxury tropes
Multiformat Strategy: Print, short-form video, AR murals—meeting people where they are
Impact Metrics:
+65% engagement across paid channels
+40% growth in Gen Z awareness
+35% improvement in brand sentiment
Burberry didn’t abandon its heritage—it made it fun again.
Fashion in 2025 is no longer driven by seasonal collections or runway shows alone. It’s driven by culture loops, digital intimacy, and how well a brand shows up outside the product.
At Exordi, we help brands and creators tell these stories—visually, emotionally, and impactfully—across the formats that matter.
Because in a world where everyone has the same tools, originality still wins.
