Flowfold, a Maine-based maker of technical wallets, bags, and other outdoor gear, earned itself a spot in the headlines this March when it pivoted its entire operation to focus on building face shields for hospital workers. With astonishing speed, the company shut down production of its usual lines and poured most of its resources into designing, testing, and creating a single product that has nothing to do with the outdoors. For the last eight weeks, the brand has effectively operated as听a medical device manufacturer.

This week, the shift intensified when Flowfold won a contract from the state of Maine to provide the Maine CDC with half a million face shields, a move that will require the business to double its current output from 50,000 to 100,000 units per week. What began as an effort to “deliver a little help to our local hospitals,” according to Flowfold CEO and co-founder Devin McNeill, has become “almost like having a whole new business. We鈥檙e going to be in this for as long as there鈥檚 a need,” McNeill said.

A Natural Shift

It’s a bold move from a business perspective. Flowfold hasn’t produced a single unit of its typical products for months, and the company is running out of stock to fulfill online orders, McNeill tells 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal. “We鈥檝e spent ten years building this company. The second you stop selling your product, it鈥檚 a risk,” he said.

But rather than fret over the current state of affairs (it was, after all, his decision to get into PPE production in the first place), McNeill views the move as perfectly aligned with his brand’s fundamental character.

“When you鈥檙e building a business, you have to focus on the strong points that set you apart. In many ways, that鈥檚 more important than what you sell; it鈥檚 about the ‘why,'” he said.

Flowfold’s ‘why’ is organized around movement, according to听McNeill: allowing people to travel through the world鈥攚hether on adventure trips or day-to-day errands鈥攕moothly and safely. In that sense, the shift to face shields isn’t a threat to the company’s identity, per se. The new product, though not “outdoor” in the traditional sense, answers the same ‘why’ as the brand’s backpacks, wallets, and other gear.

“In many ways, our face shield is the perfect symbol for what has allowed us to be successful since day one,” McNeill said.

A Change in Operations

Of course, that idea isn’t easy to communicate to consumers. In the past two months, it has taken Flowfold longer to ship core products ordered through the website, and there may come a day, McNeill said, when the company has to tell customers to come back later if they want to purchase any of the brand’s usual gear.

“So far, the response from [customers] has been positive when we say it will take a little longer to ship something,” McNeill pointed out. “Everyone understands what we’re trying to do.”

Customer perception aside, the situation does present some interesting opportunities for brand soul searching. In the coming months, Flowfold will be asking itself a lot of questions about what it represents and what it wants to become, McNeill says.

“For me, I would be doing the company a disservice if I wasn鈥檛 open to thinking about new ways to position the brand. As long as there鈥檚 a clear tie back to the ‘why,’ we’re open to asking ourselves how we can apply this approach to other new products, potentially within the medical space.”

Into the Future

All of this is not without precedent, and not necessarily permanent.听McNeill points to other companies that made sharp turns during times of crisis and then eventually shifted back, like Maytag, which abandoned washing machines to听produce military equipment during WWII.

The difference with face shields and other PPE is that they don’t require government contracts to turn a profit. Products to combat the spread of coronavirus can be sold directly to consumers鈥攁 reality other outdoor brands have begun to . Flowfold could keep PPE in its offerings for months or even years if demand stays where it is.

“If it does go in that direction, I think we could even split into two companies,” McNeill said. “At a certain point, it’s hard to manage all under one roof.”

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As the White House resists calls to mandate the production of masks and other resources to fight COVID-19, some companies have stepped up voluntarily to help. In the outdoor industry,听Eddie Bauer听and Flowfold are among the first.

“Just a few days ago, we learned that some of our Chinese vendors had the capacity to produce masks,” Damien Huang, president of Eddie Bauer, told 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal. “They had already been doing it to fight the outbreak in China. As soon as we learned of that capability, we converted some of our production.”

A shipment of 5,000 N95 masks鈥攁 model in high demand by healthcare professionals鈥攊s already on its way to the U.S. and should arrive within a week, Huang says. Those masks will be distributed to Seattle-area hospitals, as will a second shipment of 15,000 surgical masks set to arrive by April 1. For now, Eddie Bauer hasn’t solidified plans to produce more than 20,000.

“With all our stores closed and demand down, every nickel counts for our business. But this is something we felt like we had to do, even in hard financial times,” Huang said.

In Maine, James Morin, COO of Flowfold, expressed a similar sentiment.

“This is what makes America resilient. When we need to come together for the good of everyone, we do.”

Flowfold, a producer of travel and lifestyle gear, has pivoted its entire business to focus on one product for the immediate future: face shields for hospital workers.

“This is a complete transition. We鈥檝e effectively had to create a brand-new business in eight days. Any orders that customers had placed before this started will still be shipped, of course. But as of now, we鈥檙e only making one product,” Morin said.

The two largest healthcare organizations in Maine have already placed orders from Flowfold. Elsewhere in the country, others have expressed interest.

As the coronavirus crisis continues to develop, other brands in the outdoor industry may follow suit. For now, though, Eddie Bauer and Flowfold are leading the charge.

“The message here is that if you can afford to do something, you should,” Huang said. “As bad as things are, there is always a benefit in taking action, even if that action is small.”

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We all know the outdoor industry鈥檚 legacy brands: Patagonia, The North Face, Arc鈥檛eryx, Black Diamond. But where are the fresh-faced newcomers destined to become titans?

First, why startups matter: 鈥淚nnovation and industry progression come from the group, not a handful of companies,鈥� said Drew Simmons, founder of PR agency Pale Morning Media. 鈥淓ven the best company with the largest R&D budget can鈥檛 match the innovation from hundreds of brands with small budgets.鈥� Meaning startups fueled by a connection to the outdoors feed the industry鈥檚 success and relevancy.

At Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show in Denver this January, we looked for startups pushing the industry forward. What do they share with legacy brands? Gear obsessions, perfected. And a tireless zeal for sharing innovation with the masses. We predict big things from these 12 nascent brands.

Agency Aspect / outdoor gear with a touch of luxury

You鈥檝e already seen gear designed by Michelle Rose and Liana Delucca Johnson. Before teaming up to launch Agency Aspect and create women鈥檚 bags, both women worked for The North Face. Rose helmed the team behind women鈥檚 outerwear; Johnson focused on backpacks. That experience informs Agency Aspect’s inaugural 鈥渁ctive luxury鈥� bags. The Hybrid Crossbody and larger Messenger鈥攆eatured in the brand鈥檚 current Kickstarter campaign鈥攄eploy 500D Cordura, premium leather, climbing hardware, magnet closures, water-repellant zips, and ergonomic shape for hands-free use. 鈥淭he bags are a hybrid of luxury and performance,鈥� said Rose.

Chill Angel / merino wool PJs promise quality Zzzs

After Betsy Seabert survived breast cancer, doctors prescribed an estrogen blocker that triggered hot flashes every 20 minutes. Each night featured sweat, chills, and scant shuteye. Then Seabert turned in wearing a merino wool base layer she at home in Steamboat, Colorado. Unlike synthetic pajamas, the wool pulled moisture away from her skin and retained warmth when damp. Seabert woke up rested鈥攁nd inspired. She launched Chill Angle merino wool sleepwear in November 2017, drawing on her career in sales with Smartwool and Point6 to source New Zealand merino that鈥檚 cut and sewn in California. The line uses 18.5micron yarn at 200 grams per square meter for a smooth, light feel against skin. 鈥淭he idea is to make your sleep as comfortable as your outdoor activity,鈥� said Seabert.