Inside Insight

FABRIC TRENDS SEEN AT OUTDOOR RETAILER Two important themes at the recent Outdoor Retailer trade show had a direct connection to the weather of recent months and it will be interesting to see these innovations play out with consumers.  Nothing like severe heat to bring on a wave of cooling technologies, for example, and the [...]

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I am only 25 pages into Edward Humes’ new book, Force of Nature: The Unlikely Story of WalMart’s Green Revolution, and not only have I gotten a quick history lesson in the retailer’s roots in sustainability, but I have also been struck by how long ago 2004 seems!  That was the year the giant retailer [...]

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It was the price of the dress in the store window that caught our attention — $29.95. But the kicker was the material of the garment — organic cotton.  With all the talk of the high price of cotton, we were surprised to see a 100 percent organic cotton dress for under $30 for sale [...]

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I know it seems like all I write about has to do with cotton. But the other day when my reflexologist mentioned cotton prices, I knew this natural fiber  had reached a new level of interest. Just consider this: Cotton futures prices reached nearly $2.20 a pound this month, up from $.73 a pound last July. Farmers [...]

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These days what’s king in the south is not cotton, but cars. Specifically Korean –owned Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The Hyundai factory in Montgomery, AL and Kia plant in neighboring West Point, GA buzz with activity, replacing the hum of textile mills once rooted in this region. According to a recent article in the New [...]

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We’ve all used, or at least heard, the phrase “ReUse, ReCycle, ReNew” countless times in recent years as the green wave of sustainability washed over the industry. But I confess, and I doubt that I am alone in this, I found the “renew” part of this familiar eco mantra a bit confusing.  That is about [...]

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A friend of mine recently spent a week at Kripalu, a center for yoga and health tucked away in the Berkshires hills of western Massachusetts. Sue’s days were filled with classes that focused on rejuvenation, and how to go forward in life in a positive way.   Of all the things she took away from her [...]

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Welcome to the InsideInsight blog produced by Formula4Media, the same folks who bring you Sports Insight, Team Insight, Footwear Insight, Textile Insight, Outdoor Insight, Running Insight and Soccer Insight magazines and The Running Event and The Soccer Event conferences and expos. This blog will feature opinions, analysis and yes, insight on the active lifestyle and [...]

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