SNEWS -- Meet Gramicci Under 'the Net' at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008

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Meet Gramicci Under 'the Net' at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008

Posted: 07/18/2008 In Category: Outdoor Manufacturer
Posted By: Beth Cochran

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MEET GRAMICCI UNDER ‘THE NET’ AT
OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER MARKET 2008
--New location on 'Front Street' features environmentally friendly design,special benefit for a good cause and inventive new products

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (7/18/08)--Consistent with its “Never the Norm” approach to business and design, Gramicci is unveiling a dramatic new concept in its trade show booth at this year’s Outdoor Retailer Show, set for August 8-11 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The leading apparel brand is inviting show-goers to “Meet Us Under The Net” at its location on 10001 Front Street. The net in this case is a booth comprised of a bamboo frame completely tented with transparent mosquito netting.

Fabricated mostly from organic and recycled materials, the 4,400 square feet of netting will be donated after the show to Spreadthenet.com, an organization that strives to reduce the loss of life from the spread of malaria. Additionally, for every appointment booked to view the company’s Spring 2009 collection at OR, Gramicci will be donating a mosquito net to Spreadthenet.com in the names of the people making the appointment. Visitors ‘coming under the net’ will be introduced to Gramicci’s breakthrough products, including a new Urban Biking line.

“With costs and wastes associated with many trade show exhibits escalating, this new exhibit represents our contribution to dramatically reducing our environmental footprint,” says Gramicci president Marty Weening. “Including its furnishings, this minimalist, simple and understated booth is made primarily of organic and recycled materials. It offers a solution to reigning in the considerable expense and environmental impact associated with building, transporting and assembling a show booth.”

Inside the 1,200-square-foot booth are seven working stations, all partitioned with mosquito nets. The floor is composed of recycled particleboard, the table bases are recycled wood and the tabletops are made of Sorghum (leftover stalks of the Sorghum plant that are heat-compressed with non-toxic adhesives to form a lightweight board). The rack system and chairs are also recycled. Photographer Dominick Guillemot’s work will adorn each of the entry hallways.

Gramicci has previously been recognized for its breakthroughs in booth design, including its most recent OR exhibit constructed entirely from recycled materials and trash. “We were honored to receive the Winter show’s ECO Bob [best of booth] Award. Resurrecting that same booth at our new location on the main floor would have come at an incredible cost and impact on the environment. We stopped and said, ‘let’s reprioritize and consider our core values,’” explains Weening. “Considering the state of the economy, and the need all over the world, it seemed senseless to spend excessive amounts of money on a booth when we could construct an imaginative space for our retailers while cutting costs nearly 50% and reducing transportation and materials by over 60%.”

Gramicci is also continuing to bring its distinctive ‘perfectly imperfect’ style to an emerging consumer mindset that demands more substance from their clothing, meaning multiple-function, higher quality, and better style and design for their money. Among the major news at Gramicci will be its Urban Biking line of sportswear as part of its “Drive Less Bike More” initiative intended to dress a rapidly growing market segment of people who are riding bikes to work and elsewhere and need clothes that function for both. In addition, Gramicci’s offering of all-organic or recycled sportswear called Greenicci is expanding in response to its success in retail stores throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan the past three seasons. Moreover, the Gramicci Life lifestyle collection continues strong, with added value concepts like reversible tees, skirts and dresses where the customer receives a pattern on one side and a solid on the other for the price of one.

“The consumer is evolving and becoming more aware and sensitive to what is happening around them. The environment, cost of living and gas prices are issues that are transforming our customers’ lives. It is our responsibility to offer them products that match up with these concerns,” notes Weening.

http://www.spreadthenet.org>

About Gramicci

Gramicci, considered the ‘soul brand’ of the outdoor industry, is associated with the iconic styles of the outdoor industry, including its introduction of the G-climbing pant and short over 25 years ago. The brand is now known for its designed cross-functional clothes built for both sport and life. Recognized for its multiple function styles, natural comfort, distinct fabrications, and washed and weathered and ‘perfectly imperfect’ garment finishes, the company’s garments are sold within four distinct product segments: Gravity, Built For Sport, Gramicci Life, and the all-organic or recycled Greenicci. For more information, visit: www.gramicci.com
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Media Contact: Outdoor trade and consumer media—Beth Cochran, BC/OC-What’s Up PR (406) 579-7909, cochran@whatsuppr.com; General apparel, retail and business media—Lisa Kreda or Bill Parness, Parness & Associates (732) 290-0121, parnespr@optonline.net;

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