‘Our work is never done’ salutes Gore-Tex’s storied past and sustainable future

The outdoor apparel brand today announced a global campaign that shows its journey of innovating high-performance apparel, while revealing a new product line that emphasizes sustainability. The new creative and products come as the brand also releases a new tagline and promise: ‘Going further, together.’

The new creative, developed by AKQA’s Berlin studio, takes the viewer on Gore-Tex’s four decades of developing waterproof, windproof and breathable protection. Scenes are shot with historically-accurate formats from each respective decade. The brand also enlisted up-and-coming Canadian director Caraz, who recently brought home two golds for her short film at Cannes.

“It’s a rare event that you get to launch a campaign for the first radically new products in a brand’s 40-year history. Such an event needs to be honored with a bold, eye-popping, mind-changing campaign,” said Andre Blanco and Alex Rose, AKQA creatives. “To capture the brand’s history in 60 seconds, we journey through time and space, using vintage cameras from each decade. Shooting with 8mm, 16mm, VHS and old iPhones was as exciting and aesthetically rewarding as it was challenging. The soundtrack was another key element to the storytelling, developing and changing seamlessly according to each era.”

At the end of the spot, Gore-Tex’s new clothing line is revealed, which not only prioritizes durability but also represents a key milestone in the brand’s ongoing sustainability efforts. “We believe performance and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, and protecting people also means protecting the planet,” said Silke Kemmerling, sustainability team leader of Gore’s fabrics division. “Responsible Performance defines our sustainability commitment beyond technical product performance benefits to include a wider combination of protection, comfort and sustainability. We are ... striving to create products that positively impact both people and the planet, and deliver the high-performance benefits customers and consumers trust and rely on from us.”

“We use science as a proof point to cut through a sea of undifferentiated sustainability marketing and build trust among skeptical consumers,” said Kerry Summers, global marketing leader for the Gore-Tex brand. “We see the new Gore-Tex products as a present-day innovation within a long history of innovations – a key step in our responsible performance journey – but by no means the final step.”

The digital campaign will launch on September 16 in Europe, North America, China, Japan and Korea, with content appearing on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Weibo and WeChat.

Credits

WL Gore & Associates

Global content leader: Marc Bock

European marketing team leader: Chris Blackwood

European digital marketing and social media management: Fabian Gruenwald

AKQA

Account manager: Luisa Verhagen

Senior project manager: Sable Yeh

Senior producer: Leandro Santini

Group creative director: Alex Rose

Associate creative director: Andre Blanco

Senior copywriter: Siouxzi Connor

Associate art director: Leandro de Torres

Associate Strategy Director- Stacey Zhao

Project Manager- Gaia Mancini

Programme Director- Flavia Ancuta

Senior Motion Designer- Christian Detken

Bonaparte

Director: Caraz

Founding partner: Philip Töpfer and Nico Kreis

Executive producer: Nico Kreis

Producer: Allison Lang

Service production company: Film39

AD: Adriana Itu

DOP: Tim Bieker

Art director: Medeea Enciu

Wardrobe stylist: Flaviana Isachi

Model: Theo Ching @ Forte Models

Post production supervisor: Aratrika Das

Editor: Simon Klinkertz

Finishing offline editor: Nicolas Herwig

Colorist: Simon Boissonneaux

Music: Wolfsrudel Music

For more, sign up for The Drum’s daily US newsletter here.