Signals

Germany – At ISPO 2025 in Munich, talks, panels, activations and events spanned the full value chain of sport – from materials and manufacturing to brands and product innovation, through to retail and marketing.

At a time when the boundaries between sport, fashion, wellness, technology and entertainment are more fluid than ever, speakers explored how sustainable fabrication, human-centred design and community-driven strategies could steer the global sports industry towards a more inclusive and interconnected future.

In a discussion around product design, Galahad Clark, co-founder of UK footwear brand Vivobarefoot, said that the outdoor industry is disconnecting us from nature. Highlighting the physical health and performance benefits of barefoot shoes – a type of footwear defined by their thin, flexible soles, wide toe boxes and zero rise – Clark encouraged the audience to ‘put your feet back on the earth and feel her’.

In The Barefoot Shoes Market report, we explored how the category is moving from niche performance gear into a mainstream proposition, aligned with a wider shift away from heavily engineered cushioning towards natural biomechanics.

Culture was another focal point. 520M, a partnership between Highsnobiety and ISPO, hosted conversations examining how a new outdoor culture is reshaping the market. Serab Levent, strategy director at Highsnobiety, noted that ‘the status quo of outdoor culture has significantly shifted in the past few years’. Pointing to the rapid democratisation of the outdoors, she identified running clubs as a ‘community anchor in modern city life’.

The event also underlined the rise of what we define as Mass Movement – a wave of collective, hyper-social fitness communities that blur sport with culture, belonging and urban identity.

For more insights from the conference, look out for our full event debrief soon.