Small illuminated cylindrical LED lantern with a silicone holder on top, sitting on a wooden table that has a tree logo branded on the corner

What does the outdoors look like to the social media generation?

A new brand of outdoor gear designed for good times.

Some people love the Great Outdoors. But what about a hyper-social generation that loves the Great Outside?

  • Outdoor retail outfitter REI was expert at engaging traditional, serious outdoor enthusiasts. A younger demographic was showing that they, too, wanted to get outside—but had a set of values and engagement needs all their own.

  • Ziba sent a team to Seattle, to work collaboratively with REI’s team in their own headquarters. Together, we discovered that this new generation was characterized by a more social, casual approach to the outdoors—something we called The Great Outside. Ziba created evrgrn™, a “gear for good times” brand, with gear designed to facilitate memorable moments wherever friends gather outside: picnics, concerts, backyard camping, or weekend journeys.

  • The evrgrn™ line launched with a playful range of products that went far beyond typical camping gear: think rocking chairs, soft-sided cooler, and wearable sleeping bags. They were a huge hit, especially among 20-35 year-olds, with some items selling out online before ever appearing in stores. Many of the designs have gone on to influence REI’s current mainstream product line.

  • Group of four people sitting in a park, laughing and talking, with a small wooden table set up in the middle with food, a speaker, a beer, and a small cylindrical silicone lantern

Two beer bottles, a camping mug, sliced apples, a speaker, and a small cylindrical silicone lantern on top of a small wooden table

Most evrgrn products sold out online before even hitting the stores—and have influenced REI’s other product lines ever since.

“I’m a guy who fights to keep work in-house, because I feel the people who know the brand best are the people who work there. But the additional horsepower Ziba brought was extremely helpful. I feel like we’ve made years worth of progress on this work in just a few months. I love people running around furiously, getting fired up about the brand being brought to life.”

Recreational Equipment, Inc., commonly known as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation.

  • Brand Strategy

  • Design Strategy

  • Innovation Strategy

  • Brand Insights

  • Trend Insights

  • User Insights

  • Product Design

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