SAGA OUTERWEAR

Brand Strategy and Creative Direction

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

A journal-style entry:

Saga Outerwear is (was) an apparel brand beloved by the core freeskiing community. Saga wasn't just for the culture, it was the culture itself. Saga helped to define nearly 20 years of modern freeski history through its support of visionary athletes, grass-roots events, and innovative clothing designs.

Working with Saga was a dream come true. I had been a fan (and consumer) of Saga for years, and I cherished their commitment to my favorite community. One of the things I loved about Saga was their understanding that, today, a brand is a relationship, not just a product. Saga helped me participate in something bigger than myself because I felt seen, heard, and ultimately, included.

Disaster struck Saga Outerwear's business when, in 2017, their warehouse was robbed. Saga lost an entire season's worth of inventory, and the business never recovered. In an effort to recoup, Saga sold to a vertical licensing company, got shuffled around, and (somehow) landed on my desk. I worked with a small team to redefine the brand's direction as it looked to rebound.

The backstory is important because it illustrates the sudden change Saga’s direction; a change that so many niche brands see in today’s vertically licensed world of operations. Small companies trade flexibility for stability. In Saga’s instance, corporate ownership saw opportunities to grow in new markets and expand their portfolio. Those of us close to the brand saw a meaningful opportunity to buck trend and to reconnect with existing audiences.

Our instruction was to abandon the core ski demographics that helped build Saga to what it was, and instead, pursue a more generic, trend-hungry, low budget, and socially-influenced audience. The vision was to create a pseudo-street fashion brand, true to its roots, but expanding into off-mountain apparel. My goal, as the creative director, was to uphold both sides of the equation: honor the past while looking to the future.

Friends in High Places was the first campaign launched under Saga's new ownership. The direction focused on principles that were universally true to Saga's past and present, like the outdoors, youthfulness, and togetherness. We hosted photo and video shoots on limited budgets, so we leaned into the DIY appeal of our Gen-Z audience. We hired our friends–core skiers–to be our models, and we stayed close to the mountains in our backyard. The formula was honest and sought to do exactly what we preached, that is, chasing high times with your friends (whatever that might mean to you).

I co-wrote and co-directed the keystone Friends in High Places film with Walter Wood (wwood.tv), a friend, talented filmmaker, and former pro skier. The film served as the core of our messaging, with take-downs, social content, photos, and graphics being derived from the piece. We built the website to feature elements of the film in different areas, as if the film itself guided consumers to different products along the journey.

It was important to me to maintain a sense of pride and care for the mountains in our new visual language. I wanted the core audience to see traces of the old Saga in the new identity.

Friends in High Places turned out to be an enormous effort from a dedicated group of people that truly loved the Saga brand. Unfortunately, when the corporate ownership failed in the wake of COVID, Saga did too. As far as I know the IP still exists, so maybe we'll see Saga back one day.

I learned a lot from this experience. For one thing, it's fun to do the DIY marketing thing when it's authentic and not just a gimmicky schtick, and having fun can yield authentic creative assets. This campaign took me back to my roots of making iPhone skate videos and shitty GoPro ski edits, which was inspirational and motivating. It was easy to feel like I knew the territory, but it was challenging to keep the message in focus. I had to (re)learn how to balance those scales.

In a grander sense, I enjoyed working with other professionals to elevate a specialty brand beyond any individual effort. I love being exposed to new styles, new formats, new thought processes, and new equipment, but working with honest people that share my passions is something I'll always cherish. I love being a student in my own community, and I have Saga to thank for a fulfilling experience.