Merrell Launches ‘It Starts Outside’ Brand Platform

Merrell is kicking off its 45th anniversary year with the debut of its first-ever global brand platform.

Called “It Starts Outside,” the Wolverine Worldwide-owned outdoor brand noted that the new series is “rooted in the belief that even a few steps outdoors can shift how people think, feel and move.”

Richard McLeod, chief marketing officer of Merrell, told FN in an interview that “It Starts Outside” aims to reframe the outdoors not just as remote, technical terrain, but as something accessible.

“By reframing ‘outside’ as something accessible and everyday, from a front yard to a city street to a trailhead, we’re broadening who sees themselves in the category,” McLeod said. “Our job isn’t to redefine the outdoors, it’s to redefine who feels invited, and what better way to celebrate our anniversary milestone than intentionally making sure everyone knows they are invited to the celebration.”

Created in partnership with Uncommon Creative Studio, the campaign features three shortform vignettes that help to illustrate the many ways people access the outdoors in their daily lives. Some of these moments featured in the vignettes include Merrell athlete and Olympian Alexi Pappas hiking alongside visually impaired marathon runner Lisa Thompson to find community, to disconnecting from the noise of constant technological connection.

McLeod noted that Pappas’ involvement in the project “reinforces that heritage while also expressing the deeper impact of the outside.”

“As an Olympian, writer and filmmaker, Alexi understands that the trail is more than terrain, it’s a space where people can reset, reconnect and rediscover what’s possible,” the CMO said. “Alexi’s partnership with blind marathoner Lisa Thompson brings that to life in a powerful way. For Lisa, the outside is a space of discovery, confidence and expanded possibility. That story reflects what hiking has always represented at its best, not just physical endurance, but renewal, resilience and human connection.”

Throughout the year, McLeod added that Merrell will extend this type of storytelling across channels, building out more human-interest stories while continuing to spotlight the brand’s core hike franchises.

Another layer to this project comes the launch of the “Merrell Outside: Futures Project,” with the goal to expand access and opportunity for aspiring designers, who will take inspiration from the outdoors as their “creative engine.”

The new project was developed with the Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund administered by the Fashion Scholarship Fund and Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, which McLeod called “natural partners” for this initiative.

“These organizations are focused on expanding access to design education and opportunity for underrepresented talent, particularly in footwear,” the CMO said. “That mission aligned directly with our belief that democratizing the outdoors must also mean democratizing who designs for it.”

Peter Arnold, executive director at Fashion Scholarship Fund, reiterated in a statement that Abloh’s vision was to create pathways for talented individuals who have historically been excluded from creative industries.

“Partnering with Merrell expands access, education, and real-world opportunity for emerging designers,” Arnold said.

But ultimately, this initiative is all about what comes next. “By investing in next-generation creative talent, particularly those historically underrepresented in footwear and outdoor design, we’re expanding who gets to shape what the outside looks like in the future,” McLeod added.

Merrell noted that its new “It Starts Outside” campaign will roll out globally across social, digital, and connected TV this month.