Minnesota-based footwear maker Vasque will cease all operations, the brand confirmed to GearJunkie today. A subsidiary of Red Wing Shoes, Vasque began making hiking-focused shoes and boots 60 years ago — a market that, at the time, was just emerging among American consumers.
It’s unclear when the brand will officially close its doors, though Red Wing did say it would “continue to operate the Vasque website for the time being.”
“Together, we have done remarkable things across the outdoor industry,” Red Wing said in a statement. “But, this market has changed dramatically, particularly over the last several years. What consumers seek and how they want to both shop and buy has changed dramatically … We have, therefore, made the difficult decision to sunset the Vasque brand and our outdoor business as we know it today.”
When asked how consumers’ demands changed, a spokesperson explained, “Consumers have shifted from traditional hiking activities to [a] broader set of casual outdoor activities, which resulted in different product needs and requirements.”
A spokesperson told GearJunkie that Red Wing would focus its efforts on its core brands, which include work wear and hunting, Red Wing Boots, Irish Setter, and Worx.
Vasque Says Goodbye After Tough Stretch
The news comes after a string of lackluster years with flat sales, according to a 2023 interview with Bryce Wersman, Vasque’s president of sales.
Wersman told The Daily at Outdoor Retailer that “2024 is going to be a turning point for the brand,” with more than half of inventory consisting of new product. The move, Wersman said, was an effort to help modernize the Vasque brand and attract new customers with lighter-weight, lower-cost, and more sustainably manufactured products.
The Re:connect line, launched in summer 2023, helped lead that new focus. It marked a hard pivot for the 60-year-old technical hiking shoe brand, which was now marketing urban trekking and road-to-trail style.
Still, Vasque never fully gave up on its technical, hard-wearing roots.
As recently as this summer, GearJunkie awarded Vasque a Best in Show at the Outdoor Market Alliance for its Venture GTX hiking shoe — which the brand boasted could tackle the entire Pacific Crest Trail. It was a bold, forward-looking statement from a brand that was struggling to find its place in a market that has increasingly been dominated by wildly fluctuating shoe fads (from barefoot, zero-drop, minimalist shoes to the maximalist, high-cushion trail runners still en vogue today).
What Happens Next
No doubt today’s news will hit hard for long-standing diehards of the once-pioneering brand. Named for the “quiet and humble” Vazquez Peak in Colorado, Vasque has been an always-there mainstay among outdoor enthusiasts and at retailers nationwide.
For those inside the Minnesota company, Red Wing noted that “near all” employees working on Vasque also work across the company’s other brands and would shift their focus accordingly. Those who worked solely on Vasque have been offered opportunities to work on Red Wing’s “core business,” the brand told GearJunkie.
Red Wing did leave a glimmer of hope for Vasque fans, saying that a few select styles would remain active so long as demand exists. Those styles, whatever they may be, will carry on the Vasque name and be sold through the Irish Setter business.
Vasque signed off with a note to its fans and partners:
“The outdoor industry has always been a family — one that thrives on shared experiences and the love of the outdoors. We have been honored to be a part of so many retailers’ footwear assortments, as well as the community at large. While we will no longer be a stand-alone brand within the industry, we will forever be a champion of it from the sidelines. May you find joy in the trails you walk, and the mountains you climb.”
