The lowdown on the most interesting running clubs, hiking clubs and climbing clubs – who's starting them, how they're growing and what's coming next. Plus, we've got the scoop on a need-to-know neighborhood in Copenhagen. Also – Courier is coming to New York in July. See you there?
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01. The number of all-female hiking clubs ⛰️ is on the up (check out Hike Clerb, Black Girls Hike, Athene Club and GorpGirls). They're creating community and a safe space for women to enjoy the outdoors. ‘There's a reclaiming of the outdoors for people who didn't see themselves represented before,’ Tijana Tamburic, founder of creative agency Female Narratives, told us.
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TRY IT.
Brands are taking notice of this community growth, but collaboration needs to be done right. Here's a case study of how apparel brand Early Majority and outdoors collective Athene Club teamed up.
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02. In Portland, Oregon, our contributor Sam Millen-Cramer shares what he thinks is coming next for active communities.
- ‘Activity-based communities, like running clubs and hiking groups aren't new – but a handful I've been tracking have matured in their operations, scope and commercial activities. Usal in LA is a good example of how these groups can grow and scale.’
- ‘Hermanos Koumori is a cool apparel brand and collective in Mexico City. It's recently partnered with New Era on some running caps, as well as working with Aire Libre Running – a running experiences organizer – on a capsule collection. It also partnered with Portland-based creative studio FISK on a capsule collection. It's nice to discover a brand like this, doing its thing in a non-US or European city – a reminder that running is a real global community, but also a sector.’
- ‘I've also discovered a bunch of clubs and communities focused on group climbs and hikes to specific boulders – mostly in England. It's intriguing to me, as it feels that as running crews mature, we're seeing other somewhat-solo active pursuits follow suit in their community-first growth. The commercial angle would be similar to run crews. These little communities become money-generating operations, supporting and, importantly, diversifying the local economy on a micro level, especially in areas away from the likes of London.’
03. Running's also gone virtual – Run As You Are is an app that gives running missions and points for miles completed, which can be redeemed for discounts and products.
04. It's been hard to miss the rise of Your Friendly Runners, an east-London run club that gathers hundreds of runners each week and has been doing some really slick merch drops and pop-ups across London and Copenhagen 👟. Co-founder and Courier alum Matt Horrocks shared how it began and how he's taking the club to the next level.
Q: How did Your Friendly Runners start?
‘I first met Oli back in 2018 when I bought a pair of running shoes off his Depop – I was local, so he said he'd swing by and drop them off. We were both just getting into running and agreed it was surprisingly hard to find like-minded people to run and train with. The city seemed full of people jogging, but we were looking for something less [solitary], more social. We decided we should meet the following week, both invite a mate and see where it [went]. We made a poster with the tagline “Your Friendly Running Club” and it stuck. Bar a few weeks out during Covid, we've not missed a weekend since.’
A: How are you planning to grow?
‘We've always taken things in our stride and let things happen organically, but we're starting to think about our future and how to grow in a way that's healthy, sustainable and, most importantly, true to our community. This is now a registered business and there's a lot we want to achieve, over and above building upon and improving our weekly schedule. We want to offer incredible running experiences at home and abroad, host races [and] parties, work on big creative brand partnerships, design and produce clothing and accessories, and open our very own space where this could all come together under one roof. We have plenty of viable avenues in front of us, all of which are super exciting – it's just a question of how, when and why. But, rest assured, we're cooking.’
05. BOUCHE is a really sexy indie kombucha brand from Berlin.
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06. And De La Calle is aiming to make tepache – an ancient, fermented, Mexican, sweet and sour drink – go mainstream.
07. Couple Bert Roger Pieters and Yves Drieghe built and ran a branding agency in Belgium but, in 2020, they sold the business and moved to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. Today, they run a gorgeous farm stay called Hektor. Colorful rooms, good food and roaming rescued farm animals 🐴.
08. La Banchina is a dreamy spot in Copenhagen. It's a waterside wine bar, restaurant and sauna with a dock for swimming – and it's in an up-and-coming industrial area called Refshaleøen, which founder Christer Bredgaard told us should be on everyone's radar. ‘When I started, there was only one restaurant out here, Amass, which unfortunately closed last year. Besides the two of us, there was nothing out here. Then came Reffen, the big street-food market. Then came Lille bakery, Alchemist and Amass opened a brewery, Broaden & Build – also closed. Now, there [are] different things happening and there's a lot of traffic out here. We also have these harbor buses that sail out here and a bridge across the harbor. It's a lot easier to get out here, compared to what it was like [when La Banchina opened] in 2016.’
09. Elsewhere in Copenhagen, Wasted is making pasta from bread waste 🍝, initially serving through supper clubs.
10. Also, Patrik Rolf is an author, clothing designer and founder of April – one of Copenhagen's best coffee shops. One to watch.
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DIG DEEPER.
Feeling inspired? The way to start – or a good exercise if you haven't done it for your company already – is to make a business plan. Here's our guide.
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11. Tatsuo Hino, London/Tokyo-based cultural director at BEAMS & CO, shares two brands that recently caught his eye.
- ‘HINU (meaning “oil” in Maori) is a growth hair oil. Amazing product. I'm into various oil-based products now. The sector is [becoming more] results-driven and ingredients-focused. Anatomē's face oil is also great and accessible. Davines' This is an Oil Non Oil [a lightweight hair oil] is great, too.’
12. We're also seeing fats-focused skincare on the rise – Australian skincare brand Saturée makes a line based on saturated fats while lip-care brand Ghlee makes its products from clarified butter.
13. Utu is a nice-looking skincare/suncare company ☀️.
14. Sisters Rory and Meave McAuliffe, who grew up in Santa Monica, launched Rory's Place in Ojai, California, last year. It focuses on ingredients from local farmers and food producers in a bright and breezy space. We also need its oyster-bar hats.
15. Speaking of merch, GiftShop is a marketplace that sells merch drops from cafes, bars and restaurants.
16. The Sports Bra is the first bar that shows only women's sports. It opened last year in Portland, Oregon, and made headlines (and a good amount of money) – and now similar places are popping up. Check out Rough & Tumble in Seattle and Icarus Wings and Things in Salem.
17. Speaking of spectator sports, this reality-TV-show bar pop-up in New York City is getting super popular 📺.
18. Oak & Willow is an affordable, eco-friendly cleaning brand that went viral on TikTok and changed the business overnight – only to have its account with 400,000 followers banned. Now it's rebuilding with a backup account and making the ban a big part of its storytelling.
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IT HAPPENS…
What do you do when you suddenly lose access to a platform that played a crucial part in your business? Here are some lessons from a company whose account got hacked.
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19. Nopia is a MIDI chord generator created by Argentinian designers Martin Grieco and Rocío Gal. It's based on the concept of tonal harmony, particularly the connection between the tonal center (the home tone of the key) and the dominant (the fifth note in the key). Simply put, it sounds incredible 🎶. It doesn't hurt that it looks like it was designed by Wes Anderson.
20. Have you seen Gantri? It's a marketplace for great-looking lamps 💡. Each one is made by an indie designer and is 3D-printed with sustainable materials. Very cool.
21. ODUJEJ is a Korean brand that creates objects inspired by the unique environment of Jeju Island – like these crayons shaped like lava rocks.
22. Check out these incredibly weird and fun Japanese candles from designer Risa Makabe under the label Olga Goose Candle.
23. Tokyo-born Jonah Takagi was once a touring musician in indie rock bands. While on the road, he used to make furniture and lighting products – so, he quit his music gig and became a product designer.
24. And this woman quit her job to bring puppies into offices for puppy yoga.
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Elsewhere in Courier:
🙋 In person: New York City! We'll be at magCulture Live on 9 July. Tickets here.
🤳 On TikTok: Meet the former bouncer who opened a guest house in Sicily.
📰 In print: Our latest issue deep dives into the next big niche sports.
💻 Online [Partnership]: The company that's taught priests, truck drivers and students the art of neon.
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