Time for a change.
“What the outdoor industry needs to come to grips with is this: In 15 to 20 years, people of color will be the number one demographic in this country, thus your new customer base, affecting your bottom line. If you are not currently working to create space and growth for communities of color, you’re running behind. Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia states it best,“If your customer has to tell you what to do, you’re already too late.” Yet this news does not feel urgent by the lack of action I see by this industry. Time is not on your side. When I hear, over and over from CEO’s, marketing directors and social media managers, “We don’t know what to do,” or “We don’t want to do the wrong thing” or (my favorite), “We don’t want to appear inauthentic,” it makes me wonder how important this issue really is to the industry as a whole.”
Source: An Open Letter to the Outdoor Industry on Diversity | Outdoor Retailer