Benetton revamps Killer Loop

Killer Loop is back with new product positioning and a new project. The sportswear and streetwear brand of the Benetton Group is repacking itself as high-tech outerwear for extreme activities.

Created in the early 80s, Killer Loop was initially a sports eyewear brand designed for windsurfers. Ten years later it became part of the Ponzano Veneto group, diversifying first into high-tech items for snowboarding (boards, boots, etc.) and then into streetwear and skateboarding products. After several years of stagnant growth, the label joined the Playlife family, which oversees different lines of the group. The new autumn/winter 2013 collection marks a turning point, with new product positioning and a new outreach strategy.

In its relaunch, Killer Loop is touting values like innovation, passion, authenticity and courage. Its new collection is devoted to the outdoors and features high-tech and high-performance clothing developed and designed for professionals, such as filmmakers and photographers who work in extreme conditions. The technical features clothing needs to withstand outdoor activities have been combined with functional elements of work clothes; double or triple layers of impermeable Japanese textiles with the functionality of resistant, anti-abrasive fabrics.
The new collection is divided into three segments and lines. “Extreme” offers advanced high-tech clothing for extreme conditions. Designed to meet the demands of professionals working outdoors, this line will be retailed through elite outwear sales points in Italy and worldwide. The second line, “Performance,” offers products directed at high performance and high-aerobic activities (snowboarding, free-skiing, surfing, ATV). This line will be more widely distributed but also through specialist stores. The third line, “Functional,” is aimed at a wider audience, with its packable, breathable and multipurpose clothing designed for both daily use and outdoor activities. It will be available year-round in the new Playlife concept store, as well as in other select multibrand stores.

In tandem with these significant changes, the brand is pursuing a new marketing and communications strategy. It is providing its specialized products and support to both amateur and professional photographers passionate about extreme sports and outdoor activities and providing them an outlet for their work. A project called “The Museum of Extreme” will showcase the work of Daniel Mansson and Alesssadro Belluscio, two of the most popular and respected photographers in the world of extreme sports.

This is an interactive exhibit that is traveling from Stockholm to Milan, on a Killer Loop all-terrain vehicle, making stops in Berlin and Barcelona. The ATV is manned by a small team of “guerrilla technicians” who will host events at major nightlife spots in the various cities. A local and social media flash “guerilla campaign” will be used to get out the word about the event at each stop

The tour started Wednesday (October 2) in Stockholm, home to Daniel Mansson, then arrived in Berlin on Saturday, October 5. The next stops are Barcelona on October 9 and Milan October 12.

Benetton revamps Killer Loop

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