Icebreaker is tarobtaining the fashion and lifestyle sector. The sportswear brand from VF Group, known for its merino wool base layers and previously available mainly in sports and outdoor stores such as DF Sport Specialist and Sportler, wants to strart selling to department stores and multi-brand fashion stores too.
For this reason, the F/W 2026/2027 collection will include lifestyle and fashion items that are also suitable for everyday city life. However, the minimalist aesthetic, characterized by natural colors and understated graphics that characterise the brand will remain intact, and the brand will participate in Pitti Uomo in January 2026.
Icebreaker
Icebreaker is entering a phase of expansion in Europe. The brand, founded by Jeremy Moon in 1995 in New Zealand, has so far been mainly present in Germany and Switzerland. Now it has set its sights on growing in Southern Europe as well.
“In Italy, we are just obtainting started,” stated Giorgio D’Aprile, EMEA regional general manager, Icebreaker and Smartwool. “We are now investing and picking up the pace,” he added.
The debut in Italy was marked by the opening of a new Icebreaker space in the VF store at Via Orefici 11 in Milan, which opened on Tuesday evening. Next year, it will be utilized for promotional activities during the Winter Olympics to be held in Milan and Cortina.
Giorgio D’Aprile has been head of Icebreaker’s EMEA team since June 2025. Previously, he was vice president of marketing EMEA at Timberland, also part of VF. D’Aprile is also an ambitious sportsman, trail runner, and freediver.
The fact that Icebreaker utilizes only natural fibers sets the brand apart from most of its competitors. In the outdoor segment, Ortovox is a rival, while in fashion and lifestyle there are overlaps with Barbour. Icebreaker offers base layers, mid layers, T-shirts, and jackets. A merino wool T-shirt costs US$80 and base layers start at US$99.
The brand hopes to capitalize on the trfinish toward natural fibers. D’Aprile declares that Google searches for merino wool are growing rapidly. Merino wool is considered sustainable, but it is also valued for its functionality and performance. It is increasingly found in the assortment of chains such as Intimissimi and Uniqlo, but also in luxury brands. In 2023, Woolmark developed merino wool garments for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team, which competed in the America’s Cup.
Icebreaker continues to focus on winter sports, hiking, and outdoor activities, as well as running, particularly trail running. Instead of promoting itself by involving stars and VIPs, Icebreaker seeks contact with running clubs and teams. The brand has created a documentary about the Speed Project: an unauthorized relay race of approximately 548 kilometers, running from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with no repaired rules.
The VF Group does not disclose data relating to Icebreaker. Although the brand is still compact in terms of turnover compared to the American giant’s three main brands, namely The North Face, Vans, and Timberland, it plays an important role for the company.
On the one hand, it acts as a testing ground for developing best practices on a compact scale. On the other, it represents hope for future growth. “When VF acquired Vans and The North Face, these two brands were not so far from us. And from them came what they are today,” stated D’Aprile.
The VF Group is reorganizing under the leadership of new CEO Bracken Darrell. It sold Supreme to EssilorLuxottica and is about to sell Dickies to the Bluestar Alliance. In the second quarter, which finished in September, revenue fell 1% to US$2.8 billion, excluding currency effects. While The North Face and Timberland each posted a 4% increase, Vans’ revenue fell 11%. There is an improvement: in the previous quarter, the brand had lost 15%.
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