Thanks to owner Authentic Brands Group, Volcom is the new outfitter of the U.S. Snowboard team for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.
Volcom competitor Burton previously designed and produced the uniforms for the team for four consecutive Olympics – 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
ABG, the powerhouse licensing company, also owns the Spyder snow brand, which is the longtime sponsor of the U.S. Alpine Ski team.
The Spyder relationship has expanded to include the U.S. Freestyle team and the U.S. Freeski team.
Volcom Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Immegart said ABG was a key factor in Volcom landing the Olympic sponsorship deal.
“Absolutely, ABG was the catalyst for this and straight up, it wouldn’t have happened without them,” he said.
The Volcom Olympic partnership includes the Snowboardcross, Slopestyle/Big Air, and Halfpipe teams for both men and women, in addition to coaches and support staff. The team uniform will include outerwear, hoodies, gloves, hats and beanies.
The collection design includes the U.S. colors of red, white and blue as well as camo prints. Key styles include Volcom’s Men’s TDS Infrared jacket and Volcom Women’s Nya TDS jacket.
Volcom is excited to raise its snow outerwear profile because of the Olympic deal, Ryan said.
“We think it will lead to more eyeballs and more energy, even outside of the U.S.,” Ryan said. “I was talking to Joost Grootswagers who runs the EU for us and he was equally excited, stating that it’s meaningful even from an European point of view. The next winter Olympics will also be in China, which is a key region for our growth.”
In addition, Volcom will also make and sell co-branded Olympic apparel for regular consumers, which will debut in the fall of 2020, including T-shirts, fleece and headwear.
Volcom CEO Todd Hymel said the sponsorship is a great way to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Volcom outerwear.
“We are so excited to be the official outfitter of the U.S. Snowboard Team,” Todd said in a statement. “To have the Volcom stone be worn by the best athletes, on the highest of stages in this sport is an honor. As we celebrate 20 years of Volcom Outerwear, this partnership ushers in a new era of our history. Performance and innovation are the foundation of everything we do at Volcom. We look forward to working closely with all the athletes to gain insights, so we can continue to create best-in-class, elevated product.”
