September 1, 2022 Wolf Rewilding Mission by Jack Wolfskin
Outdoor brand aligns with National Geographic Conservation photographer, field biologist and wolf expert Ronan Donovan.
German-based outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin is entering the fall and winter 2022 season with a mission to rewild people, places and the creatures that live in it. Inspired by Jack Wolfskin’s origin story around a campfire deep in the Canadian wilderness in the early 1980s, the new “We Live to Discover” campaign is the first phase in a global brand reset focused on educating, protecting and building awareness around outdoor environments.
The seasonal campaign is underlined by a theme at the heart of the Jack Wolfskin brand: The sustainable co-existence of humankind and animals in the wild, particularly wolves throughout Europe, North America and Asia. To that end, Jack Wolfskin has aligned with renowned National Geographic conservation photographer, field biologist and wolf expert Ronan Donovan on his latest project.
Wolves of the Rocky Mountains
The new Discovery campaign features a series of films around Donovan’s long-term work documenting the lives of wolves in and around Yellowstone National Park that bridges Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in America’s Rocky Mountains. The story evolves around Mr. Blue, a wolf that associated with many different wolves and at least 8 packs through-out his lifetime – something unheard of in wolf society. He had a rare understanding and ability to adjust to the wolfpack social structures and situations. During a 7-day tour of the park, Ronan searches for evidence of Mr. Blue’s offspring to understand common traits between wolf and human societies.
Wolf populations thrived for millennia in and around Yellowstone until settlers moved westward in the 19th century, when the relationship between wolves and people changed. Europeans had a different way of viewing land, people, and wildlife than Indigenous Peoples. They modified North America to conform to an agrarian lifestyle, displacing and killing Indigenous Peoples and damaging the natural cycles of the land. Hunters targeted game such as elk and bison, leading wolves and other predators to hunt domesticated cattle and come into conflict with settlers.
Gray wolves were reintroduced to the region 25 years ago and quickly brought the ecosystem back into balance. Today the wolves are victims of their own success as growing populations have ventured beyond the park boundaries launching new conservation challenges.
“Ronan represents the spirit of Jack Wolfskin and his stories shed light on a fascinating apex species that is critical to its natural ecosystems and controversial at the same time,” said Mokhtar Benbouazza, Vice President Marketing, Jack Wolfskin.
“His work reflects the fundamental need for all of us to rewild ourselves and seek more moments of discovery in the outdoors to help us live better, more sustainable lives.”
A Pioneering Collection
The “We Live to Discover” campaign coincides with the release of Jack Wolfskin’s all-new Discovery collection of parkas, hoodies, jackets, pants, gloves a bags built to perform in the world’s coldest climates. Named in tribute to
German explorer Arved Fuchs’s crossing of the Patagonia ice sheet in 1995, the products are made to outfit researchers and adventurers in frigid conditions with pioneering materials from Jack Wolfskin and premium partners, including Allied Feather and Pertex.
The flagship 1995 Series Down Hoody exemplifies Jack Wolfskin’s commitment to supplying best-performing products in sustainably conscious designs with its extremely lightweight yet and durable Pertex Quantum exterior fabrics made with 100 % recycled poylamide and RDS-certified 800-cuin fill power goose down insulation with HyperDRY that stays warm in damp conditions and quickly dries.
Photo: Will Saunders/Jack Wolfskin
