The towering Himalayas and the turbulent Yarlung Tsangpo River once confined Mêdog in Nyingchi, Tibet, within steep mountains and deep valleys.
It wasn’t until 11 years ago, when the Mêdog Highway was completed and opened to traffic, that the situation began to change, making Mêdog the last county in China to be accessible by road.
However, what remains unchanged is Mêdog’s rich biodiversity and relatively untouched natural state, making it still one of the most sought-after destinations for adventurers and trekkers.
In June this year, a scientific expedition team from National Geographic China traversed Mêdog to conduct a biodiversity survey. Norwegian outdoor brand HELLY HANSEN’s flagship ODIN series provided professional protective support for the expedition team.
As the outdoor craze in China continues to rise, outdoor activities are becoming increasingly specialized, with mountaineering emerging as one of the most popular activities among China’s outdoor enthusiasts.
Major outdoor brands are immersing themselves in nature, forming deep connections with specific natural landscapes in China, creating their own niche cultures.
The 147-year-old high-end professional outdoor brand HELLY HANSEN, which originated with a focus on maritime expertise, has chosen Mêdog as its destination. But will this be an effective “destination strategy”? How can HELLY HANSEN break through the limitations of category scenarios in China and seek new growth points?
1. Exploring the Last Secret of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Mêdog is known as the “Secret Lotus Land.” In Tibetan, Mêdog means “hidden place where lotus flowers bloom.”
The town of Mêdog is situated at an altitude of only 1,100 meters, relatively low compared to the average altitude of over 4,000 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, the surrounding towering snow-capped mountains have blocked access to and from the area.
The altitude drop of over 7,000 meters has created a full-spectrum ecological landscape ranging from tropical monsoon rainforests to alpine glaciers, crossing nine vertical natural zones.
For a long time, Mêdog maintained its most pristine natural environment, boasting extremely rich biodiversity. It is considered one of the “last secret realms on the Earth.”
Photo by Cheng Bin
For botanists and zoologists, Mêdog is a rare natural museum. For outdoor trekking enthusiasts, Mêdog is a dream and an honor.
Mêdog’s unique climate adds to its allure, but it also poses significant challenges for exploration.
There is a saying that describes Mêdog’s climate: “Four seasons in one day, different weather every ten miles.”
Photo by Dong Zhixiong
The leader of this National Geographic China scientific expedition, Mo Tiantong, said: “During our scientific expedition in Mêdog, the most challenging aspect for our gear was the frequently changing climate. Our clothing needed to be both breathable and sweat-wicking while also being waterproof enough to prevent our bodies from getting wet.”
Faced with such a challenging natural climate and geographical environment, the National Geographic China scientific expedition team chose HELLY HANSEN’s ODIN series as their official gear.
The ODIN series, first launched by HELLY HANSEN in 2008, is designed for harsh mountain and high-altitude environments. The latest products in the ODIN series have been specially designed for the Chinese market.
For consumers, HELLY HANSEN recently released a co-branded gift box with National Geographic China as well as a China-exclusive ODIN Nine Realms jacket, inspired by the colors of Mêdog.
The China-exclusive ODIN professional-grade hardshell jacket is tailored to better fit Asian body types and is made with Dermizax, a professional waterproof fabric. With a waterproof and breathable index of JIS 20K/10K, it can withstand sudden mountain rain while providing a comfortable and soft wearing experience.
If the ODIN series represents HELLY HANSEN’s product strength in confidently facing changing climates, then Mêdog provides an excellent showcase for the brand to demonstrate this product power, thanks to its unique natural conditions and coverage of various types of outdoor environments.
2. Upholding Professionalism is a Dynamic Process
What gives HELLY HANSEN the confidence to become the “best partner” for outdoor enthusiasts in extreme natural conditions?
In fact, throughout more than a century of brand evolution, strong professional performance has always been rooted in HELLY HANSEN’s brand DNA.
In 1877 Norway, Captain Helly Juell Hansen and his wife Margrethe operated a waterproof gear workshop in their basement, primarily producing products to protect sailors from the cold rain and snow at sea.
In a fortunate experiment, the couple used coarse linen soaked in linseed oil to make waterproof clothing and tarpaulins, achieving unexpectedly good results. At the time, people were still using primitive waterproofing methods such as seal or whale intestines, straw raincoats, and natural rubber. The following year, they won an award at the Paris World Exposition.
Brand Founder Helly Juell Hansen
Initially, HELLY HANSEN’s main products were professional gear suitable for Norway’s cold and wet climate, covering not only marine equipment but also life jackets, protective masks, and carpets for agricultural and industrial use.
In the 20th century, as consumer tastes and lifestyles changed, HELLY HANSEN became one of the first brands to design clothing for specific purposes, expanding its product line to include camping and sailing gear, as well as stylish rainwear suitable for urban wear.
HELLY HANSEN continuously innovated in technology and iterated on core materials, progressing from linseed oil to fashionable PVC, waterproof and breathable HELLY TECH®, and now to the H2Flow® temperature regulation system, among other waterproof fabric innovations.
As HELLY HANSEN’s Chief Marketing Officer Tor Jenssen stated on the brand’s official website: “We first connected with consumers by using new technology to help people stay warm and dry. Today, we remain true to ourselves. We are very design-focused, but our products are always functional.“
“In terms of innovation, we have never stopped. We launch a new series every six months, constantly rethinking and testing new products. It’s a dynamic process. We adapt well, partly because we are always looking for functional practicality.”
HELLY HANSEN’s professionalism and reliability in various fields are also evident in its partnerships and sponsorships:
HELLY HANSEN is the gear partner for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the UK, Norwegian People’s Aid, and several international professional rescue teams. It is also the official sponsor of The Ocean Race and the Hahnenkamm Races, the origin of the Ski World Cup. The brand is used by professional athletes from the Norwegian Ski Federation, the Norwegian National Sailing Team, and the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, and is a professional partner of over 200 ski resorts and mountain guide companies worldwide.
3. Beyond Maritime
In China, outdoor sports are becoming increasingly popular, with people starting to focus on different niche activity scenarios and becoming more curious about various outdoor content and knowledge.
Beyond its century-old maritime heritage, HELLY HANSEN aims to establish its own cultural niche across different specialized outdoor scenes and to promote outdoor culture.
Currently, HELLY HANSEN focuses on three core categories: sailing, outdoor, and skiing.
Building on its maritime heritage, in June this year, HELLY HANSEN’s design elements appeared on Asia’s first trimaran, launching a season of circumnavigation activities around the China Sea. Celebrities like Huang Jue, Van Ness Wu, Yuan Justin, and Wang Talu joined, sparking lively discussions on social media.
In skiing, in November last year, HELLY HANSEN opened its first ski resort store in China at Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin, hosting the “Slide to HigH Limited Challenge • Beidahu Stop,” with brand ambassadors Elvis Han and Wang Talu participating.
Beidahu has now attracted a large number of ski brands to open destination stores. HELLY HANSEN’s Beidahu ski resort store features a VIP room lounge, offering high-net-worth customers thoughtful services at the ski destination.
Mêdog, on the other hand, points to the mountaineering and hiking outdoor community. Today, mountaineering, as a traditional outdoor activity, has attracted a large number of enthusiasts and has become one of the most popular scenes among China’s outdoor crowd.
Whether in sailing, skiing, or mountain scenes, providing users with reliable protection through professional performance during deep nature exploration is always HELLY HANSEN’s core positioning.
Beyond developing new scenarios and categories, HELLY HANSEN is also actively exploring new store formats.
The newly opened Beijing Hopson One store at the end of June reflects the brand’s determination to embrace contemporary young consumers.
During the store’s opening, HELLY HANSEN launched the limited HH-118389225 Code Collection and hosted a fashion show event at the store, attended by celebrities like Han Geng. The HH-118389225 is a high-end subline inspired by the brand’s archives, exuding a sense of technical and trendy coolness.
On August 23, HELLY HANSEN opened a new store at the West Bund Dream Center in Shanghai.
HELLY HANSEN stated that it aims to create a new lifestyle aesthetic landmark for the brand at this location, fostering a close connection between the brand and consumers through this social space, thereby aligning the brand image with contemporary lifestyle demands.
Conclusion
In nearly three years since re-entering the Chinese market, HELLY HANSEN has established a presence in 24 cities across the Chinese Mainland, opening approximately 40 stores. The brand focuses its store layout on high-end shopping malls, covering luxury malls such as Beijing SKP, Chengdu SKP, Xi’an SKP, Nanjing Deji, Shenzhen MixC, Shenyang MixC, Chengdu IFS, Beijing China World Mall, Ningbo Hankyu, Hangzhou Tower, and Qingdao Hisense Plaza.
Now, by venturing into mountain and ski destinations, HELLY HANSEN is delving deeper into the outdoor lifestyle scenes of high-end customers, engaging in a deeper dialogue with them.
The brand’s involvement in real outdoor scenes subtly conveys a value system that reveres nature and explores the unknown. This spirit of association helps to form a brand image with greater cultural appeal, attracting more like-minded consumers and strengthening brand loyalty.
Mêdog has also connected HELLY HANSEN’s brand story with the Chinese context. HELLY HANSEN states that this collaboration with Mêdog is just a starting point, with more in-depth interactions to be explored in the future.
This high-end outdoor brand, known for its strong professional performance, is showcasing a vibrant new face highly relevant to contemporary consumers through a series of active explorations in the Chinese market.
| Image Credit: Provided by HELLY HANSEN, Official Weibo Account of National Geographic China
| Editor: Zhu Ruoyu
