REI Co-op x Beams x On Running

Bringing together three global icons, from peak-to-peak-to-peak

Organization: REI Co-op
Produced by: On in collaboration with REI and Beams
Role: Senior Brand Strategist

Ask

Thread together three brands, three stories, and three perspectives of the outdoors into an LTE drop/collaboration for those who are curious about the outdoors.

Challenge

REI Co-op has nearly a century of outdoor authority in the US, but hasn’t reached its potential of connecting with culture beyond the borders of the US. On Running has become synonymous with Swiss Performance and Innovation, but hasn’t fully established its credentials in the outdoors. And Beams is known for its curatorial lens and cutting edge collaborations, with so much more opportunity to deepen its resonance in the US. Together, we all inspire and are inspired by each other and open more pathways for adventures and the outdoors to be shared. This can be embodied in the visual language of three iconic mountains, three iconic stories, with many more that go untold.

Collaboration

We created a limited time capsule that brings together (1) REI’s outdoor heritage; (2) On’s performance and precision; and (3) BEAMS’ cultural lens and authority. This was applied to some of our most iconic goods, including but not limited to Flexlite Chairs, Cloudmonster Camp-Trailrunning Shoes, Half-Dome tents, and more in a custom set of colorways. The visual/graphic theme of the three peaks -- notably Mt. Fuji in Japan, Mt. Rainier (Tahoma) in the US, and Matterhorn in Switzerland - are prominently woven throughout.

On leveraged the look/feel of the collection to develop a launch campaign, enlisting director Erinn Springer to create a “REI Co-op x On x Beams: For untold adventures.” Each image and vignette captured as part of the campaign feature the likes of iconic stoneskipper Kurt Steiner, dip expert and outdoor enthusiast Pierce Abernathy, etc. and so much more.

The look/feel then was stretched into the store environment with custom displays and assets that create intrigue and desire to buy and get outside.

Results

We generated both cultural conversation and commercial lift with 1.1 billion impressions, 40 earned media stories, and a nearly sold out collection of 10+ products in one week.  Esquire even named our collab as one of the best of 2025.