Juergen Alker

Two days Paris Fashion Week. @parisfashionweek @advanced.research @sorelfootwear @goldwin_global

A few hours in London.

Cologne. December 27th 2025.

Day 1 in Riyadh I’m in Riyadh for the @worldfootballsummit , where I’ll be hosting a panel tomorrow: Strategic Shifts in Performance through Technology and Innovation. I came a day early to get an impression of the city. Took the metro to the Kingdom Gate and walked back. Of course I was the only one walking. But hey, I am European. Later I joined the pre-conference event at the Saudi Pro League HQ. Always great to build some new connections. Some impressions below. More over the next days.

24 hours in Munich Saturday kicked off at the @goldwin_official Store for the From Concrete to Gravel launch with a few panel talks around the Gorp Core world (the mix of outdoor mindset, technical gear and functional everyday wear that has moved from the mountains into the city). The evening was curated by @aryswear and @advanced.research We closed the night at the @bstnstore × @adidas party. Sunday morning started with a brunch at 520M by @highsnobiety on @ispo.acceleratingsports , including a great talk by their Strategy Director about Urban Outdoors. One idea really stayed with me: the next wave of outdoor culture is happening in our cities. From run clubs to bird watching, people are finding nature where they actually live. Remote expeditions are great, but the future feels more local and accessible. Walking through what will be the last ever ISPO in Munich triggered a lot of memories. I have spent so much time in these halls over the past 30 years, building booths for Eastpak and Dickies and living through a very different era of streetwear and sports culture. But the end is always the beginning of something new. Wrapped up Sunday with the Concrete to Gravel exhibition on Fraunhoferstraße before heading home. Short trip, but loads of new inspirations. Some impressions below.

36 hours in London...

Last night I was invited by Carhartt to celebrate 50 years of the Active Jacket at the @tate Modern in London. There aren’t many garments that stay relevant for half a century. Most fade, evolve, or get reinterpreted beyond recognition. The Active Jacket didn’t. It became a constant, a canvas for others to project onto. From Detroit to Berlin, from protest to dancefloor, from construction site to runway, it has travelled through decades of culture without ever losing its essence. Functional, but full of meaning. Alongside the exhibition, Carhartt released a beautiful book reflecting on those 50 years, how a single jacket absorbed stories of work, culture, and identity, and became part of something much bigger than fashion. The exhibition, Sedimental Works, explored exactly that: how things endure, erode, and return. How one piece of workwear can turn into a symbol of identity, resistance, belonging. Inside Tate Modern, it felt less like fashion and more like an archive of everything this jacket has seen. A beautiful reminder that real design is not about trends, but about timelessness. Thanks to Carhartt for having me. Carhartt fan for life. Thanks also to @advanced.research Project by: @carharttwip and @illstudio 📸: my lovely @ricoh_gr_photography GR3

Ohana. The family you build around you, not just the one you’re born into. Last weekend I spent 3 ½ days in Bolzano with a group of inspiring people curated by @nickilange and his team from @avalonadvisory Ohana is about belonging, depth and connection. It’s about the people we support, challenge, grow and move forward with. The ones we trust when things are loud and when things get quiet. Ohana means family, not just by blood but by choice. And sometimes that chosen family ends up being even closer. I rarely join events that last longer than a few hours. So when Nicki said this one would take three days, I was sceptical. But knowing him, I trusted it would be special. And it was. I enjoyed it more than I ever expected to. I heard so many stories, the kind only life can write. Everyone brought something unique, and listening to these experiences made every moment richer. It felt special how quickly we trusted each other and how safe the group felt. Not much more mattered than just being present in the moment. A big thank you to Nicki for creating Ohana, to @drinkag1de for supporting him in making it real, and to everyone who was part of it in Bolzano for being open, for listening and for trusting each other. Sometimes the right people in the right place can shift something inside you quietly, but for good. Images: @actnormalfilms

24hours in Cologne for @kingsleague_de @vice.versafc Always special to come back to my home town where I spent the first 22 years...

Spending a few days in Milan ...

Short visit to Venice ...

@fondazioneprada in Milan...