WeekEnds Launches the World’s First Marketplace for Independent Outdoor Lifestyle Brands

December 9, 2025

The new platform reimagines outdoor retail, embraces the sportswear boom, and connects emerging brands with a broader audience

BROOKLYN, NY — December 9, 2025 /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Today, WeekEnds launches the first digital marketplace built exclusively for independent outdoor lifestyle brands. With 34 brands now live, a global community of 600,000 active users, and plans to grow to 100 brands in the next year, WeekEnds introduces a new way for consumers to discover and shop the modern outdoor world.

Founded by retailer and creative strategist Gene Han, the mind behind Hatchet Outdoor Supply Co., Essentic, and Alumni, WeekEnds was created to give small, design-driven outdoor brands the visibility traditional retail often can’t offer.

“After two decades in retail, I kept meeting incredible founders building thoughtful products, but they weren’t getting shelf space,” said Han. “WeekEnds is the home I always wished existed, a place for independent outdoor brands to stand out, connect, and grow.”

As legacy brick and mortar retail faces shrinking floorspace and rising operational costs, WeekEnds offers a scalable alternative. Brands can onboard in minutes through a streamlined API powered by the Mav Farm Shopify app, instantly making their full catalog shoppable to WeekEnds’ global audience. Orders flow directly to each brand’s Shopify admin for seamless fulfillment and full control.

The launch comes at a moment when outdoor and endurance-inspired apparel has surged far beyond the trail and become one of the fastest-growing categories in global fashion. Consumers now expect gear that works for commuting, training, travel, and everyday life that is functional, stylish, and purpose-driven.

WeekEnds reflects this shift with a curated lineup of performance-meets-lifestyle brands, including:

Knog – an Australian brand known for design-driven bike and outdoor accessories that mix bold aesthetics with practical functionality.

GRIN27 – a Los Angeles-based, gender-inclusive endurance sportswear brand that blends high-performance fabrics with small-batch production and a mission centered on culture, wellness, and sustainable design.

William Ellery – a Brooklyn-based outdoor gear and workwear label that reimagines vintage materials and deadstock fabrics into limited-batch pieces rooted in nostalgia and utility.

Heimplanet – a German-engineered outdoor gear brand known for its rapid-pitch inflatable tents and its growing line of minimal, durable bags and carry essentials built for modern travel.

WeekEnds currently features brands from North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, with user traffic reflecting its global reach: 37 percent North America, 26 percent Europe, 19 percent Asia, 8 percent Oceania, and 10 percent other regions.

By bringing these emerging labels together in one place and giving customers a single destination to discover them, WeekEnds offers consumers an easy way to support small businesses whose values they seek to support.

About WeekEnds
WEEKENDS is a global marketplace featuring the greatest outdoor apparel, equipment, and accessories from emerging and iconic brands. As both a concept shop in Chengdu, China, and the world’s first digital marketplace dedicated to the next wave of outdoor lifestyle brands, WeekEnds is redefining how people experience the outdoors. Its mission is to give a platform to the next generation of outdoor entrepreneurs, creators, and pioneers—helping them share their passion with people who love to explore, whether in the city or off the grid.

Learn more at WeekEnds.world.