It looks like WL Gore & Associates is set to close its Gorewear cycle and running clothing business after more than 40 years – although Gorewear is a relatively small part of the company’s wider textile business, which employs 12,000 people and has revenue of $4.8 billion (2024).
Gore Bike Wear was established way back in 1985 – when it launched the first waterproof and windproof Gore-Tex cycling jacket – and has been a big name in the bike clothing market over the years before being combined with Gore Running Wear to become Gorewear in 2018.
Now German bike industry publication velobiz.de reports that Gore contacted retailers a few days ago to announce that it will discontinue the Gorewear business next year.
velobiz.de says, “In the letter to retailers, which velobiz.de has obtained and which is signed, among others, by Michael Hullik, Managing Director of WL Gore & Associates GmbH, Gore cites economic reasons for this drastic step, which is being announced now after ‘careful consideration and in-depth analysis of long-term prospects.’ The letter informs retailers that ‘for more than 40 years, we have strived with great dedication and considerable investment to successfully position the Gorewear brand in an extremely competitive environment. However, despite all these efforts, we see no realistic possibility of sustainably achieving our business and financial goals.’”
velobiz.de says that orders will be accepted and fulfilled until 31 March 2026 while the Gorewear.com website will remain online to process orders and sell existing inventory.
That’s all we know so far – just this report from velobiz.de. We’ve contacted Gorewear for comment but we’ve yet to hear back.
2024 Gorewear Spinshift Gore-Tex Jacket.jpg (credit: road.cc)
Gorewear has continued to make some fabulous clothing including, for example, the Spinshift Windbreaker Mens that got a 9/10 review here on road.cc in September and the Spinshift Gore-Tex Jacket that was similarly impressive last year.
The whole waterproof/breathable textiles market has been hugely impacted by the need to move away from PFAS – known as ‘forever chemicals’ – because they don’t break down easily in the environment. Gore’s Shakedry fabric (below), used by a number of clothing brands, has been one of the best-known casualties in cycling.
2022 Gore Shakedry – 1 (credit: road.cc)
Way back in 2017, Gore Fabrics set itself the goal of “working towards the elimination of PFCs [a subcategory of PFAS] of environmental concern from its durable water repellent (DWR) treatments and membrane manufacturing processes”, to be completed by 2023.
Despite that, we reported earlier this year that WL Gore & Associates was facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that it engaged in a “greenwashing campaign” to hide the environmental impacts of PFAS from eco-conscious consumers.
These days, Gorewear uses “next-generation Gore-Tex ePE (expanded polythene) fabric that’s made without intentionally added PFAS chemicals.
Although Gore’s massive textile business is set to continue – so you’ll still see Gore fabrics used in clothing from other brands – it looks like this is the end of the road for Gorewear.
More info when we get it.