After more than 90 years of helping South Africans answer the call of adventure, Cape Union Mart is entering a bold new era.
The iconic outdoor retailer is evolving beyond its long-standing Adventure Starts Here positioning with the launch of Live Life Outside, a new brand platform that reflects not only how the outdoors and Cape Union Mart have changed, but how South Africans themselves are choosing to live, move and connect today.
For decades, Cape Union Mart has been synonymous with adventure. From mountain summits and hiking trails to camping weekends and off-grid escapes, the brand has equipped generations of South Africans with trusted, high-performance gear designed to withstand the demands of the outdoors. Built on technical expertise, quality craftsmanship and products tested in real outdoor conditions, Cape Union Mart has earned its reputation as a trusted companion for every kind of adventure. But today, outdoor living looks different. It’s broader, more personal and more woven into everyday life than ever before.
Because outside is no longer just a destination. It’s a lifestyle.
From Drakensberg hikes and Wild Coast camping trips to paddles, trails and road trips. But outside is also the everyday moments: coffee walks, ocean swims, neighbourhood runs, sunset braais, market strolls and time spent with the people who matter most. Whether epic or everyday, planned or spontaneous, the brand is recognising that outdoor living means something different to everyone.
The new positioning marks one of the most significant brand evolutions in Cape Union Mart’s history, shifting the conversation from where adventure begins to how life is best lived, without ever losing sight of the technical innovation, durability and performance that remain at the heart of the brand.
“Adventure Starts Here served us incredibly well for many years because it captured the spirit of exploration that has always defined Cape Union Mart,” says Martine Vogelman, Strategic Brands Director.
“But the way people experience the outdoors has evolved. Today, being outside is about so much more than extreme adventure. It’s about wellbeing, connection, community, movement and making the most of everyday moments. Live Life Outside reflects a broader, more inclusive vision of outdoor living that feels deeply relevant to South Africans today, while remaining rooted in the quality, technical performance and trusted expertise that our customers have always relied on.”
At a time when more people are seeking balance away from screens, prioritising experiences and reconnecting with the world around them, Live Life Outside taps into a growing cultural shift: the understanding that some of life’s most meaningful moments happen outdoors. By expanding its definition of adventure, Cape Union Mart is inviting more South Africans than ever before to see themselves in the outdoors and to make it their own.
The new platform builds on Cape Union Mart’s trusted heritage while positioning the brand for a new generation of outdoor consumers, those who may never summit a mountain, but who still choose to live actively, socially and intentionally outdoors. Whether it’s layering up in technical outerwear from K-Way or The North Face for unpredictable conditions, or lacing up in HOKA, Salomon or Merrell footwear for everything from mountain trails to everyday exploration, Cape Union Mart continues to offer best-in-class products designed to deliver comfort, protection and performance in every environment.
Because today, outside means something different to everyone, and that’s exactly the point. Through Live Life Outside, Cape Union Mart is inviting South Africans everywhere to reconnect with the outdoors in ways that feel authentic, accessible and uniquely their own.
Live Life Outside with Cape Union Mart. #WEOUTCHEA
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