LIVSN 2023 Recap

Kelsey, a.k.a. Marketing Director here. Welcome :)

The last few days of 2023 are sliding off the calendar - but before we welcome a new cycle around the sun, I’d like to take some time to look back on how this year treated us (and you!)

2023 has been what I'd like to call “The Year We Grew Up.” From the successful launch and delivery of our most ambitious Kickstarter to date, to our whirlwind trip on the film festival circuit, the introduction of new products, and the closing of a crucial financial investment, it’s been a year of steady growth and expansion into a truly competitive brand in the outdoor landscape.  Whether you're a longtime fan or found us recently, I’d like to thank you all for helping us build our most successful year to date. 

Here are just a few highlights of what the LIVSN team and steadfast supporters accomplished together:

At LIVSN, we believe that each and every pair of legs that walks this green earth deserves pants, and not just any old “that’ll do” kind either - pants that people cherish from the very first wear, to the very first repair, and that move with them for years to come.

We figured it was finally time to take our mission to the other half of the body. In 2023, we launched our first jacket, the Forager. Featuring the same fabric as our flagship Flex Canvas Pants, the Forager has proven a worthy addition to the Flex Canvas collection and we'll be keeping it around henceforth.

We also developed our high-end natural fabric technical jacket, the Century Jacket. More on that later.

From longstanding staples like Ecotrek to the new Karst Pant and Reflex Pant, 2023 clothed more legs in LIVSN than ever before.

If you enjoy digging into data, here are some broad statistics:

• Over 10,000 pairs of pants sold
  • For all you math majors, that’s around 20,000 legs successfully clothed
• Pants sold to all fifty states in the USA
• Sixty sovereign nations sought out and bought our pants
  • Roughly 30% of the world. We’re getting there.
• We are now carried in over 135 fine retailers across the USA

Suffice it to say, that’s a whole lot of pants to make, process, and ship out around the world. The LIVSN crew has undergone serious internal growth to meet the market demand so generously placed on our shoulders.

P.S. - For the first time ever, we bought enough stock for the fan-favorite Flex Canvas Overalls. They're still selling like hotcakes.

If you've been following our brand for a while, you know we love Kickstarter. It's our favorite place to launch ambitious projects and this year we went for it with our most technical piece to date.

We raised $456,355 in 30 days to bring the Century Jacket to life. An all-natural fabric, insulating, weather-resistant piece with complimentary lifetime repairs and timeless styling, the Century Jacket is one of our proudest accomplishments to date. It shipped to our Kickstarter backers in December and will be available for direct sale sometime soon in the new year.

This year, we introduced three completely new pant designs to the lineup: The Karst Pant, the Reflex Pant.  and Men's and Women's Ecotrek Shorts.

The Karst Pant is a heavy-hitting, abrasion-proof bushwhacking pant that's sleek, subtle, and breathable. Since launching, we're seeing a lot of early success and the proof is in the pudding with this one. Learn more about it here.

The Reflex Pant is made to move (or not at all!) - think trail running, mountain biking, and post-workouts lounging on the couch. It's a bit different than the rest of our line - but we think it functions exceptionally well and is surprisingly versatile. Learn more about it here.

For the first time ever, we launched a men's and women's product together as the Ecotrek Trail Short. The shorter legged brethren of our staple Ecotrek Trail Pant, these shorts pack a punch. Learn more about the women's shorts here, and the men's shorts here. 

Our short documentary film, Well Worn Life, had an incredible film festival run this year. From Mountainfilm in Telluride, Colorado to Banff Mountain Film Festival in Banff, Alberta, Well Worn Life and the LIVSN mission has been viewed by thousands of eager-minded people.We even got selected for both the Mountainfilm and Banff World Tours — so look out for a screening near you!

We'll release the film online this coming January.

Even the very best and well-intentioned brands can't build without the investment to do so. As we are still young, fundraising has always been an important, if not glamorous, part of life at LIVSN. 

2023 brought us our largest investment to date and we cannot wait to continue building our little brand as well as we possibly can.

Long live circularity with the launch of Well Worn Gear: The LIVSN Secondhand Marketplace! Well Worn Gear is the place to shop our repaired and used gear as well as the place to sell your own LIVSN pants peer-to-peer. We truly believe that we can lower the bar to entry, enhance our sustainability efforts, and keep our gear in rotation for as long as possible through the use of secondhand markets. Check out the marketplace here.

If you've gotten this far, thank you for reading. I appreciate your time, and I know how valuable it is. Thank you for supporting and investing in our journey and we hope to make you proud. Soon, we'll share with you what's in store for 2024 ;)

All my best, 

Kelsey