Thorn In Both Sides – Symmetry Reigns Supreme 1

"A brand is a tale that unfolds across all customer touch points," said Jonah Sachs. It's true that a customer can become so attached to a label that there is a sense of investment and so a sudden disruption to the norm can cause said person to become disconnected. These risks must be considered when such a move is made and that is the process that THOR completed in anticipation of their 2025 launch.

The 'half mask' icon that THOR has held dear for some time, almost two decades to be exact, is recognizable around the world. It was also very tired – what was once a powerful visual had become a reminder of just how stagnant the brand had become. The 'half mask' caused most to think of the 2000s, where THOR was at its best in professional competition thanks to stars like Chad Reed. Is it possible that it had become a victim of its own success? It was so prominent in that time that it was almost impossible to move forward. Until now, that is.

In order to underline its intent to continue as a pioneer in the apparel space, THOR unveiled a new icon in early August that better represented the current intentions within the brand's base in San Diego. "In terms of a fresh perspective and new look, we now have a symmetrical icon that can star in various placements," said Josh Shorter (Global Brand Director). "There is a much bigger picture here. It's not about the fact that an icon looks good on one jersey, boot or advertisement. We have to use it everywhere and be effective with that."

It all sounds so simple, does it not? It is the minor details that are critical though – little things make big things happen – and so the process of selecting this new icon took some time. "It took a couple of years," Shorter continued. "I saw the prior concepts and none of it clicked. Those did not grab ahold of the team or inspire us to push forward. Until our icon now, that is, which just made sense. It was a culmination of other parts of the business coming together on a direction. The way in which THOR is set to evolve is told in the story of this new icon."

Such conviction radiates from those words, but there was an understandable amount of doubt that existed within the THOR headquarters. It is near impossible to pass over the noise that is so prevalent in the world now and that rings true for those in the apparel market – so much of their business is based upon catering to their consumer. There is such strength that comes from following one's instinct and being unapologetic about that. "We rolled this new icon out and 50% of people thought that it was coolest thing ever – those with an opposing view were quite vocal though," Shorter expressed.

"I started to hear, 'That is so dumb. Why would you change that?' Let me just put this into perspective: If we had not altered our look then the half mask would have never existed. Evolution is such a natural part of the process. That's the way that I explained it to someone who was so upset and felt that the half mask was the end all and be all. I wanted to put that in a real-world scenario. We first teased the new logo and then received the hate mail. Shortly after that, we started to roll out some sneak peeks of what the apparel would look like and how the symmetrical piece could be used in multiple locations. 

"It aligns so well with our direction now and for the future. It started to click, even with all of those haters. People started to come back. People have come back and said, 'Oh, you have my interest now. I see what you mean: I can see the vision for a better future.' The more that we share with the general consumer and the market in general, the more people are infatuated with it and understand what we want to achieve. It is a decision, a massive one, that we have steered into."

That attachment to the past that countless fans have appears to be one of the trickiest paths for THOR to steer. There are fond memories of what the brand did in the 2000s – a couple of 'misses' in recent times have caused most to pine for that period of excellence. Is it possible to address that whilst blazing a trail for seasons to come? Perhaps. Failed attempts to recapture a former flame with throwback sets acted as a stark reminder that the brand must continue to push forward and limit the amount of time spent looking back.

"Look at what people say, sure, but that does not mean that you must act on it," pondered Shorter. "Case in point: We have rolled out throwbacks. I first started at THOR more than seven years ago and one of my priorities was to bring back the Fast Boyz line. We rolled out the Fast Boyz kit in a couple of different colors in 2020 – we crushed it and sold so much of our stuff. We heard massive racers, who used the stuff, say, 'Can you believe they regurgitated that garbage? It is hideous. I cannot believe it.' Years later and we had an inkling to do another throwback kit, so we rolled out the early 2003 stuff with the full mask.

"We rolled it out and did fine. It was a lukewarm response – we sold some of it and it just trickled through over a couple of seasons. Again, having my ear to the ground, I have heard people say, 'Oh! The full mask is the best thing that you ever made. You guys are blowing it by not doing that.' Now, however, it is like, 'I made exactly what you want. Why did you not buy any of it?' You should listen, but not let it dictate too much of what you do before you realize that you have to move forward with what you know you do best. Progression is the name of the game with our designers and it's easy within our team – there are no egos."

It would be so understandable if the removal of an icon offended a staff member who put hours into the concept – no one wants to see 'their baby' cast off to the side. Such an event could cause internal upheaval and has, in many instances, caused a business to be reluctant to make drastic alterations. It is that internal conflict that sprung to this scribe's mind when the new design appeared for the first time. Shorter is quite adamant that all involved felt that the 'half mask' was far past its sell by date, nonetheless, and the choice to leap into the future was well received.

"Some of our staff came in and said, 'That half mask icon is 20 years old. Maybe we should refresh it?' It is funny. I spoke with Jim Gallagher – he had led the direction of our visuals since 1986 – about refreshing and modernizing the offering. Jim said to me, 'That thing is old and tired.' I thought that he would be like, 'This is my baby! This means everything to me.' No, instead, he stated that we had to think in a progressive manner. It was long overdue a refresh. This conversation was a couple of years before we launched it – it takes that much time to perfect the final version.

"Modernization is not a taboo word," Shorter continued. "These are professionals. The core staff here, the lifers if you will, have a culture of taking it on the chin and moving forward. 'Hey, that thing you made last year was garbage. We did not execute that.' Whoever was responsible will turn the other cheek and keep moving forward. There is not much digging your heels in or being staunch about it. It is one of the things that I really admire about the design team here – they are very agile and ready to work. That sums up the culture of this business."

The landscape of professional motocross apparel is ever changing, especially with so many smaller brands attempting to challenge the stalwarts. It is a crowded market – maybe the busiest in the off-road space – and one that is becoming harder and harder to shine in. Fortunately, THOR has extensive data that can act as a navigation tool. Such experience is evident in a quiet confidence that exists at the headquarters. This is a brilliant way to identify a legacy brand, rather than a scrappy upstart that is desperate to make a swift impact with little resources.

"That is a really good perspective," Shorter exclaimed! "Look at it like a kennel full of dogs. THOR, Fox and others are great big dogs that are established. There are all of these little dogs barking and yapping with all of this noise too. It is not a bad thing though! I do want to be clear that having competition is so good for all of us. It breeds market growth and interest from your consumer base. A lot of the dealers say, 'All I need is a big THOR presence and that will be fantastic.' I tell them to have more brands, in order to give them more options. I know how it all goes. THOR will sell – that does not scare me.

"It is something that we allude to in our press release for this launch," he continued. "We call it a 'saturated marketplace' in there. You have 27 to 30 brands to choose from now, depending on what you think that a true motocross brand is. It is so congested and there is such a battle to make a mark in this space. This space is just so congested with so much noise. It is very much an interesting question and something that we think about all of the time. How do you overcome this? What did we do to promote Jeremy McGrath, Chad Reed, Ryan Villopoto and others before them? What about Cooper Webb, Haiden Deegan and Aaron Plessinger now? Look at the fanfare over the decades, I think that the market and motocross scene has shifted."

Shifted, yes, and the introduction of a new icon is the attempt that THOR has made to move with that. The symmetrical design opens up an abundance of options that should allow the brand to travel further than ever before. It's that concept that makes the 2025 line, released on August 05, so captivating. Is it a risk? Sure, as expectations of THOR will move in a similar manner worldwide. Some would run from the prospect of that. Others, like those in San Diego, look at it as a thrilling chance to 'wow' people once again.