Forward Mens Outerwear F/W 2026/27 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Mens Outerwear F/W 2026/27 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Forward
Interviewee: Tony McWilliam, Global Brand Director

In 2 sentences – how was the men’s snow outerwear market in 2024/25?
It was a challenging snow year for many places globally, but still the core freestyle/freeride market which is our bread and butter are out there on the hill, finding their own way to ride which is inspiring.

What are the main trends you take your inspiration from for 2026/27?
We’re seeing a lot of exciting younger brands start to play with styles and fit, pulling from streetwear and urban fashion which almost feels like it’s given us permission to be more progressive and experimental in terms of looks, features, and fabrics than ever before.

What new jacket fits and pant silhouettes are coming out in 2026/27?
Jackets are getting shorter and wide, and pants are getting baggier and more free flowing. While this seems like it would make a designer/pattern-makers life easier, it’s actually incredibly complex to make a loose outfit drap well and move with you when you’re riding. We’ve taken the opportunity to completely revise our entire lineup for FW26/27 – we threw the past away and started with a completely new fit block that now goes right across the line, but revised both our performance and all-mountain fits to move better, feel better and perform better.

Tell us about colours and prints:
We’ve always had a history of subtle, complex colour choices and this year is no exception – we’ve moved slightly away from our bright colour hits of FW25/26 to more refined colours for FW26/27 and we expect to continue this into the future. We take considerable effort to match colour hues to the texture of the fabrics we use and this creates incredible depth to our offerings.

Any *NEW* technical stories with regards to fabrics and materials?
For the first time we’ve taken the opportunity to develop our own fabric line. We couldn’t find what we wanted in terms of texture, performance, feel and sustainability so we worked closely with the mill to produce our own.
XERO™ – Latin for ‘dry’ – is our proprietary membrane developed in-house.
Engineered to deliver absolute protection without compromise. Ultra-waterproof, highly breathable, and built to our exact specifications, it sets the standard for performance in extreme conditions. All our products now, from the lowest price-point to highest, share an industry leading 20,000mm/20,000g waterproof/breathability rating, completely PFC/PFAS-free, 100% recycled nylon composition – but within the range we use different weights, textures and weaves to create depth.

How are you addressing sustainability topics, not only in production of your products (materials, transportation, packaging) but also their after-life / repurposing?
We’re the first brand to switch to 100% nylon in our fabrics. Nylon is much more durable then polyester and harder to source, but it lasts so much longer, is much stronger and we expect the industry to slowly adapt to this. We’re also one of the first brands to both work with select retailers through our ‘ReVolve’ program to equip in-store repair facilities with fabric, trims, zips etc as well as offer end-of-life collection and recycling.

Any trends that your brand is moving away from?
Ski Ballet. What was that all about?

What are your big marketing campaigns for 2026/27?
We’ve always embraced rebels and outliers, and for us it’s continuing what we’ve always done – finding the stories of people who provide inspiration and progress the sport, culture and global community who share our passion and love of the mountains. Real people. Real riders. Real adventures. Stay tuned!

Key Products:

Men’s Manifest Freeride Shell Jacket & Detachable Bib Pant:
A completely new product, designed from the ground up to focus on the needs and performance requirements of freeride skiers and boarders looking to explore the backcountry and beyond.

Forward Mens Freeride Jacket

Proprietary Xero®:
Recycled nylon 20k/20k fabric with PFC-free DWR, colour-blocked long-length generous fit and pockets galore. Designed to work with packs and harnesses, with detachable bib on the pants so you can adjust how you want the silhouette to fit.

Xero® 100% Recycled 3-Layer Nylon fabric; PFC-Free C0 DWR
20K mm / 20K g waterproof / breathable; 100% seam sealed
Adjustable hood
Sleeve ski pass pocket
4 large chest pockets with key hook
Hidden phone mesh pocket
Waist adjustment
YKK Aquaguard water resistant zips
Under arm venting
Interior zipped phone pocket and goggle/stash pocket
Lycra sleeve cuff
Detachable powder skirt
Two-way centre front zip
Detachable bib and suspenders with pockets
Adjustable elasticised waist
2 large cargo pockets with hidden phone pocket and key hook
2 hand pockets
Lower cuff zips
YKK Aquaguard water resistant zips
Inner thigh venting
Elasticised snow gaiter with hook
Belt loops
Reinforced kick patch
Mens Freeride Pant

Unisex Catalyst Dyneema® Down Jacket:
Our most unique product – combining a custom face fabric with incredibly strong Dyneema® thread woven with our recycled nylon yarn, together with 750-fill Allied Feather Down in an oversize fit jacket. Incredibly light and warm together with technical elements like detachable powder skirt, two-way centre front zip, YKK Aquaguard zips and more.

Xero® Dyneema custom weave fabric: 6% Dyneema / 94% Recycled Nylon; PFC-Free C0 DWR
20K mm / 20K g waterproof / breathable; 100% seam sealed
750-fill Allied Feather Down
Independent, adjustable hood
Left sleeve pocket with key hook
2 large chest pockets with hidden phone pocket
Waist adjustment
YKK Aquaguard water resistant zips
Under arm venting
Interior zipped phone pocket
Interior goggle/stash pocket with lens cleaner
Detachable powder skirt
Two-way centre front zip
Dyneema Down Jacket