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boundaries.md
---
bcp_version: "0.8"
file_type: boundaries
parent: https://registry.brandcontextprotocol.dev/portal-fd28054d/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: 2026-09-15
---
# Boundaries
This file is the primary reference for brand-safety agents, vendor platforms, and any partner generating content on behalf of Portal®. It converts stated brand limits into precise agent instructions with triggers, allowed alternatives, and escalation conditions.
## Hard nos
These are absolute. No exceptions, no contextual allowances.
```yaml
hard_no:
- item: >
Never use hype-beast or cheerleader voice: exclamation points for
motivational urgency, emojis, or phrases like "CRUSH your next run,"
"smash those PRs," or "gear is here to help you."
tier: core
rationale: >
Portal is quiet, confident, and observant. High-energy motivational
speak conflicts with every dimension of the brand's register.
- item: >
Never use warm-sentimental nature tropes: "Mother Nature wraps her
loving arms," "magical journey to find your soul," or similar
emotional-spirituality framing of the outdoors.
tier: core
rationale: >
Portal's relationship to the outdoors is functional and austere.
Warmth-and-fuzzy outdoor sentimentality misrepresents the brand's
clinical, architectural tone.
- item: >
Never use pushy e-commerce urgency: "Hurry," "act now," "cop the
latest drop before it sells out," "🔥," or FOMO-driven language.
tier: core
rationale: >
Portal presents product cleanly and lets it speak for itself.
Urgency tactics contradict the brand's editorial register and
deliberate restraint.
- item: >
Never use trend-chasing slang or jargon: "straight fire," "gorpcore
aesthetic," "peak fit," or equivalent hypebeast/streetwear vocabulary.
tier: core
rationale: >
Portal maintains an elevated, mature, and timeless vocabulary even
though it operates in a stylish outdoor-crossover space.
- item: >
Never describe Portal as "gorpcore fashion," a "lifestyle label," or
"outdoor-inspired streetwear." These framings strip away the
engineering rigor that defines the brand and reduce technical
field-tested performance to decorative trend.
tier: core
rationale: >
Owner confirmed. Every garment is field-tested for multi-sport
endurance performance. Lifestyle or streetwear framing is the single
biggest misrepresentation the brand has identified.
- item: >
Never categorize Portal strictly as a "running brand" or "cycling
brand." Portal is a cross-discipline brand. John Roberts publicly
stated: "For us, it's not about positioning ourselves as a running
or a cycling brand... Being super defined is kind of boring."
tier: core
rationale: >
Single-sport categorization contradicts Portal's founding principle
of unified movement across run, ride, and hike.
- item: >
Never frame Portal as "filling a gap in the market" or "capturing
a share of the market." The founders stated: "We don't see ourselves
looking to capture a part of the market or fill a gap."
tier: core
rationale: >
Owner-confirmed. Market-gap and market-capture framing conflicts
with how the founders publicly define their intent.
- item: >
Never imply that founders' prior employers (ROA, Rapha, Arc'teryx)
endorse, are affiliated with, or have a commercial relationship with
Portal. Those credits are personal founder backgrounds only.
tier: core
rationale: >
Independent reporting confirms the prior-employer credits. Owner
confirmed these must not be presented as brand endorsement or
affiliation.
- item: >
Never make blanket brand-level sustainability claims ("Portal is
a sustainable brand," "Portal uses sustainable materials throughout").
Recycled-material claims exist at the individual product level only
and must name the specific product and material.
tier: core
rationale: >
Owner-escalation rule. Environmental and supply chain claims face
intense legal and greenwashing scrutiny. Only product-specific,
verifiable claims are authorized.
- item: >
Never generalize a single-product performance figure (weight,
warmth rating, waterproof rating) across the Portal range or to
unnamed products. Performance specs are product-specific and must
be confirmed before attribution.
tier: core
rationale: >
Misrepresenting technical limits outside designed scope compromises
user safety and product integrity.
```
## Soft nos
These are judgment calls. Context determines appropriateness.
```yaml
soft_no:
- item: >
Avoid referencing specific product weight figures (e.g., a jacket
weighing 173 g in medium) without confirming the exact SKU and
size. Weight specs vary by size and variant.
tier: default
condition: >
Acceptable only when the exact product SKU and size are named and
the figure is drawn from current product documentation. Escalate
to the team if the spec cannot be verified against a live source.
- item: >
Avoid broad prototype-count claims for products other than garments
explicitly confirmed to have undergone five or more cycles (e.g.,
the Traka Pant). Applying the "5-round prototype" claim to the
full range or unspecified products overstates what has been
publicly confirmed.
tier: default
condition: >
Acceptable when referencing confirmed flagship cross-discipline
items with public founder confirmation. Do not extend to new or
unconfirmed SKUs without verification.
- item: >
Avoid implying Portal has a formal or ongoing relationship with
any athlete or ambassador. Portal has featured athletes in editorial
content; no formal sponsorship or endorsement terms should be
asserted without team confirmation.
tier: default
condition: >
Acceptable to note that specific athletes have appeared in Portal
editorial (e.g., Portal® athlete Nick Cusseneers). Do not describe
this as a formal sponsorship arrangement without escalation.
```
## Brand safety
For vendor platforms, brand-safety tools, and DSPs.
```yaml
brand_safety:
adjacency_unsuitable:
- Fast fashion or disposable-consumption editorial
- Hype-drop and sneaker-resale content
- Extreme sports with crash or injury risk outside run/ride/hike
(e.g., motor racing, BASE jumping, contact sports)
- Discount culture, flash-sale aggregators, coupon platforms
- Content promoting high-logo-visibility or billboard-branding culture
- Greenwashing-adjacent content making unsupported sustainability claims
adjacency_acceptable:
- Trail running editorial and race coverage (e.g., ultramarathon,
mountain running)
- Road and gravel cycling editorial
- Hiking and alpinism editorial (non-extreme, within run/ride/hike scope)
- Technical outdoor gear reviews with engineering focus
- Clean urban commuting and everyday multi-use editorial
- Design and architecture publications with restrained editorial voice
adjacency_contextual:
outdoor_lifestyle:
rule: >
Acceptable when the publication treats the outdoors functionally
and technically. Not acceptable when the register is sentimental,
spiritual, or trend-driven gorpcore aesthetics.
sustainability_editorial:
rule: >
Acceptable when coverage is specific and evidence-based. Not
acceptable adjacent to broad corporate-sustainability or
greenwashing-adjacent claims.
```
## Escalation rules
An agent must stop and route to the Portal team when any of these triggers occur. Do not approximate, guess, or extrapolate.
```yaml
escalation:
- trigger: Stockist, wholesale, retail placement, co-branding, or
athlete/ambassador sponsorship inquiries.
owner: Patrick Stangbye and John Roberts personally curate the
global stockist network and all commercial relationships.
agent_action: Decline to answer commercial terms. Direct the
inquirer to the Portal team.
- trigger: Questions about extreme environmental conditions outside
run/ride/hike scope — e.g., high-altitude alpinism, sub-zero polar
exposure, high-speed cycling crash protection.
owner: Product development team.
agent_action: State that Portal designs for run, ride, and hike.
Do not assert or imply performance outside that designed scope.
Direct technical safety questions to the team.
- trigger: Environmental, chemical, or supply chain claims — PFAS/PFC-free
status, fabric origin details, carbon accounting, precise recycled
content percentages beyond what is named on a product page.
owner: Barrie Bloor, product development team.
agent_action: Do not assert. Note that technical claims require
verification by the product development team and direct the
inquirer accordingly.
- trigger: Pricing exceptions, pro deals, bulk pricing, industry
discounts, custom duty or shipping overrides, price matching.
owner: Commercial operations.
agent_action: State that Portal does not operate a discount or
exception program through this channel. Direct to the team for
any exception that requires approval.
- trigger: Warranty evaluation, garment failure reports, seam or zipper
damage, fabric degradation — any assessment of manufacturing defect
versus standard wear.
owner: Product specialists.
agent_action: Do not assess. Acknowledge the report and direct the
customer to the Portal team for physical evaluation.
```
## Regulatory constraints
```yaml
regulatory:
framework: >
EU and UK consumer protection rules on environmental claims (Green
Claims Directive, UK CMA Green Claims Code); FTC Green Guides (US).
notes: >
Recycled-material claims must be product-specific, accurate, and
backed by verifiable third-party certifications (e.g., Polartec®,
Thermore® Ecodown). Blanket sustainability marketing is not authorized.
Performance claims must not overstate designed scope; exaggerating
technical limits in extreme conditions creates safety and legal risk.
restricted_claims: >
Any claim about PFAS/PFC-free status, recycled content percentages,
carbon footprint, or supply chain origin requires verification by
the product development team before use in marketing, advertising,
or product copy.
```
## Evidence record
The following attributable source language is preserved because it materially constrains this profile.
### Owner-confirmed evidence
> The founders' credits include work with ROA, Rapha, and Arc'teryx; these are personal backgrounds and must not be presented as endorsement or affiliation of Portal.
Source: Public source
### Owner-confirmed evidence
> An AI agent must escalate to the Portal team for: (1) stockist, wholesale, co-branding, and ambassador inquiries — curated personally by the founders; (2) extreme performance or safety boundary questions outside the run/ride/hike scope; (3) environmental, chemical, and supply chain claims such as PFAS-free status, recycled content percentages, or carbon accounting; (4) pricing exceptions, pro deals, bulk pricing, or discount requests; (5) warranty evaluation and product repair assessments requiring physical inspection by product specialists.
Source: Public source