Guest author: Melanie Gath
namuk has seldom launched so many new products in one year as with this autumn/winter collection. What new pieces did the team develop? And what was the inspiration behind them? I spoke with the head of the product team to find out.
What is new in this year’s winter collection?
People know our classic, the Mission ski jacket. I would almost call it our “signature piece.” But there are more areas that are also interesting for us, and that means there are many more adventure kids out there who we would love to reach. We are known for a rather oversized “snowboard” look. We get this feedback again and again. Among other things, this feedback kindled in us this idea to go in a new direction – a “high performance” direction.
That gave rise, among other pieces, to the new Neve snow jacket, and the Lumi snow pants. We see in them a product that stands for more speed, more performance. They’re sportier and feature a narrower cut.
How would you describe the look in concrete terms?
Athletic, fast, speeding downhill
The difference isn’t only in the look and cut – it’s also in the functionality. The Mission ski jacket is a jacket for the mountains, for school, for the woods or other snow adventures. It has a water column of 15,000 mm and breathability of 10,000 g/m2/24 h. Neve and Lumi, on the other hand, have a water column of 20,000 mm and breathability of 15,000 g/m2/24 h. So both these products are clearly designed for the slopes.
Then there’s also the special Primaloft insulation. The Mission incorporates Black Bio, while Neve has the Silver Bio insulation that keeps you even warmer - even with the same weight.
And then we now also have the crème de la crème: the Turas 3 layer all season jacket and Dait 3 layer all season bib pants. We already know this product category from our Monochrome collection in the last year – with a three-layer jacket for little adventurers.
We’re aware that this is much more of a niche. Even for adults, products with this functionality are usually seen off piste like ski touring. It is quite clearly aimed at “high performance.” The jacket is ultimately lighter than the others because the insulation layer is not integrated. This is compensated for by different layers that can be connected to each other using the practical zip-in system.
Was there a particular catalyst for your team? How did you realize that there was still a “gap” in the winter collection?
The Mission, for one example, actually already felt like it covered a big part. But now we can address many more different needs.
And the input from little explorers and their parents often focused on the cut. We heard a lot of feedback that our products were cut very wide. We wanted to react to that.
What do you especially like about the new products?
As I already said, the new products were born from thinking about creating a new look, which would also again reach a new group of active people. So the cut definitely played a very large role.
The jackets were very clearly cut to be more formfitting, creating an even sportier, more athletic effect. For the pants, besides the more athletic cut, we also set the waist higher so that no snow can creep in even during the wildest races down the slope.
And then there’s also the new safety hood on Neve. The faster adventurers go zipping down the slopes, the more important it is that they’re really highly visible. So this hood is perfect in the eye-catching color “paradise green.” This jacket is also available in four color variations. And the hood is removable.
Overall, we took care, as always, to ensure that the colors of our different collections don’t cannibalize each other. Our wish is that the products can be colorfully combined with each other as long as possible.
And the other features, like the underarm ventilation, taped seams, and Primaloft insulation, are just standard for us.
What is your favorite product?
The Turas jacket. It’s an allrounder and can be used all year long. I love the fact that you can combine it with different products – for example with the Neo as a middle layer when it’s a bit chilly.
When you and your team were developing the new collection, what was the most important moment or decision?
I think it was selecting the right materials. The complete development phase is unbelievably important for us. The right materials stand for good quality. The look must be compatible with namuk. So the fittings are also always unbelievably important for us. That’s where we see live what our different teams created together.
Children are, fortunately, very picky, and the products must feel good to them. For us, it’s clear that we would never bring a product to market unless it’s perfect for kids. Everything must be in the right place and sit just right.
Interview with Gabriela Navarro, Team Lead Product
