Boardsport Source, Issue 75, Winter 15
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HELLO
Snow finally began to fall on Boxing Day and ground the Alps to a halt. A mass of snow providing much-needed hope for the snowsports industry across Europe, after an unseasonably warm start to the 14/15 winter.
Notice the use of snowsports in that last sentence, and not just snowboarding. That’s because this winter has been tough, not just for snowboarding, but also for anyone who depends upon snow for their chosen vocation. In general, boardsports are in good shape as we start 2015 with opportunities for growth in skate, surf and SUP. The next stage of the regeneration is in full flow with many new brands beginning to pop up and smaller brands pushing boundaries. It’s been hard to miss the meteoric rise of French eco-outerwear label Picture Organic Clothing, and for #75’s Big Wig interview, Snowboard Editor, Rémi Forsans quizzes co-founder Julien Durant on just how three young Frenchmen created this dynamic brand.
We’ll dive deeper into outerwear with our FW15/16 trend report, telling you what’s new in cuts, colours, fabrics and tech. FW15/16’s snowboard lines will turn heads, with many cosmic shapes on both tip and tail and Tom Wilson-North’s trend report helps you cut through the white noise and gives you a succinct overview of what the market has to offer. We have all that’s new in goggles for the FW15/16 season, and as the cold water surf market is starting to grow legs, Denis Houillé takes a look at what wetsuit brands are doing to convince customers that a winter wetty is a staple for FW15/16.
Anna Langer addresses the stigma previously associated with the snowboard rental market, talking to snowboard brands and shops across Europe to see why ‘Snowboard Rental Is The New Black’. Anna also speaks with the ladies behind Nikita, to see where this all-girl brand is positioning themselves in the 2015 boardsports market.
For this issue’s Buyer Science interview we speak with Mr. UK Snowboarding, Jeremy Sladen to see what a brand has to do to tick his order form boxes, and for more pearls of wisdom to boot. Additionally we have profiles from four smaller brands making their mark: Afends, Pally’Hi, Jimmy’Z and Airboard.
Enjoy the issue, and see you at the shows.
Harry Mitchell Thompson