Just before last season I wrote an article in response to the dropping of an outerwear company that I judged to be somewhat uninspired. The gist of the thing was that the terms “rider influenced” or “inspired by riders” are excellent for your street cred, but really shitty if you’re looking to make something unique. You see, that particular company seems to have gotten input from riders who wanted nothing more than a Saga suit with a Siver front pocket. Nobody stopped to ask why “the riders” didn’t just buy a Saga kit or go shopping for Siver on Getboards.
I’m revisiting this theme because I just got done reading about a new company that is “bringing something different to the table” by being, you guessed it, “rider driven.” The impressive thing is that “the riders” are so predictable. Every time anybody asks them for input we end up with taller-than-normal length, bright neon colorways, and asymmetrical block designs.
New ad systems and forum topic integration are sure to bring out every would-be entrepreneur with a trust fund and some friends that can ski good. In spirit, it’s a good thing for all of us. I’m Amurican enough to believe that choice and competition are beneficial, and as the founder of a short-lived clothing company in my teenage years, I think it builds character. But I think I was too subtle in my last article, so this time I’ll be more direct: Let the skiers handle the skiing, and since you’ve taken it upon yourself to start a company, you handle the design. There’s a ton of places to find inspiration, but you’re probably lazy enough to name the company after your street address, so I’ll take the liberty of providing some sources (all photos used without permission, please don’t sue us).
Music
Movies 
Random retro crap:
if i know what company you are talking about, which i am sure i do, then i thought the same exact thing. here we go…. another company with the same goals as the last. grrrrrrrr
thank you for posting this!
hahaha, I actually laughed my ass off reading that sticky on NS. This is pretty much the thought process that made it funny to me. Thanks.
Haha god damn, im so tired of the same outerwear dropping each year…
ha so glad someone else noticed this. such a joke- perfect article
Nice article Jon. I think you bring up some solid points and I definitely laughed a number of times with regards to the references.
“Rider influenced” and “Rider Driven” phrases are about as cliche’ and over used as anything outside of “core” in this industry. How can you expect riders who are immersed in this industry to look outside of it for inspiration and design? Their inspiration tends to come from their surroundings, and with how much passion and love these kids have for the snow it can be tough for them to even notice what is going on in the rest of the apparel world. That is not an insult, it is a testament to their love for skiing and their unwavering devotion to everything ski related.
But I cannot fault these any of these guys from trying to start a business. In fact, I applaud them because we know how hard it is. When we started our company we did not know what we were doing, we had no money, and we relied on the athletes to help us with design. Looking back on it, it definitely held us back from artistic growth since most ideas came as derivatives of existing styles. Not to mention that you are admitting publicly that you don’t have a vision and need others to help define it. That is not instilling a lot of confidence in your potential customer. People are loyal and faithful to clothing labels that they trust to help them look good. You won’t find companies like Brioni, Kiton, or even Alife going to their customers to ask what they want. They tell them what they want. We found out early on that if we wanted to do something different we had to escape the bubble that is the ski community. It is risky and can be daunting to leave your comfort zone, but if you are truly in this business for the love of the sport then I also feel you take on a burden of responsibility that goes along with the ego stroke of being the owner of an apparel brand.
If we were starting Jiberish now I am sure we would be lumped into this new group of companies that are popping up seemingly everyday. We had no clue what we were doing and I think the natural response is to mimic the things you like. It does breed creativity at all, but it could allow these self-driven and motivated people to gain experience and ultimately change the face of the sport if they open up their wings a bit.
The future of the sport is in good hands with the passion and love for skiing that these kids have. If they can use some of that passion to push the creativity side a bit then it could be in great hands. I believe they will get there.
Warm Regards,
Pete
good point, Pete. These kids just need to understand that there’s no such thing as “ski fashion,” just plain-ass fashion. less time desiging stomach pockets, more time reading italian vogue… nohomo.