Another Outdoor Retailer trade show has come and gone and I’m back in my studio sifting through meeting notes, sorting business cards and following up on all sorts of leads.
For me, one of the highlights of the show was being included as one of the judges for Project O.R. – a competition for design students that celebrates the functionality, originality and design of outdoor recreation clothing.
Six design students from top design programs from around the country were chosen for the competition. On the first morning of the show they were handed a design brief requiring them to produce a prototype of an innovative, original and functional backcountry ski pant for women using performance and eco-friendly materials – within 48 hours! Contestants chose the latest technical fabrics and trims provided by exhibiting industry suppliers.
Because of my experiences of designing such pants for Isis, I was well aware of the multiple challenges this assignment provided for the designers. Problems such as how a woman relieves herself in the backcountry without undressing, how to provide adequate venting, what kind of fabrics to use to help regulate fluctuating body temperatures, where to place pockets so they won’t interfere with a harness etc., would need to be resolved.
Later in the day a panel of judges, comprised of five industry insiders, reviewed the designer’s initial concept sketches and storyboards, fabric selections and garment features and made suggestions that would help improve the functionality of the designs.
Margaret Mussman's storyboard and concept sketches
After the judge’s critique the designers made changes and settled into their personal work stations equipped with sewing machines, cutting tables, tools and pressing equipment to start making their patterns and building their prototypes.
Julia Mangelsdorf starts drafting her pattern
Paula Lam working with her pattern pieces
Lauren Mellor applies seam tape to the inside of her pant
When the judges checked back in with the students, less than 48 hours later, they all had garments ready to present to us. I for one was totally blown away by their ability to pull together such well thought-out and finished garments in such a short timeframe. Grace under pressure!
Project O.R. is a truly wonderful opportunity to introduce students to the Outdoor industry. The beauty is that they can tap directly into knowledgable people who work for well-known apparel and hard goods brands and fabric suppliers, because all those people are all under one roof during the show.
Margaret Mussman from the University of Cincinnati was the undisputed winner of the contest. Her exceptionally detailed bib pant showed a clear understanding of the end-user and her needs in the backcountry. The pant was beautifully constructed – mostly using Bemis adhesive tape, instead of stitching, to bond waterproof breathable stretch fabrics together. Margaret, a former competitive snowboarder imaginatively used her snow sport experience to influence her design.
Margaret Mussman with her winning design celebrates with a glass of champagne
A few of the designers had little or no prior exposure to skiing. It was impressive how all the contestants took the judges first feedback to heart and made some extraordinary changes to their initial designs and fabric selections. All of them created a pant that surpassed their original concept sketches. It was a real pleasure to be in the company of such talent!
Lauren Mellor's pant was highly praised for it's interesting fabric selection and forward styling
Kelsee Morefield's pant included a discreet front to back zipper system, an efficient system for when nature calls.
Jennifer Hirsch's ambitious design took it's inspiration from fresh ski tracks.
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