Catching Up With: Brice Oakden, Quiksilver’s Wintersports Designer

kristina

• December 31 2008
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Quiksilver’s outerwear designer Brice Oakden with Lora Bodmer at the Quik/Roxy wintersports fashion show.

After catching a glimpse of the 09/10 winter outerwear collection from Quiksilver at their headquarters in Huntington Beach, Transworld Business caught up with men’s outerwear designer Brice Oakden to learn more about what goes into an outerwear line. Here’s what he had to say.

TB: What’s the premier outerwear piece Quik is unveiling this season?

For 2009/2010 we are showcasing Travis Rice’s signature jacket and pant featuring a new durable twill fabric built to his high standard of performance. Also included with his jacket is a lining print featuring Jackson local and Travis co-conspirator Ryan Haworth and a moisture proof compartment for hidden treasures.

TB: How closely do you work with team riders when designing a new line?

Our team riders work directly with the marketing team and myself to create products and themes that make sense for Quiksilver. However, we don’t neglect our customer or the retailer in our development process. We have several round table discussions and focus groups to hone in on regional market demands and trends.

TB: What kind of feedback have you gotten from retailers?

One of the demands from these discussions is for earth conscious design. We will continue to offer product that is more eco friendly in the line, including recycled and natural fiber based products.

TB: Where do you look for inspiration when designing a new line?

Design inspiration comes from the team riders, travel, and our strong board-riding heritage.