An A-To-Z of 2010/11 Outerwear: Turbine

kailee bradstreet

• November 28 2009
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Turbine National Sales Manger Chris Quinn

We caught up with Turbine National Sales Manager Chris Quinn about the brand’s 2010/11 outerwear line, where he sees trends heading and what to expect from Turbine in the future. Quinn says the top three trends that he sees shaping outerwear next season are as follows: “Prints are still going strong, women’s are booming, and a need for quality without big ticket prices.” Quinn also had a chance to answer a few more questions for us:

What fabrics, colors, technologies are you focusing on for next season?

We continue working closely with our factory to ensure the highest levels of waterproofing on fabrics that are hand chosen by our staff. We are using mostly woven fabrics with some nice prints and colors. We are increasing our waterproofing technologies without raising our retails.

Which direction are price points heading and what are you doing to add value to your line?

Our price points are not changing; they have been our bread and butter for ten years. Besides that IS our value: Great quality at a great price.

How have you responded to the current market and the decrease in prebooks?

We are praying the current market changes, like everyone else. We are running lean, we do everything in house - design, artwork, you name it. We just have to keep pushing ourselves to be more efficient and to give Dealers a reason to want to do business with us.

Chelsea Jacket $160 and Temptress low-rise Pant $130

What opportunities do you see in the outerwear market?

The market is flooded with overpriced goods. We see this as our opportunity, plain and simple. As long as we continue to build quality outerwear and maintain reasonable retail pricing we will be ahead of the game. Besides, offering big margins to the dealer doesn’t hurt either.

What’s your outlook for next season?

We think the business will weed out the weak on its own. Those companies with a solid plan and great customer service will survive the changing economy. Lets face it, snowboarders will always find a way to ride, and they will always need gear.

Men's Astor Jacket $165 and Lacdos Flannel Pant $130

How are your working with retailers to match supply with demand?

After a difficult prebook, we had a more difficult decision on what to build. Bringing on extra inventory should be a shared risk, not expected to be done solely by the manufacturer. Dealers hopefully will see this during this season. With minimal risk we brought in some extra inventory, and it’s selling fast. Many dealers were overly cautious and are finding themselves with holes in their inventory early in the season.