An A-To-Z of 2010/11 Outerwear: Volcom’s Pat Field and Carolyn Simons

Steven Hemphill

• November 29 2009
• 2 comments

Quality, performance, innovation, style and consistency have made Volcom a household name in outerwear and each year they continue to push the envelope. Outerwear Designers Patrick Field (men’s) and Carolyn Simons (women’s) sat down with TransWorld and let us in on Volcom’s winter outerwear “master plans.” Volcom is always attempting to make the highest performance and most functional pieces with style for both men and women. Although new fits and styles are on the horizon, Field and Simons make it obvious that they will not sacrifice that for performance. With an emphasis on innovation, Volcom is looking to continue to push what is possible in the outerwear market. Check out what else Field and Simons had to say about the 2010-11 Volcom outerwear line.

What are the biggest trends you see shaping the outerwear market and what you are doing to meet them?

Patrick Field- One major direction we are pushing is performance first and foremost. With advanced technologies like Zip Tech®, Face Tech™, & Thermal Defense System (T.D.S.™) our goal is to bring innovation and create tangible reasons for the consumer to buy new products.  The current market requires freshness both technically and aesthetically.

The second trend we are seeing is an introduction of new fits inspired by the fashion and street wear markets. Now that street wear shirts have trended longer, jacket lengths are trending longer as well. In 2010 we will be introducing select pieces in our “Long Fit” to meet these market needs.  In addition, we have seen pant fits continue to slim so we will be introducing a slimmer fit for 2010 in the outerwear line.

The third trend is a major shift in the print market. For the past years everything has been very print heavy and the customer is now looking for an updated look.  For 2010/11, Volcom will be introducing the Environment series, which will showcase a new twist on the print market where subtle environmental surroundings and solid colors manifest together to create a fresh and powerful impact.

Carolyn Simons- We have seen an increasing demand for technical features in the women’s line. To address this we listen to our team riders and personally test and develop all of our products. We work with amazingly innovative factories and fabric suppliers that work with us to develop our new technical features.

More specific fits have been trending in outerwear. In pants we have added a stretch skinny fit that is based on our Volcom Girls denim jean, in addition to our more athletic “Team Fit”, straight leg “Slim Fit” and our standard Regular Fit. In Jackets the new silhouettes are longer and have more fashion driven necklines, front closures, removable belts, etc.

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

Patrick Field - Our process for developing outerwear fabrics starts with performance. Our policy is it must perform, keep you dry and be functional in the snow both technically and aesthetically.  We have developed some amazing novelty fabrics that perform to the exact level of traditional technical fabrics.

In terms of colors,  we are taking the tried and true Volcom direction. You will see bright youth driven colors contrasted with earthy tones. For 2010/11 we will be releasing three new color stories for men’s: Pop Icon, Youth Brigade, and Habitat-V. Pop Icon is a group of bright energetic colors, while Youth Brigade is a palette derived from our athletes.  Finally, the Habitat-V is our color palette consisting of earth tones primarily.

In terms of new technologies, we focused on our three major innovations: Face Tech™, T.D.S. ™,  and Zip Tech®.

Face Tech™: Allows you quick convenient access to face mask weather protection. Pull our engineered breathable comfort-shield over you face and get ready for true powder domination.

T.D.S. ™ : Creates maximum breath ability and insulation through strategic 3-layer construction. By identifying temperate zones within your body this garment works with you to achieve total thermal comfort. Light Weight pack able thermal down panels create heat and keep it in. fleece backed 3-layer fabric regulates warmth and breath ability and air circulation. Zippered venting is used to release heat for a quick cool down system. Look for the first ever 3 Layer down jacket “The GIGI PÜF T.D.S DOWN JACKET” in 2010/11.

Zip Tech®: Allows you to zip the powder skirt of your jacket to the pants – a simple idea that makes a world of difference. This feature will keep you dry and warm on a deep powder day and will keep away that mean ice burn during a slushy spring session.

Carolyn Simons- Our fabric selection for 2010/11 is based on performance. All of our fabrics are designed to provide you with maximum performance when faced with the worst (or best) of conditions. Our 5th season with Gore-Tex® outerwear, with this seasons launch into our Glove and Beanie categories, enabling you to be “head to toe” in Gore Tex® all weather protection.
Some subtle surface interests are added to our fabric selection like an additional yarn in the weave with a metallic appearance, twill with a contrast grain woven in and using contrast yarns to create a custom logo’d “Stone Weave”.

Colors for girls is a mix of soft hues, eccentric brights and sophisticated deep tones. Asymmetric color blocking, textured color and unexpected mixing of colors takes the lead to prints.

2010/11 brings innovative technologies that are focused on women’s needs in snowboard outerwear. Our team has created systems (“T.D.S.™” “Thermal Defense System™”) that work with your body’s natural heat producing properties to enhance your body’s warmth and comfort on the hill or in the backcountry. This system is offered in our outerwear as well as our 1st and 2nd layering pieces. We also offer a layering option that provides an instant charge of heat supplied by a small battery pack and core heating panels giving you a blast of heat when you need it most.  Keeping your core warm also helps reduce the risk of injury and enables you to stay out and ride longer. We have also included some safety features including a whistle zipper pull and we continue to use RECCO™ Avalanche Rescue System. Additionally, our Face Tech™ feature allows quick convenient access to face mask weather protection and Ziptech™ creating a “powder proof seal”, all features helping to make your day shredding more comfortable.

With Volcom’s new trends, fabrics, colors, and technologies, sales manager Dutch Shultz feels positive about the upcoming season and what it holds for the outerwear department. “All of us at Volcom are feeling really positive about our market position, our products currently in the stores and we are excited to get out on the snow as soon as possible.”

For more information on Volcom visit www.volcom.com