Interview med Helly Hansen

interview med helle hansen

Det er altid spændende at komme ind bag i produktionerne, på fabrikkerne og firmaerne. I de seneste år er det ikke bare et spørgsmål om “Hvordan laves det?”, men også “Hvordan og hvor laves det?”. Det er nogle producenter rigtig gode til at fortælle om, mens andre, med nærmest “jysk beskedenhed”, fortæller om produktet - og kun produktet. Derfor besluttede jeg, efter en samtale med Helly Hansen, at gå i dybden med deres firma. For de er egentligt ret beskedne. Jeg synes de fortjener mere fokus på deres profil, der i den grad er spændende at følge.

FROM THE IDEA (MHAIRI BANNERMAN)

What makes the idea?

A big part of our innovation comes from our work with our professional partners. Whether that be ski patrollers, ocean racing sailors or mountain rescue teams, we work very closely with these athletes in order to better understand their needs. Most of these professionals are wearing our gear day in day out in the harshest of environments which pushes us to make the best possible products. We have several examples of how product innovation has been sparked by a desire or need from our professional partners. For example our LifePocket+, which came from a desire within the Swedish Alpine Ski team to improve their phone battery life in cold conditions. Or our H2Flow™ system which was developed after learning that the Sailing Teams were cutting holes in the products for improved airflow and insulation. The latest technology developed at Helly Hansen is our LIFA INFINITY PRO™ fabric. The user need we’ve experienced for many years is improved breathability and longer lasting water repellency in high activity sports. In addition our professional partners are requesting more responsible manufacturing practices and raw materials, which we as a brand are also having a priority when we are developing new materials and products. Materials, features and products developed together with our pros are sometimes niche and are not necessarily relevant for the private market, however often they do bring value to others than pros as well and the product team are often bringing innovations and improvements from those products to other categories which will reach the broader market. LIFA INFINITY PRO™ is a good example of that, where the properties of the fabric is very relevant for anyone in high activity and with a need for long lasting water repellency. The Odin Infinity products were developed in collaboration with Search & Rescue teams……The fabric itself is a result of a 4 year long development process and the idea to develop LIFA INFINITY PRO™ actually sparked from decades working with the Lifa® material in our baselayer program. Lifa® has unique properties when it comes to water retention where Lifa® is not absorbing any water and in addition is very light weight. When combined in a woven structure and a highly porous membrane we have a quite unique material with attractive properties, such as high breathability and inherent water repellency.

A NEW TECHNOLOGY? (ISSAM YOUSEF)

New technologies emerge in the textile industries all the time and we look at those technologies on two different levels. Technologies created externally that can be adopted by us and technologies have been developed by or/and by cooperation with our partners. When using/ adopting a technology, we always evaluate the

authenticity, level of innovation and also the value it will create for HH and our customers. Same applies to the project we initiate to create new technology, they all drive from the need to solve a problem or the need to create a better value.

What is your demands and expectations for the final product?

All products at Helly Hansen are made with performance, quality and durability in mind.

FROM THE BLUEPRINT

Choosing materials to the perfect fit. What is the perfect blend for an outdoor jacket like the Odin? (Mhairi Bannerman)

Material choice will always be dependent on the intended use of the product. For an outdoor jacket like the Odin Mountain Infinity Shell Jacket for example it is important to understand how and where the product will be used. Designed for high intensity activities in the mountains, we chose our proprietary LIFA Infinity Pro™ technology here for exceptional breathability, protection and durability. This technology also provides inherent everlasting water repellency without chemicals meaning that it will never need reproofing.

How do you then blend in sustainability? (Rebecca)

When considering sustainability we take a holistic, life cycle perspective for our products. Not only does the raw material and manufacturing need to have a low impact but the materials and products have to be long lasting, both from a quality, performance and emotional view. Our aim is to make high quality long lasting professional

grade gear with a minimal environmental footprint! During the development of Lifa Infinity PRO™ we’ve really started from the raw material and deep dived into the manufacturing process, where the pores of the membrane is created without using chemicals and also the water repellent properties of the face fabric is achieved through textile engineering instead of chemical treatments. In this way we achieve a long lasting performance during use while lowering the environmental impact in production

THE TEST AND THEN BACK TO THE BLUEPRINT

Do you test the product in the field and then return to the blueprint, making adjustments?

We rely heavily on feedback and testing in the field from our professionals such as Search & Rescue organizations. This is a constantly iterative process with tweaks made after each testing round. Whilst testing with our professionals we are also aware that we must not alienate the average consumer. So although all feedback is valid and listened to, some may only be implemented in bespoke professional items, for example, whilst others will be used across our product range.

What type of experiences do you typically make in the field?

Field testing tends to be about 3 things: • Validation of the lab test results - making sure that the materials chosen stand up to real life usage • Making sure that any new design features such as new constructions, pocket placements etc. work in real life. This is very important.

Field testing brings out even the smallest of issues which might otherwise have gone unseen. • Validating and observing that our professionals use their products the way they said they would - sometimes their verbal needs is not the same when in real life scenarios.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

When is a product done and ready to get made at the factory?

Our product development timeline is 24 months. During this time there is a lot that needs done including design, development, material testing, field testing as well as multiple prototype rounds. When the materials have been tested, the fit has been tested and the function has been tested, the product is ready to go.

THE FACTORY (REBECCA)

Dealing with parts from all over the world, are there any challenges getting the product as you wanted it?

Communication across continents and timezones can of course be challenging, however we have long relationships with the majority of our manufacturing partners and we know each other quite well by now, which helps communication a lot. During the last 3-4 years we have also been adopting a 3D design tool to better visualize and specify products virtually. This further enhances the communication with manufactures since expected fit, cutlines and positioning of details can be well communicated visually.

How do you make sure that the materials are certified/ sustainable?

Our key partner to drive environmental improvements in the supply chain is bluesign. We have a policy to always prioritize bluesign approved materials and only bluesign system partners are allowed to supply these materials. Today over 70% of our sport collection is made out of bluesign approved materials and over 30% of the collection is bluesign product approved (meaning min 90% of the fabric and 30% of the trims in a product is bluesign approved). In addition we are focusing on moving at least half of our synthetics to certified recycled sources by 2025 and being 100% PFC-free by 2023. The environmental attributes are specified early in the design and development phase and confirmation of the attributes are collected during the material development phase.

Do Helly Hansen think of the environment and workers on the factory?

We do. Bluesign is again a means of ensuring the highest environmental standard at material facilities. In addition we are rolling out the industry tool Higg in our supply chain with a target to have at least 80% of both product and material manufacturers on the tool by 2025. The tool is assessing a broad spectrum of environmental and social topics, from management system to energy sources and waste water treatments. In this way we can analyze well performing manufactures and also the ones where we need to give more support. For the assembling stage, tier 1, we are conducting social audits annually via BSCI, where we are receiving and following up on corrective action plans and have a minimum expectation for all supply chain partners we are working with

THE FUTURE

What does the future bring when looking at Helly Hansen products? (Philip)

We are committed to ensuring our actions support the possibility for people and the planet to thrive by applying a holistic and scientific approach when creating products. Our commitment to professionals will guide us on creating products that supports their need for professional grade gear and empower them to join us to take action. We continue to work on improving performance and quality - longevity, versatility Sustainability. Material manufacturing technologies

Can we look forward to new and exciting products in the outdoor series?

Absolutely, we will continue to innovate and develop world class professional grade gear. At the same time we will launch product ranges for a versatile active outdoor lifestyle to support more consumers going outdoors. (Philip) Lifa infinity™

Are there any interesting things going on on the sustainability market that you can reveal? Like a new material or way of producing clothes? (Rebecca)

Specifically for raw materials we are transferring to more recycled and when doing that also adopting preferred recycled raw materials such as ocean bound recycled and textile recycled. Considering one of the single largest environmental footprint for our products is coming from the dyeing stage, we are constantly increasing solution dyed materials and also investigating new dyeing technologies which are dry processes and much lower energy consumption. Other exciting areas are linked to digitalisation where new platforms and technologies are enabling full transparency in our quite complex supply chain. Digital tools for designing, constructing and finally selling products is another focus area, where we see savings in lead time and cost as well as environmental impact.