DAKINE
retail buyer’s guide
On the outside, the so-called “liquid skin” liners are also enjoying success, like on the Dark Matter from C-Skins, adding only a really thin layer of material around the torso to negate the wind chill effect, and with no extra stitching.
affected its longevity. So changing this is now a top priority. This can be done in really simple ways sometimes: “In terms of fit and material, we’ve revised the crotch area on all our men’s styles to reduce the likelihood of leaks and increase the suits longevity”, explains John Westlake, Wetsuit Designer at Alder. But more and more brands are using 3D in the design phase to get as close as possible to a second skin fit. We’re thinking here about Manera who use a computer programme that can then go on to produce 2D templates for fabrication “It represents a lot of work and it’s not something you can easily notice in the shop, but we’re all about how you feel in the water instead of using expensive marketing gimmicks to impress the customers in shop”. Others prefer the more old-school, handmade option to the hightech solution. At Quiksilver, the Highline Pro model is assembled by hand in Japan using only five panels.
WETSUITS FW22/23: CONSTRUCTIONS AND FIT The different panels that combine to make a wetsuit and their assembly have long-since been segmented into three categories: flatlock (flat stitch, entry-level), GBS (glued blind stitched) in the mid range and GBS taped seams (more durable, more waterproof) for premium models. Nowadays we can see a “trickle down” effect with the use of GBS featuring more and more on lower range models. These lower categories have also been enriched by stitchless versions like the Pyscho Tech from O’Neill or the Wired+ 6/5 from C-Skins, often with the bonus of having a “liquid seam”, a taped joint covering the “It is also crucial to work on cut and the “non stitches”. placement of reinforcements,” Maurin Moreover, for a long time brands relied on from Söoruz reminds us, even though stretch to provide a good fit before noticing “these details are often hard for customers that this pressure exerted on the material to see”. 80
