retail buyer’s guide
RETAIL BUYER’S GUIDE
I M PACT V E S T S 2022
Despite recent turbulence, the wakeboarding market continues to grow - especially the demand for impact vests, which are vital for all segments of this sport. And work in other disciplines as well. Retail Buyer’s Guide by Anna Langer. MARKET SITUATION With everything going on, the last two years have been a roller coaster for everyone. Challenging manufacturing timelines, material shortages and logistical issues, which can be countered with strategical planning as O’Neill report. This is paired with high demand as Hyperlite state, Liquid Force recorded one of their best years so far and Soöruz also mention high pre-orders. Most brands’ products are created as crossovers, catering for all disciplines of wakeboarding. “We put our best design first, and push it across every market. If it floats and protects, it works on all bodies of water and in all wakeboard riding scenarios.” says Jeff McKee from Slingshot Wake. With Europe being a cable heavy market, most inspiration comes from here. “As Liquid Force has enjoyed success in the cable market, we look to this market for colour trends and features. The cable/park market definitely has more of a street/skate vibe to it compared to the boat market and tends to lead the overall design, colour pallets, etc,” says Marketing Director Aaron Grace. O’Neill state that park and boat are their strongest growth areas with a slight resurgence in boat use. Jobe on the other hand “cater to the boating market in general, from families who have fun on a towable, to wakeboarders who want to send it” says William Doornekamp, Brand Manager. 80
Soöruz also mention the uprising of foil, especially Wingfoil as promising for the impact vest market and Liquid Force agree with seeing increased growth here. STYLE New here is a completely white jacket by Trever Maur from Hyperlite and an earth tone colour palette by Liquid Force. In general designs are clean and simple. Soöruz keep their design technical and elegant with a touch of punk/rock design for some pieces, Jet Pilot favour strong style lines with fits that are comfortable, safe and unique to their brand and Slingshot state that “simplicity is key when it comes to jacket design and styling. Function is first, and after that the rest is up to the individual.” Another trend is “Mix ‘n Match”, as sported by Jobe: “If you buy a wakeboard in the shop, you need to be able to buy a matching vest as well. This goes for all our products because we see that this works.” O’Neill also use many colours, prints and materials from their wetsuit line-up to merchandise throughout the impact vest category. FIT Yet function is the most important: “First and foremost comes performance at O’Neill so finding the perfect combination of fit and
