Oakley is excited to present its 2013/14 Ski Pro Rider Series (PRS), featuring the technical outerwear kits (utilizing Smart Climate Control layering) for Simon Dumont, Grete Eliassen, Tanner Hall, Sean Pettit and Seth Morrison. When you’ve got talent like that informing the production of the product, it’s hard to go wrong. As Oakley says, the PRS helps “the best ride better,” and if it’s good for them, it’ll certainly be great for you.
“I’m impressed by how far Oakley has come with its apparel program,” says Oakley ski sports marketing manager, Greg Strokes. “We now offer apparel for every type of skier from the park skier to the hardest, core backcountry skier. We’re using the best fabrics on the market—2 and 3 layer Gore-Tex, Polartec and a new smart climate control system called Biozone.”
From the drawing board to the showroom, “We ask [the athletes] to provide inspiration—what they’re into in terms of looks, colors and themes. Oakley interprets what the athletes want and the designers give it an Oakley twist. Unlike Signature Series, which is 100% athlete inspired, it’s Pro Rider Series, so that means the product is half Oakley inspired and half athlete inspired. The athletes see the drawings and approve or give more feedback. Samples are ready to test in August and that’s when we head to the southern hemisphere to shoot the catalog. Sales samples are delivered in December and athletes receive the product nine months before it hits shelves.”
Having worked with the athletes for many years, Strokes is impressed by the continued progression of the PRS. Echoing the sentiments of all the riders, Strokes says, “Simon is always blown away by how his kit improves every year. He always loves his PRS kit and wonders how we can improve on it the next season and somehow, Oakley always does. It’s always a good feeling when an athlete is stoked to wear the product.”
For more on how the PRS kits come to life, see the video above; it’s just one small glimpse into how Oakley’s athletes play a key role in the development of these technical pieces.
View the full collection at https://oak.ly/1aRZhFX.
