{"id":162769,"date":"2020-09-16T19:40:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T02:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=162769"},"modified":"2020-11-06T08:03:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T16:03:11","slug":"arcteryx-designing-outdoor-gear-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-designing-outdoor-gear-for-women","title":{"rendered":"Arc\u2019teryx: Designing Outdoor Gear for Women"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Editor\u2019s note: This article is a part of the <a href=\"\/blog\/arcteryx-joy-of-resilience\">Joy of Resilience<\/a> content series, sponsored by Arc\u2019teryx.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edita Hadravska, the design director at Arc\u2019teryx, is firmly against the idea that women\u2019s gear needs to be anything other than functional and well made. She\u2019s out to remind everyone that women are an essential part of the outdoor industry, including her team at Arc\u2019teryx. Listen to her story on the Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast and learn more about designing at Arc\u2019teryx from two other female designers, Karen Willis and Brylee Geddis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/50ce0815-1500-4433-9b54-e23ab8415e88?dark=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/Edita-Hadravska-FINAL-Transcript.pdf\">Transcript<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To better understand how things work at Arc\u2019teryx, we spoke to Brylee Geddis, a ski apparel designer who has been working at Arc\u2019teryx for the last seven years and Karen Willis, a senior designer focusing on lifestyle apparel. For Edita and her team, it\u2019s important to have women behind the scenes to ensure that what is being made is made with women in mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>What do you love about being a designer at Arc\u2019teryx?<\/h5>\n<p><b>Brylee: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The creating and the testing! Knowing the backstory on the pieces that come to fruition. I am stoked that I get to try prototypes out in the field first hand. Whether that\u2019s in our backyard (the North Shore mountains of British Columbia), a remote hut in the backcountry, or in bottomless powder in Japan. I love my job!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Karen:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I love making things that bring joy and value to people\u2019s lives. I also love the creative and collaborative aspect of it. Everything we make is a huge team effort, and it\u2019s also really hands-on. You don\u2019t really find that in a lot of other companies anymore, and I really believe that makes a huge difference in the experience of the product. It\u2019s quite exhilarating to start with a cool idea, watch it come to fruition, and then see it go on to be a beloved companion in someone\u2019s life. That gives me a lot of satisfaction.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>Historically, a lot of outdoor gear has been designed with men in mind. When do you think that started to change?<\/h5>\n<p><b>Karen: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think women\u2019s needs still have a long way before being fully considered and addressed. But we are definitely in a better place than twenty years ago. I do believe that a groups\u2019 needs are met more fully when you have a participant from that group informing decisions. The same can be said for any group of people who have felt some form of invisibility in a space. I think that more women designers in the industry helped, but this is not what is making the ultimate difference. I have found that women\u2019s needs are more fully addressed when women are placed center stage for decision making, or have been imparted the trust that her needs are valid and even exist!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We owe a lot to the amazing trailblazers like Lynn Hill, Ines Papert, Shelma Jun and Pasang Lhamu Sherpa to name a few, who really go against the norms and subsequently bring attention to women in our sport. However, an even greater impact can be extended to all the quiet heroes \u2013 parents and community leaders who encourage girls to participate fearlessly in the outdoors. I think the combination of these two factors have really shifted the mind-set of the industry over the years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>Edita spoke to the concept of \u201cshrink it and pink it\u201d \u2014 can you explain what that term means to you?<\/h5>\n<p><b>Brylee: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think historically, product design has been led by designing male products first, solving problems for male needs, and then grading it down, adding pink trim and calling it Women\u2019s. The problem is I don\u2019t necessarily want a pink jacket, I want a jacket that was designed for me as a woman being taken seriously in the mountains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Karen:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To me, this phenomenon is mainly due to the lack of women at the center of decision making for women\u2019s products. Not only is it offensive to women, but also impacts women by reducing the number of choices that we need to fully express ourselves and participate effectively in our sport. I think we are at a pivotal moment where women know how powerful their voice is, and can create avenues in the marketplace that speak directly to women\u2019s needs. When women-centric brands like Nikita first turned up in the 90\u2019s, I remember thinking, \u201cWhat? You can do that?\u201d But now, I just consider it a basic principle of narrative, which was badly missed in past decades. I feel honoured to listen to women\u2019s frustrated feedback, and try to make that better.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>Why do you think it\u2019s important to see more women in design, particularly in the outdoor industry?<\/h5>\n<p><b>Karen: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more we can add to the women\u2019s narrative in areas where women are under-represented, the better. More women in design can help with this, as this can be an opportunity to craft solutions to problems which are unique to us. I would also add that women of diverse backgrounds enrich the design experience, and offering. The outdoor industry benefits from more women in design because it is a space which carries the historical baggage of male-centricity, which no longer matches the huge amount of women and girls who are crushing it in the outdoor space today. Old-fashioned standards need to catch up to this exciting new reality. The good news is that women are not waiting.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Brylee:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It&#8217;s authentic. How do we expect to be represented and considered if there isn\u2019t first-hand experience, emotion, and knowledge? It\u2019s important to have both genders represented and working together.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>Let\u2019s talk about some examples of how this has come to life at Arc\u2019teryx.<\/h5>\n<p><b>Brylee:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> We are using it! We are using it together with our female and male coworkers and athletes. We are asking each other questions and working out solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Karen:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I think that shifting a mind-set is a huge job and can\u2019t happen overnight. Sometimes it feels impossible and overwhelming. But at Arc\u2019teryx I have definitely watched the shift begin, and it makes me feel hopeful. For many years, Arc\u2019teryx has had an amazing force of women at almost every stage of the process: design, materials, patternmaking, developing, and crafting products. I\u2019ve seen amazing things like harnesses and packs designed for women\u2019s anatomy, a badass women\u2019s-only snow offering, and yes, bulletproof leggings for climbing. We even formed a Women\u2019s Business Squad to self-reflect, and delve into how we could reach more women in a more meaningful way. Today, we have a Women\u2019s Design Director, I am excited about what steps we can take next.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/b\/arcteryx\/c\/all\">Arc\u2019teryx<\/a> is committed to elevating women\u2019s voices, opinions and designs to ensure they\u2019re creating products that meet the needs of female athletes and outdoors-woman who are looking for the best gear to get them outside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s note: This article is a part of the Joy of Resilience content series, sponsored by Arc\u2019teryx.\u00a0 Edita Hadravska, the design director at Arc\u2019teryx, is firmly against the idea that women\u2019s gear needs to be anything other than functional and well made. She\u2019s out to remind everyone that women are an essential part of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":162770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-162769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-designing-outdoor-gear-for-women","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Arc\u2019teryx: Designing Outdoor Gear for Women","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-designing-outdoor-gear-for-women","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-designing-outdoor-gear-for-women"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/editalandingpage-e1600310152987.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/editalandingpage-e1600310152987.jpg?fit=3456%2C1728"},"articleSection":"Snowsports","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chelsea Davis"}],"creator":["Chelsea Davis"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2020-09-17T02:40:09Z","datePublished":"2020-09-17T02:40:09Z","dateModified":"2020-11-06T16:03:11Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Arc\\u2019teryx: Designing Outdoor Gear for Women\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/arcteryx-designing-outdoor-gear-for-women\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/arcteryx-designing-outdoor-gear-for-women\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/editalandingpage-e1600310152987.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/editalandingpage-e1600310152987.jpg?fit=3456%2C1728\"},\"articleSection\":\"Snowsports\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Chelsea Davis\"}],\"creator\":[\"Chelsea Davis\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2020-09-17T02:40:09Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-17T02:40:09Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-06T16:03:11Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/editalandingpage-e1600310152987.jpg?fit=3456%2C1728","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162769"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164515,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162769\/revisions\/164515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162769"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=162769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}