Ice Skating Jacket Development

About

With Couture K.I.D.S and Xamas, the Eisklub Luzern in Switzerland developed two high end jackets dedicated to figure ice skating.

 

  • A light jacket for on-ice training made for pro skaters.
  • A warmth jacket with special flexible inlays on the side, so it can be used for normal skaters on-ice too. It’s perfect for off-ice during winter time. The sleeves can be detached so you get a nice gilet for pro skaters warm-up.

 

The jackets are available also for other clubs at Couture K.I.D.S in different versions.

How it began

2021-11. Only few club jackets were left, so the EKL board intended to order new ones. But bad luck for us, because the old supplier has gone and handed over all his customers to a new supplier who couldn’t deliver.

 

Supplier available?

2022-04: We were seeking for a new supplier and mailed and called all well known companies in Europe.

 

But none of them was eager producing this kind of individial printed high end jackets for a small club in Switzerland.

Yes, there is!

2022-05: So we have to do it ourselves. The goal is to develop an ideal jacket for ice skating, a jacket especially designed for this sport. We collected ideas and with them, we went to local companies that might be interested in producing something new.

 

How we were lucky to find Couture K.I.D.S. Joanne, one of the owners, is a tailor and with her, we designed the first version of a brand new ice skating jacket concept. With this concept in mind, Joanne started contacting suppliers in Switzerland, in Italy, in eastern Europa and even in Canada, but non of them was able to deliver that kind of quality.

France

2022-08: Totally frustrated we already thought about giving up. But digging deeper and deeper on the market, Joanne found Xamas, a joung french company.

 

We explained them the concept and Xamas produced a first testjacket. Now it’s EKL’s turn. The athletes from our Swiss Ice Academy put them on an went on ice.

 

What a fun wearing the beautiful new jackets. But drawbacks again. The cut was not flexible enough, the printing made the fabric less warm, the jacket got stuck over the back.

We’ll gonna do it

2023-02: Next problem. The costs for such a jacket were exploding. The EKL never spent that much money for something and the board got nervous. We need securities that we will be able to sell the jacket.

 

So the plan was making a preorder system. We saw people were interested and on the annual general meeting, we could present the new test jacket as a surprise. The great feedback let us feel we can do it.

Deal.

2023-07: Negotiating with Xamas and holding the price was intense, because the test jackets got more complex with new clever details:

 

  • adopted fit and everyday use tested cut for figure ice skaters.
  • thumbhole to hold sleves on place while heavy movements.
  • optimized fabric enabling better figure flexibility.
  • delightful inside fabric.
  • dual layer fabric for better warmth management during hot-cold phases on ice.
  • long lasting high quality zip.
  • neck protector at the top of the zip.
  • detachable sleeves to get a gilet out of the warmth jacket (including sleeve pocket).

 

In November 2023, the supplier got nervous. So many hours of worktime and so much testing material has been spent already. It was time to sign the final contract and we did it.

 

Production

In Spring 2024 we got the last sample jackets. Minor modifications have to be done (e.g. the zip) and so we go in production.

Delivery 2024-08-17

What a wonderful day getting these great unique ice skating jackets after 3 years of hard work in this international project with

 

  • Joanne and Dani from Couture Kids for design, tailor management and contact to production (supplier, Switzerland)
  • Xamas (producer, France and China)
  • Stefan for requirements engineering, testing, finance (customer, Switzerland)

 

Many thanks to Joanne, Dani and the wholw Xamas team for the great job you all did! Stefan Vogel, EKL.

 

Interested for your club?

These jackets are available for your club too. There are a lot of international inquires already and CCouture K.I.D.S is ready to serve you.

Washing Advice

Technical performance and sportswear fabrics, require a combination of a wash bag, using specialized delicate sportswear washing liquid detergent, washing on cold temperatures and hanging out to dry (do not put it in the tumble dryer).

These procedures assists in maintaining the quality and construction of the technical mix of fibers and their durability.

Waschhinweise

Für technische Leistungs- und Sportbekleidungsstoffe ist eine Kombination aus Waschsack, speziellem Feinwaschmittel für Sportbekleidung, Waschen bei kalten Temperaturen und Aufhängen zum Trocknen erforderlich (nicht im Tumbler trocknen).

Diese Verfahren tragen dazu bei, die Qualität und den Aufbau der technischen Fasermischung und ihre Haltbarkeit zu erhalten.