Fit for Anything in Icebreaker Merino
OutdoorHub 12.11.12
Merino pioneer Icebreaker is appealing to a new generation of customers by launching a new fit and grading system for all its garments.
Populations’ body sizes have changed over time, so the New Zealand-based company hired global fit experts Alvanon to provide it with the latest global fit data to update the fit of its performance and lifestyle clothing.
Icebreaker’s fit project aimed at creating garments that gave maximum ease of movement, are the ideal length, and had no bunching under the arms. The fit also had to be consistent in body length and width, so customers would take the same size in every style from season to season.
Rob Achten, Icebreaker Creative Director and Vice President of Product, says the three new fits – slim, regular and relaxed, depending on the style and intended use – are designed for comfortable, low-bulk layering. “Our base layers, first layers, mid layers and outer layers are designed to layer together like a single garment – without any seam chafing or zip stacking,” he says.
“We’re confident this will introduce an even wider range of people to the world’s best merino clothing.”
After creating new size charts and fit blocks, Icebreaker tested its new fit system by recruiting a group of women who all considered themselves a size medium but were actually of different shapes, proportions and body types. The test confirmed that the new garment proportions suited a wider variety of women.
The grading – the variation of fit between sizes – was also increased to capture more customers in the full spectrum of sizes.
Icebreaker validated its grading system by having its garments tried on by a group of men and women ranging in size from extra small to XX large. Their feedback confirmed the fit was much improved, and that a wider range of people looked and felt great in Icebreaker clothing.
The new fit will be introduced for all garments in Icebreaker’s Fall/Winter 2013 collection.
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