It all started 10 months ago. A mere idea that grew into something much bigger and 8 months later turned into a very first product.
The idea was to create sportswear that is free from plastics like polyester, is much more sustainable, and is high-performing to suit both high- and low-intensity workouts.
And guess what? We’ve come a far way to make this happen for you.
8 months of digging deep to create a first product
As easy as it might sound to create a product, I can tell you, it’s not. A ton of research, trial and error, and most importantly, feedback from people like you, go into it.
2 months ago was a very special moment in the journey of Tripulse.
We had our very first fitting where we saw and tried out our products for the very first time, and repeated it already one month later. It’s called “the fitting” in fashion product development jargon.
And I can tell you - having goosebumps all over the body, feeling proud and overly excited when seeing and touching the product for the very first time still doesn’t even come close to the feeling I had when experiencing this.
As from an outside perspective it is impossible to know all of the work that goes into creating the product and to finally arrive at the “fitting”, let me invite you behind the scenes and share some of the sweat and work that were so crucial to arrive at where we are today and where we want to go.
having goosebumps all over the body, feeling proud and overly excited when seeing and touching the product for the very first time still doesn’t even come close to the feeling I had when experiencing this
Finding the right materials is like running an ultramarathon
First of, let me give you a bit of background to what happened before this magical moment of having the first product version come to life.
I spent months over months researching the most sustainable materials out there.
Textile fairs are a great place to start
This included visiting a ton of textile fairs where I touched hundreds of different materials, talked to material experts about fabric features and feasibility for sports, compared and tested fabrics from different suppliers. And of course, checked their sustainability practices.
As you might imagine, it is a hugely intense process, especially when lots of people want to talk you into polyester and its “siblings”, claiming it is the only suitable material for sports.
Another key challenge is to find a material supplier that has feasible minimum order quantities (MOQs) for a company that is just starting out and isn’t able to order thousands of meters of fabrics.
Why should they bother working with such small company as mine?
Making others feel the material is key
But this process also included making others touch my favorite materials and listening to their feedback.
Seeing their faces light up when they touched the materials, being baffled by the fact that it feels so much more natural and better than polyester was one of the greatest experiences of this part.
A few lessons I learned from sports helped me big time here - discipline, not giving up easily and believing in my dream are key to find a few great suppliers which I'm now shortlisting.
Seeing their faces light up when they touched the materials, being baffled by the fact that it feels so much more natural and better than polyester was one of the greatest experiences of this part
Design starts with observing deeply and obsessing over details
But a product is not only its material, it’s much more than that.
Yes, you got it - the design and shape of the product are another crucial part which I spent and still spend a lot of my time on.
Starting with my own view of a great looking product, I expanded and added it on to it through something I call “field study”.
It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole product development process and one of the most important ones as it’s all about the people who would wear the clothes - you guys.
It means going to places where people do sports, such as gyms, yoga studios, sport arenas, parks, forests, the list goes on, and doing primarily one thing - observing.
Observing people working out gave lots of answers
What do people wear when they work out, how does it look like and are there any common patterns, what are the features and shapes, how do people move in it, is there something that seems to bother them while working out, are there differences in taste in different countries, etc etc?
It includes observing with curiosity and a strong sense for detail.
It also includes talking to a lot of people, asking them about what they are frustrated about with sportswear, what they love and would like to have.
Interviewing people revealed core issues with sportswear
I spent many hours having deep-dive 1-2-1 conversations with people who shared with me their deepest and very intimate frustrations with sportswear.
Getting all of this input, I decided on which pieces would go into the first collection and sketched a first design draft.
Together with a great team of sustainable design and product development experts, we created a few design options for each piece and then asked 100+ people to give their feedback on it.
The feedback was an eye-opener and key to make important changes in the design decisions. We’ve now come to a point where we have finalized the design for the first collection.
I spent many hours having deep-dive 1-2-1 conversations with people who shared with me their deepest and very intimate frustrations with sportswear
The fitting - it's all about testing and improving
All this helped us make choices on material, on how the products should look like - and allowed us to create the first version of the Tripulse collection.
The products were made out of our favorite material, but the final colors and any design on the clothes themselves was not included yet.
Once the products were created, the first thing to check is how well the products actually fit.
Observing, gathering feedback, improving are key for the fitting
For this we invited a female model that represents a standard size and would allow us to evaluate the fit of the product and if we will need to make any changes to how the products fit on the body.
We made her wear all the different pieces of the Tripulse collection, let her move in it, observe closely on how they fit on her body, listen to her feedback and suggestions for improvements.
But also I was trying on the clothes which was invaluable as I represent the long population of people who also need to fit in the clothes:).
When it comes to seizing and fit of the clothes, we will make sure to cover all shapes and sizes so that all kinds of body types can enjoy our products.
We wanted to know how the clothes feel on the body, if anything is uncomfortable, if it should be longer, shorter, tighter, more loose or anything else.
Together with my product development team, we discussed and agreed on changes to be made. And had another fitting round to check on the changes.
Wow, what a journey it’s been. We’ve come a far way, but still have to make a few improvements on the fit.
Next up is the creation of prototypes, i.e. the full-fledged version of the products including right colors and any designs on the clothes to make it a complete and final product.
Once we have them in place, we will test them and work out in them extensively to make sure that we´ll only release products on the market that are high-quality and meet our expectations.
We wanted to know how the clothes feel on the body, if anything is uncomfortable, if it should be longer, shorter, tighter, more loose or anything else
A quality product requires time
I hope that by now you’ve gotten a good insight into all of the different steps that go into creating the best possible Tripulse collection.
It is a process that takes time, and has to take time if you really want to create a high-quality product that people will love.
And this is my highest ambition.
Crafting a product you will love is my highest priority
It is not to bring a product as fast as possible to the market, but to craft a product that people will truly love, appreciate, and will want to wear for a long time.
So bear with us - the products are in the making and we can’t wait to share them with you and the world.
It is not to bring a product as fast as possible to the market, but to craft a product that people will truly love, appreciate, and will want to wear for a long time
Truly yours,
Franziska
Comments
Anna Clara Nordh said:
Wow!!!!! :)