DC 21/22 Men’s Outerwear Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Men’s Outerwear 21/22 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: DC
Interviewee: Sonam Sigayret, EMEA Snow Category Manager

What is the overall theme behind your FW 21/22 outerwear range? From which big trends do you take your inspiration?
Our design direction revolves around the tagline “Outerwear for every wear”.

DC presents a progressive approach to modern outerwear: balancing advanced mountain performance with city street wearability.

What new fits/silhouettes are coming out in FW 21/22? What pant and jacket styles are most important in your range?
Anoraks: The highlight of the season is our DC-43 Anorak, we have seen consistent growth with this type of jackets: built for the mountains, but shines in the streets thanks to bold colour-blocking and flavorful print. Recycled ripstop panels and purpose-built pockets add all-weather functionality.

DC-43 Anorak

Bibs: We are also investing in bibs as most of our sales are shifting to this category. The brand-new Shadow bib is one of our most functional bibs ever. Smartly placed pockets, recycled ripstop and reinforced herringbone panels maximize style and utility for sustained comfort and accessibility on those marathon days.

What new colours / prints are you bringing to the FW 21/22 collection?
DC Snow has always been recognized for bold designs and colourful outfits. The creative clash of patterns, colour, materials and styling will again be the attraction for the season.

This season, we are introducing several new interesting prints:

We kitted out some of our favourite outerwear pieces with the Mossy Oak® Country Roots Midnight print. The dark and discreet fabric ties together a distinctly DC collaboration.

You will also see our take on two key prints from the streetwear world: the bandana (or paisley) print and the tie-dye.

Any *NEW* technical stories with regards to fabrics and materials?
We are launching our sustainability program called “DC RE/SOLVE”.

As a result, the DC Snow product line is now featuring:
100% recycled/recyclable Sympatex program
Increased recycled content in our fabrics
A revamped headwear line with Polylana® yarns
Post-consumer recycled insulation with the introduction of Primaloft Black
PFC-free DWR coatings
Recycled content within our hangtags and packaging.

What are the three most important products in your FW 21/22 range? Why? Please tell us about them.
Command Jacket: superior 30K technical shell, packable by design and eco-friendly.

Ever since the introduction of our Sympatex line, the Command jacket has been a staple, each season outselling the previous one.

Servo Jacket: a 15K insulated jacket, fully taped, with timeless styling.
The best price to the quality ratio you can find out there.

Squadron Pant: a technical team favourite, featuring exposed waterproof zipper vents, a unique bottom hem cinch system and 100% recycled 30K Sympatex® fabrication.
Looking for a performing snow pant shouldn’t bust your budget!

Any trends that your brand is moving away from?
Our product line is very focused and each product is addressed to a specific consumer.

What are your top marketing stories for FW 21/22? This will help us to put some focus in the right place.
Outerwear For Every Wear:
We said no to the status quo for Winter 2022, pushing instead for a higher standard. Matching flawless technical function with the original DC style. Blurring the boundaries between streetwear and outerwear. Balancing advanced mountain performance with city street wearability. This year we pushed our Outerwear For Every Wear model to the leading edge of technical snow design.

Storm Division:
Designed to deliver the best in all-condition breathability and weather resistance, our Storm Division outerwear features the industry-leading performance of SympaTex® 30K and 45K waterproofing. This is tough-as-nails, high-performance gear that thrives in all environments.

DC X Mossy Oak:
Whether you’re on the hunt for fresh backcountry pow or just spinning around the park, the Mossy Oak® camo collection has you covered. We kitted out some of our favourite outerwear pieces with the Mossy Oak® Country Roots Midnight print. The dark and discreet fabric ties together a distinctly DC collaboration

What’s your base layer strategy for FW 21/22? Please let us know your tech innovations, materials, colours and price points
This season we have explored opportunities to synergize with our Apparel department and will double expose some styles in both catalogues such as shackets, polar fleece and lightweight puffers.

These shared styles will complement snow-specific shred hoodies: the Snowstar fleece and our iconic double-layered Dryden hoodie.

Please provide an overview of how 2021/22 is shaping up for your brand. Has COVID-19 affected your line? If so, please explain the changes you have made, and how you came to these decisions.
Going into next winter, we made sure that our product line was balanced and made sense for our business: between fashion-forward designs and commercial silhouettes, between edgy prints/colours and safer prints/earth-tone palette. Our accounts will be confident with the DC Snow offering, even in these uncertain times.

We had several innovative projects in the works but based on the current situation we decided to put them on hold as we are not sure of the investment/revenue ratio.