ARMSTRONG WING S/S 2025 PREVIEW
Retail Buyers Guide: Wing S/S 2025 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Armstrong
Interviewee: Brand Marketing
What are the main trends in wing construction, materials, and design that the industry is progressing towards?
We’re continuing to see more experimentation with lightweight or specialized materials. The debate over hand vs soft handles also continues, although many are trending toward larger dual handles. More lightwind-specific offerings are making their way to the market as well, which is a particularly interesting space given the unique challenges of power to size ratio, weight, and so on in those large wings.
What customer profile is driving more wing demand the moment? (new, experienced etc)
As with everything in foiling, the number of new riders continues to grow exponentially while the average rider skill level matures and advanced riders become even more advanced. The most important thing to us is to provide a product that’s user friendly regardless of skill level and has real-world performance and durability for everyone in every application.
Which of your wings is selling well and why?
Both our A-Wings – the XPS and the newer XPS Lightwind – are doing well. We believe strongly in how our wings balance performance, comfort, and real-world liveability to deliver something riders of different skill levels can appreciate and utilize to power their progression. In particular, customers and retailers love how easy the A-Wings’ performance is to access; whether it’s just a cruise at the local spot, chasing monster waves in South Africa, or competing on the GWA, the combination of high performance and easy, comfortable flying simply works. And the materials arranged in the cross panel sail design makes these wings durable and very responsive to fly.
How many wing designs will you offer this year which do you expect to grow the most?
The XPS and XPS Lightwind are our two models. Given that it’s a recent release, we look forward to seeing the XPS Lightwind grow in popularity. It’s performance in single digit breezes is truly awesome and really unlocks another level of riding – all while being a compact, easy to fly design for such a large area.
What materials and construction techniques are you using for your wings this year?
We’re using materials that are proven robust, reliable and durable. Our A-Wings are made from the latest generation Dacrons and Ultra PE reinforcements for a great mix of feel when flying, weight, and durability. We always strive to balance these three aspects in the material selection for our wings. Our new XPS Lightwind features the patent-pending Power Batten which dramatically improves airflow and canopy stiffness in these large 7 and 8m2 sizes. The Power Batten is made from the same premium Carbon as our foils.
How will you support retailers to sell your wings this year?
We will continue to strongly support our vital retail partners into the future. We recognize that foiling is an inherently complex and rapidly evolving space, so our marketing team are focused intently on building more educational resources to support retailer and customer education around wing design, product selection, and overall sport education. We look forward to partnering with our retailers to make the Armstrong user experience the best it can be. Exciting times!
What your current situation regarding stock and deliveries? What’s your forecast for your wings?
Our production is strong and healthy, and we are ready to fulfill orders as they come.
Key Products:
XPS:
2.2, 2.6, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.6, 5.3, 6.1m2.
XPS top
XPS LW:
7.0, 8.0m2.
XPS Lightwind side
Brand Previews
