Gotcha Wetsuits FW 2024 Preview
Retail Buyers Guide: Wetsuits FW24 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Gotcha
Interviewee: CEO
What is your confidence level regarding FW24 orders/preorders? Did retailers manage to clear their shelves of the former collections?
NF – There is still a lot of excess stock around, but things are moving in the right direction. In our case preorders from retailers are low, however surf schools are booming in certain countries/regions, and they have put in some interesting pre orders.
Winter wetsuits are the second most expensive pieces of the surfer’s kit after the board itself: are high pricepoints a challenge in an inflationary context or are the surfers willing to pay for quality?
NF – The everyday surfer is willing to pay for the best suit he can afford. This is also quite geographic as there are countries in Europe where you mostly use a winter suit all year round.
WAVE ONE
Will FW24 be a season of carry-overs for your brand or are you pushing new models?
NF – Absolutely not, we are launching three new models and carrying over two. Our consumer and brand lover expects us to compete with the top brands and that is what we are aiming for.
Neoprene foams can be both sustainable and high-performance nowadays. What rubber compound will you use in FW24?
NF – It varies from wetsuit to wetsuit, but we are mostly sticking to the superstretch limebased CR.
PHANTOM PRO 3.2
What are the latest updates/innovations among your women wetsuit collection?
NF – we are launching a womens suit for the first time, and the main concern has been the fit
Repair, recycle, upcycle ? How do you handle the afterlife of your wetsuits?
NF – We have partnered with a repair wizard to work on giving longevity to the wetsuits, however we are looking into more recycling programs for 2025.
PHANTOM PRO 4.3
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