Head 21/22 Goggles Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Goggles 21/22 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Head
Interviewee: Katharina Acham, Jr. Marketing Manager

What are your main price points for next season?
230 – 200 EUR Goggles featuring photochromic 5K lens
210 – 180 EUR Goggles with polarized 5K lens
160 – 130 EUR Goggles with 5K lens and additional spare lens included
110 – 90 EUR Goggles featuring 5K lens
60 – 50 EUR Goggles with a full mirror coated lens
40 – 30 EUR Kids goggles

With the development of our new CONTEX platform, we are fully focusing on offering high-tech, stylish product packed with features and high contrast lens 5K and Laminated Double Lens LDL on price points under 100 EUR!

How healthy is the market in Europe?
The entire winter sports industry feels the impact of the current situation. With lockdowns and many ski resorts currently closed in Europe, it looks like we are all facing a tough winter season in 20/21. However, there are also some positive signs, especially for accessories like helmets & goggles.

What is the impact of COVID-19 on consumer demand and supply chains in your segment?
The full impact of COVID-19 on the demand of our customers cannot be seen so far. Of course, many people are cautious at the moment. But we’ve witnessed in the summer, people want to go out and enjoy the sports they love. There is nothing better than exercising outdoors; people are eager to go out and enjoy the snow – once it arrives!

Luckily, our supply chains are not affected by the Corona situation, and we can deliver in time.

How are you supporting retailers through the pandemic situation?
In general, we introduce highlight products or new technologies in the goggles segment every year and except for the carry-over products, all our goggles get new designs each season – perfectly matching to HEAD helmets.

This is a policy we have been working with over the past years which our business partners have accepted well. For the coming season, we also do carry-over items for the ones that need to sell off their inventories. The carry-over products provide our retailers with more security in these uncertain times, as they can plan and sell their stock for more than one season.

But we also offer a total new goggle platform (CONTEX PRO/ CONTEX) and are introducing 5K, a revolutionary lens technology in season 21/22 to the ones that had a good season the last winter.

CONTEX

Besides, our subsidiaries have national support programs, which they discuss individually with our partners. However, do not forget – we are in this boat together, it is a give and take.

What are your top three product stories for 2021?
The new lens technology: 5K. See Crystal Clear.
5K is a formula used in lens production, developed by HEAD. It was created to specifically boost colour brilliance and contrast, while not being tiring at the same time. 5K technology was applied on a lot of goggle models within the line 21/22.

Introducing our all-new new goggle platform CONTEX PRO/ CONTEX
Modern design, innovative features, and supreme 5K lens technology – this is our new CONTEX line. Choose between several colourways, including some limited editions – to fit any individual face form, every model in this line is available in medium and large.

MAGNIFY – HEAD’s first goggle with a magnetic lens exchange solution enabling to swap lenses on the go without any hassle and many more very useful features, like its superior field of vision!

MAGNIFY

Any new shapes for 2021?
The all-new CONTEX PRO/ CONTEX was designed from scratch to develop a modern goggle with innovative features, like 5K or its laminated double lens, enhancing the wearer’s vision, comfort, and ease of use and is easy on the budget at the same time.

What are the tints/colours on trend this season?
This season we focus on three different base lens colours, red, violet, and light rose, depending on the field of application of the goggle.
Independent of the base colour we use different mirror coating colours: All our photochromic lenses come in a greenish coating (CAT S1-S3), whereas our polarized lenses (CAT S3) have a violet/ red coating. Classic colours are gold (CAT S3) and chrome (CAT S2) coating colours which you can find in each of our goggle series that feature 5K lenses. Besides those classic colours, we defined red (CAT S2) and blue (CAT S3) 5K lenses as our trendy highlight colours within our goggles line for season 21/22.

The blue lens in combination with our orange frame and strap design looks stunning and is definitely an eye-catching model!

How important is helmet compatibility in your strategy?
Helmet compatibility is highly important regarding goggle development. Therefore, our product development departments work very closely together to guarantee the wearer perfect matches, resulting in perfect helmet goggle combinations regarding the design and look, but more important concerning the product use.

With the latest development of our CONTEX PRO/ CONTEX goggle we set a great value on the match of it with our helmets. Therefore, we, for instance, considered and coordinated features like the ventilation of both in combination to avoid fogging within your goggle. Or developed optimized traction straps, whereas the straps outlets of the goggle are placed in the front assuring the wearer a snug and secure goggle fit when worn together with a helmet. Also, the seamless transition of helmet and goggles is important, avoiding wind, snow, or water coming in.

The guys in our office developing helmets and goggles sit next to each other and have an ongoing exchange, to assure a perfect match between those categories.

What new technical features are debuting for 2021?
LDL Laminated Double Lens:
For a standard double-lens construction, an inner lens is glued to an outer lens. The space between the lenses reduces the angle of the field of vision.
For LDL, the inner lens is laminated directly onto the outer lens. Therefore, there is no more space between the lenses which increases the field of vision by 15%.

Optimized Traction Straps:
The straps outlets of this goggle are placed in the front, therefore assuring a snug and secure fit when worn together with a helmet, by optimizing the traction applied.

Dynamic Ventilation System:
The ventilation system is designed to allow air to enter the goggle from three sides, therefore creating an airstream which assures a perfect climate inside the goggle.

Which lens technologies/coatings are key for next season?
5K – The challenging and ever-changing weather and light conditions on the mountain require lenses that help you to see crystal clear in any conditions. This is why we invented 5K lens technology. Lens technology is based on the principle to filter the incoming, visible light, and optimize the perception of colour and contrast. Depending on the purpose of a specific lens, those filter characteristics are different and are reflected in the transmission curve. The most important factor to define the characteristics of the lens is the lens dye. Depending on the formula of the dye, the filter characteristics can be optimized to only focus on specific wavelengths of the visual light spectrum, hence controlling brightness, colour brilliance, and contrast. The formula for this lens dye is the highest brand asset – HEADs formula is called 5K.

5K is featured in several goggle platforms within the goggle line in the 21/22 season and is available in several lens tints, depending on the light conditions on the mountain.

Photochromic Lens – HEAD initially introduces photochromic lenses within the goggle line in season 21/22. Photochromic lenses automatically adapt its lens tone between categories S1 to S3, depending on the weather conditions. The lens is toned down in bright, sunny conditions and allows more light to enter the eyes in cloudy, overcast weather conditions.

Please name and describe your 3 highlight pieces and items that retailers should definitely order.
CONTEX PRO/ CONTEX
The all-new CONTEX line ticks all boxes in terms of features, function, and design while being easy on the budget. Depending on the model (PRO or standard version), the goggles are packed with different features:

CONTEX PRO is packed with tons of features and style. The new Laminated Double lens is enhancing the field of vision by 15%, compared with traditional double-lens construction – it also has supreme anti-fog treatment and reduces lens glare. The unrestricted field of vision is supported by our new 5K lens technology, boosting contrast and colour brilliance.

The MAGNIFY
Ever-changing weather and light conditions in the mountains are daily challenges. Therefore we developed the MAGNIFY, HEAD’s first goggle with a magnetic lens exchange solution enabling to swap lenses on the go and adapting yourself to the changing conditions without any hassle. By using the biggest lens option possible a superior field of vision is guaranteed, both vertically and horizontally. The straps of the MAGNIFY are guided over an angled ramp, optimizing the traction applied when wearing it together with a helmet, for a snug and secure fit. Another great feature is its sealing lip that secures the lens in position even in case of a fall and prevents any air, snow, or water from entering the inside of the goggle. This goggle offers OTG (over the glasses) allowing the wearer to wear prescription glasses under the goggle as it offers enough volume on the inside and as the face form is moulded on the sides to give space to the temples of the glasses.

The MAGNIFY is available in multiple lens dyes, all featuring 5K lens technology and designs. There is also a racing version available, called SENTINEL. The SENTINEL has the same features as the MAGNIFY, except for the magnetic lens exchange. For the racing department, we rather use an absolute secure lens exchange mechanism, where the lens is fixed with hooks instead of magnets.

SOLAR 2.0
Not for nothing we received the ISPO WINNER award for these goggles. The SOLAR platform is a revolution in winter sports eye protection. It is a slim-line, lightweight goggle with a frame-free construction. The face foam is fitted directly onto a toric double lens, creating the perfect goggle for style-conscious, fun time winter sports enthusiasts with a small wallet. The SOLAR is available as an adult and kids version, both available with full- mirror coated lenses for bright weather conditions but also bad weather lenses. For season 21/22 the bestseller SOLAR received a facelift, resulting in the SOLAR 2.0 with a new fresh design direction.