MISTRAL WING S/S 2025 PREVIEW
Retail Buyers Guide: Wing S/S 2025 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Mistral
Interviewee: Steve West
What are the main trends in Wing construction, materials and design?
The use of Hookipa fabric has become more commonplace regarding upgrading designs across the board, and we’re seeing an ever-evolving tweaking of panel cuts and positioning. We’re not far from exhausting actual wing shapes and cuts, and it will be interesting to see if wings begin incorporating laminated sections to improve the overall aerodynamics. By this, I mean carbon fibre sectioning, which some backyard first-of-type pioneers are already playing with, which is costly, but that’s the performance trade-off. Additionally, such ideas as turnbuckles for tensioning and wings remain a relatively primitive form of propulsion, so we are at a crossroads in the absence of radical thinking.
What customer profile is driving the most product demand at the moment?
Demand still remains high for entry-level riders.
Which of your 2024 wings has sold best and why?
In relation to wing size, 5m seems to be the sweet spot, with the smaller sizes being taken up by kids and high wind riders and the larger sizes by heavier riders.
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How many wing designs will you offer in 2025, and which do you expect to grow the most?
We currently offer two differing wing designs, one of which is offered in a choice of construction using Hookipa for the leading edge and fuselage strut. The regular Dacron-constructed wings remain top sellers due to their price point, while the Hookipa rigs are finding appeal with intermediate to advanced riders.
What materials and construction techniques are you using for your 2025 range?
A mix of Dacron and Hookipa or all Dacron construction to meet differing budgets, and we’ve maintained our adherence to radial cut panels as a stand-out design statement with strong merits regarding improving canopy stability.
Are there any standout collaborations or pro models in your 2025 collection
Our Skywave range uses the Dacron/Hookipa construction mix and represents our top-end offering. We’re not in a collaboration progress, though our original collaborative work with Hyde paid off in creating our first-of-type design, which continues to perform exceptionally well.
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How have you implemented sustainability in your production and shipping processes?
To the extent that we are limiting packaging and the use of plastics. The greatest challenge in such a quest is gaining the cooperation of the factories, who generally see such measures as inconvenient unless they are regulated internally within their own country, and that’s generally not the case for Asian countries.
How will you support retailers in selling your 2025 wings?
We have an online portal to streamline our ordering process for retailers, which we are constantly improving. Our staff levels have increased so that we have people on the road and are better equipped to deal with enquiries and offer support.
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