SOÖRUZ WETSUITS S/S 2025 PREVIEW

Retail Buyers Guide: Wetsuits S/S 2025 Retail Buyers Guide
Brand: Soöruz
Interviewee: Marin, product development

There has never been so many participants out there in the water, however the retailers wetsuit hangers still display some 2023 SKUs: How was the 2024 market and order levels?
Our order intake for 2024 is good. SOÖRUZ continues to innovate and differentiate. Our products are in high demand and rare. We have maintained our margins and those of our dealers, with a public selling price that has been respected, despite massive destocking. It’s true that more and more people are going to the water, and not just surfers. The vast majority of watersports are growing in numbers. There’s a lot of overstocking, but it’s mainly targeted at the big historic brands and the low-value-added wetsuits they’ve been mass-producing. The market can’t absorb this quantity of products.

The production life cycle of a wetsuit is 2 to 3 years generally. Beyond mere carry overs, how should we extend that life cycle of the product, avoiding aggressive discounts and bettering the environmental impact?
The first thing is to produce the quantities we can sell at the right price. We need to get out of overproduction, because overconsumption is over, after years of dramatic damage to the environment. Let’s make sustainable products at the right price. The entire sector needs to revise its overall sales capacity downwards. But it’s better to do less and make money, rather than a sell-off battle that drags the whole profession down. The leaders have a big responsibility.

The 3/2 fullsuit is the piece de resistance of the spring-summer range, what are the latest developments within your collection (men, women, youth)?
In 2025, the 3/2 SOÖRUZ is a formidable force to be reckoned with. As usual, we’ve worked on a number of points. Easier entry, eco-conception, repairability and always first and foremost, performance in use. The performance levels of the FIGHTER and DIVINE ranges are incredible for wetsuits costing less than €300. Dans chaque gamme nous proposons le meilleur rapport « qualité performance prix » du marché. In each range, we offer the best “quality-performance-price” ratio on the market.

Among the various summer silhouettes (springsuit, short/leg fullsuit, long/short john, jacket) which are bestselling (men, women, youth)? And what do you offer in these segements?
Our range is very wide, with many options depending on the use. We meet our customers’ expectations as closely as possible. We like to meet them and spend time both in the water and at events. The long-sleeved shorty remains a must-have for summer surfing.

Which neoprene options did you use for SS25?
From Winter 24, all SOÖRUZ wetsuits, including our entry-level and school wetsuits, will be produced with our exclusive ORGANIC OYSTERPRENE foam. This is a major challenge and a unique commitment in the industry with our broad range. Our previous OYSTERPRENE foam is used by around ten brands today. Once again, starting next year, we are opening up the use of our ORGANIC OYSTERPRENE to brands wishing to reduce the impact of their production. We hope that petroleum-based wetsuits will soon be banned from sale.

Tell us about your colours and graphics, Do you favor gender-neutral colors/prints or sundry graphics?
Full of fun, happyness, colors and graphics, we let you discover

Key Products:

ORGANIC-OYSTERPRENE-DIVINE-FULLSUIT: