See this review of Ski A to Z, reviewed for Travelmag by Donna Richardson.
Thanks to Donna for this review. Donna’s review includes…
“This is a book you almost need to read twice, first for the beautiful pictures and then the information. What sets it apart from other ski manuals is the visual feast that lifts the words off the page as your eye darts from the words to the image – as a visual learner, I was engaged by this approach a lot more than any other book and I couldn’t put it down.”
“Over the past few weeks, I have found myself returning to thumb over the illustrations as well as the text, each time ensuring that I learn something new. As a result, I am sure next time I am back in the mountains, I will be a more confident, knowledgeable skier, and I am spending much more time down the dry ski slope too.”
Fall-Line magazine have created a goggle wipe using my ‘Get The Right Kit’ design.
Following the success of the t-shirt design that I created for the magazine, the publishers have licensed the design for a goggle cloth for skiers and snowboarders.
The cloth has my ‘Get The Right Kit’ ski/snowsports icons design on one side and has a handy check list on the reverse side. The cloth looks and feels great with a slight hombre in the blue fabric. It’s designed for ski and snowsports goggles but I am finding that also works for sunglasses, glasses and even tech screens.
The cloth is going out as a gift to the magazine subscribers with the February magazine, those buying the February magazine will also receive the cloth. To order the magazine head here.
See the goggle cloth in this Tik Tok filmed high up on the glacier in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. See the ice in the background. It was -24 so gloves stayed on!
If you’re in the UK it is also possible to order the goggle wipes in the Fall-Line magazine shop at this link. Those ordering, do let me know how you get on and please share any pics with the tags @inspirebykim and @falllinemag
The wipe is made by Wipeout who also offer ski piste maps on wipes, and even underwear – which could get chilly if you were trying to check a ski route on a cold day!
If you don’t already have the t-shirt, I highly recommend the product, its organic cotton and plastic free packaging, and the service from Teemill is swift, you can order this here in men’s cut, women’s cut in a range of sizes and colours. Ideal for Apres-ski, keeping up the ski vibe, or connecting with other skiers as it’s such a talking point.
Check out my ski wear concepts at these links, these designs are available for licensing at the time of writing.
My latest design concepts are some of my ski/snowsport themed fabric designs as ski jackets.
As I was heading to Slide & Outdoor Trade Show 2023 I completed mock-ups to be able show how I see the designs being used.
I first created a jacket design with features that I feel are important. I focused on a women’s jacket design with stretchy waist sections, expandable pockets, a removable inside of collar so that can be washed. I also of course included a lift pass pocket, and added a sunglasses pocket, and a large hidden pocket for the hollow of the back where goggles, a hat or a book could be carried.
Read on for more features of the jackets. I’ve chosen three of my 20+ ski and snowsport themed designs – ski goggle reflections, ski snow flakes and ski states.
Once I had created the jacket design I placed my fabric design onto it and added light and shade to demonstrate form. I created the mock-ups in my favourite creative app Procreate, with my iPad and Apple Pencil.
Here are the designs…
For comfort the design has underarm zipped vents. Stretchy cuffs ensure there is no gap between jacket and glove, and the hood is large enough to fit over a helmet for those cold, blowy days.
Reflective details are a safety element of the design concept. The contrasting hood interiors are bright and could be reversible to make them extra visible in low light or white out conditions, making them easier to follow or spot on the mountain.
I took a print out of the designs to Slide & OTS 2023 to show to ski industry contacts.
These jacket mock ups complement the earlier base layer, mid layer, neck wear and shirt designs. See those on these posts.
If you’re a ski wear company or manufacturer and would like to discuss licensing these or others of my 20+ fabric design please email inspirebykim@outlook.com
Also check out my ski and snowsports interior concepts here.
See my ski and snowsport themed fabrics ar my Spoonflower shop.
Following on from the neck gator/buff designs that I shared in the previous post I’ve created mid and base layer mock-ups using my surface pattern designs. I’m keen to talk to skiwear companies about licensing and collaboration.
Here they are…
Mid Layer Design Mock-ups
I’ve created these mock-ups op mid layer tops. The designs could be applied to stretchy technical fabrics or lightweight fleece.
These would have a small collar, and quarter zips for comfort and ventilation. They would be a good length to not be riding up and leaving a gap between trousers and top. The underarm panel could be a thinner mesh fabric for added comfort.
These mid layer designs are intended to be worn over base layers., My design concepts/ideas for base layers follow.
Base Layer Design Mock-ups
To show how my fabric designs can work as ski/snowsportbase layers I’ve created these mock-ups.
Ideally the base layer designs would have thumb holes for use on colder days for cosines, to help close up gaps between clothing where the cold can get in.
The kegs could be in two length options, full length legs and 3/4 length for those who prefer to keep base layers out of boots.
Comfortable, stretchy fabrics with some compression to benefit performance, and quality which wicks moisture away from the skin and reduces odour. So ideally they would feel good in terms of both comfort, have joy promoting motifs, smell good and look good.
Base layers can last for years and can have use for other mountain, outdoor and cold weather activities.
These are just a few mock-ups. With over 20 designs in my collection there are options which are great for adults and children.
Do you create skiwear/accessories?
If you are a skiwear or snowsports company then please get in touch. I’m keen to explore collaboration and licensing opportunities, please email me at inspirebykim@outlook.com
Designs can be exclusive for your products or a territory or market. The designs can incorporate your logo or brand.
More To Come…
Watch this space to see upcoming outerwear designs. Subscribe to not miss new posts as they appear.
Are you a maker/crafter?
If you are a maker and are inspired to make using my fabric designs then you can order print on demand fabrics* from my Spoonflower shop. Please do share pictures of what you make as I’d love to see the what you have been inspired to create.
*The designs shown are available for licensing and print on demand at the time of posting. When designs are licensed they may no longer be available as print on demand.
Thanks so much.
Kim
Related Posts
See the related posts to see fabric designs applied to garments, home decor and more.
Keen for my fabric designs to be used on ski apparel I am mocking up how the designs look on different items, in order to suggest my designs for ski companies.
I have applied 8 of my 20+ fabric designs onto mock-ups to show the fabrics patterns and how these would look on the skier or snowboarder. All of my 20+ designs can be seen at my Spoonflower Inspire by Kim print on demand shop.
The first clothing application of my designs is for neck buffs/ neck warmers for skiing. These would be on stretchy fleece for cold days or on lighter fabrics for use on days that aren’t quite as cold.
Neck buffs are important for staying cosy and comfortable on the mountain and they are a relatively straightforward product to create and so this felt like a good place to start. As they come up around the face to protect from the elements, whether that be snow or sun they are a key item. As they are breathed through skiers may have more than one buff with them on a trip.
The fabric designs use ski and snowsport icons to create colourful, bold, modern prints. Some of the art used in the designs can also be seen in Ski A to Z – An Illustrated Introduction To Skiing. More information about Ski A to Z is here.
If you have a particular favourite, please let me know in the comments. Contact me on email to discuss licensing of designs inspirebykim@outlook.com
In the week leading up to Boston Snowbound Expo I brought my ski and snowsports fabric designs together in this ski bunny character.
The fabrics are all in my Spoonflower shop here. The fabric used is the Petal Signature Cotton.
The fabric designs used for the bunny are Ski Icons, Snow Crystals on Warm Colours, Ski Goggle Reflections, Ski Peaks, Ski Isometric Pattern, Heart Plaid and Ski Fun. He has a heart on one paw symbolising love and the sun on the other paw for light.
Here is the bunny as part of my display at Snowbound Expo at the Hynes Convention Centre in Boston, Massachusetts last weekend.
He was alongside the swatch book of my designs and on fabric samples used as tablecloth sections.
I chose from my 25 fabric designs to cut, sew and stuff this new character.
He started as a sketch, after taking shape in my mind for a while.
I planned the fabric pieces for contrast and variety.
After cutting all the fabric pieces, managing not to start sewing before I had done this, I then started to bring the pieces together.
I’m not the best at sewing but I wanted to show one way that the fabrics could be used, to help inspire people for their projects.
The shoulders and feet were particularly tricky.
When I previously made a stuffed character I struggled with the fiddleiness and small seam allowances. So this time I added interfacing on the reverse of all the fabrics to make them easier to work with.
It feels like magic to sew with fabrics that I designed. Thanks to Spoonflower for printing them so vibrant and detailed.
This little dude is set to travel. He got his eyes sewn on Monday and flew to the United States on Tuesday.
It was great to chat about sewing projects and discuss ideas at the booth. So he now just needs a name. You can email your suggestion or add it in the comments.
See this short animated video clip of him here. No sooner was he completed that he went off skiing! Animated in Aardman Animation’s ‘Animate It’ app.
The Inspire by Kim shop on Spoonflower has over 20 ski, snowsports and winter themed designs to choose from. Select the designs you wish to order, select the type of fabric from voile to velvet, decide the quantity, and Sooonflower print it on demand and ship it to you. Find my shop here.
I’m keen to see whatever is made in the fabrics so please share it on email to inspirebykim@outlook.com or on social media please tag it @inspirebykim
As a special birthday gift I painted this artwork for my best friend Katy, hang gliding in the mountains.
When we had this experience in the French Alps as youngsters my friend’s photo never arrived. So now she has a painting to remember the experience by.
I used online research, my black and white photo of the experience, and photos of Katy around that age, to create the sketches for the piece.
The hang glider’s camera was mounted on the wing and during the flight the pilot took the shot by remote control. The photos were then developed and (in theory) posted.
My Hang Gliding Picture
Setting off with skis pointed straight down the slope until the wing took flight and gliding over the resort below was exhilarating. I remember that it was chilly and I felt the elements as I was wearing my race suit as I had raced giant slalom earlier that day.
Each member of Katy’s family took the hang glider and all four pictures went missing, so the experience has always had the disappointment of the photos not arriving, associated with it.
The hang gliding on skis experience was in Alpe d’Huez, France when we were there for the English Championship Easter races.
Painted in Kuretaki watercolours on 100% cotton paper.
I framed the painted and surprised Katy with it for her birthday.
National Snow Show: It was lovely to see Katy reunited with Chammy Alcott at my stand at the National Snow Show in Birmingham last month. Chemmy and Katy room shared for a time during their ski racing careers.
This new artwork is for this darling human. Loved by so many of us. Thanks Katy for all your love and support, and for being you.
Having helped my husband and stepchildren (then aged 5 and 8, to prepare and head onto the slopes I know it’s no mean feat to get non-skiers up and skiing, A fun, safe start in the sport, as a foundation for them to build on is what I hoped for. All this and over 40 years of skiing fed into the writing and illustrations of Ski A to Z
Ski A to Z is like an all knowing ski friend, it’s packed with information, advice and tips to save time, money and effort in your family’s skiing, more information and links to get your copy are here.
Ski A to Z is published by Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK).
Inspire by Kim 