Business news : Icebreaker introduces new fit and grading for Fall/Winter 2013

Wellington, New Zealand, Dec 11, 2012 -

Merino pioneer Icebreaker is appealing to a new generation of customers by launching a new fit and grading system for all its garments.

Populations’ body sizes have changed over time, so the New Zealand-based company hired global fit experts Alvanon to provide it with the latest global fit data to update the fit of its performance and lifestyle clothing. 

Icebreaker’s fit project aimed at creating garments that gave maximum ease of movement, are the ideal length, and had no bunching under the arms. The fit also had to be consistent in body length and width, so customers would take the same size in every style from season to season.

Rob Achten, Icebreaker Creative Director and Vice President of Product, says the three new fits – slim, regular and relaxed, depending on the style and intended use – are designed for comfortable, low-bulk layering. “Our base layers, first layers, mid layers and outer layers are designed to layer together like a single garment – without any seam chafing or zip stacking,” he says.

“We’re confident this will introduce an even wider range of people to the world’s best merino clothing.”

After creating new size charts and fit blocks, Icebreaker tested its new fit system by recruiting a group of women who all considered themselves a size medium but were actually of different shapes, proportions and body types. The test confirmed that the new garment proportions suited a wider variety of women.

The grading – the variation of fit between sizes – was also increased to capture more customers in the full spectrum of sizes.

Icebreaker validated its grading system by having its garments tried on by a group of men and women ranging in size from extra small to XX large. Their feedback confirmed the fit was much improved, and that a wider range of people looked and felt great in Icebreaker clothing.

The new fit will be introduced for all garments in Icebreaker’s Fall/Winter 2013 collection.




About Icebreaker
Icebreaker merino clothing for the outdoors, technical sports and lifestyle includes underwear, mid-layer garments, outerwear, socks and accessories for men, women and children. Icebreaker is based in Wellington, New Zealand, and is sold in more than 3000 stores in 44 countries. See icebreaker.com for more information about Icebreaker, and jeremymoon.me for more information on Icebreaker founder and CEO Jeremy Moon.

About Alvanon
Founded in 2001, the Alvanon Group of companies is the global leader in providing full service, integrated fit solutions for the apparel industry. From its head office in New York, operations center in Hong Kong and operating offices in the UK and Germany, Alvanon provides customised fit strategies and product development tools to the world’s leading fashion brands, retailers, lingerie, swimwear, sportswear, mail order and corporate clothing suppliers. Alvanon’s fit offer combines the world’s largest database of 300,000 body scans with the unparalleled expertise, products and services provided by a team of over 70 dedicated sizing and body shape professionals.

Deborah Pleva / deb@weinsteinpr.com / 503.250.4750