Recently a friend sent me a podcast about a 2006 French athlete who happens to be starting his own new ski brand from scratch. His name is Antoine Dénériaz, who won the 2006 Olympic Downhill in Sestriere, Italy.
The reason why he’s embarking on this challenging business development is summarized in his company philosophy, that focuses on the skier genuine Alpine origins, his appreciation for excellent, carefully crafted equipment and objects of beauty.
These qualities are typical of most luxury products. It’s all in the ether and not necessarily in the realm of tangible product features and user’s benefits. Luxury products are at the whims of what’s fashionable today and can vanish much more easily than they come to market.
Need some examples? Lacroix or Volant skis. Moreover, skis fall into a tough product category. They’re a real commodity as they are to skiing what tires are to automobile driving. Aside from lightweight and stability, two opposite qualities that have yet to be blended into one single product, there doesn’t seem to be much room for innovation.
The same can’t be said about ski boots or ski bindings that are both plagued with some very vexing shortcomings, like weight, ease of entry and exit, warmth, walk-ability for boots, or greater convenience and enhanced protection for bindings.
These could be seen as unsolvable goals to attain, yet I’m confident that someday, someone smart will resolve them markedly. Product innovation is what makes a start-up viable and lasting. Simply creating a faddish product may get a brand going, but won’t sustain it for long.
At least, that is my humble “two-cents”. In the meantime, I wish Antoine a lasting patience, continued creativity and very deep pockets!
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