29th Feb 2024
The Inspiration Behind our Spring Summer 2024 Range
Peer behind the scenes of our latest seasons range.
Mid Season Sale Now On | Many Lines 40% off
Designing a clothing range is an incredibly involved and considered process. At Rohan, we don’t create ranges by following the high street or our competition. We design our ranges to actively enhance our customers’ experience of the outdoor world. At the start of every new range lies the question: What do we want to accomplish this season?
To learn more about the process, intention, and story behind the 2024 Spring Summer range, we sat down with our Design Manager, Alex Delong.
What was the initial concept behind the range?
A big theme for us this season was innovation.
We wanted to build on Rohan’s tradition of product innovation and trailblazing clothing technology. We were originally known as one of the first innovators within the British Outdoor Clothing industry, and this legacy still carries through in all our ranges today. But with the outdoor clothing market becoming more and more saturated, we wanted to really push the boundaries this season.
With so many brands operating in the outdoor industry, innovation can sometimes feel more like a box ticking exercise rather than true forward progression. This isn’t what we want.
What drives the innovation in a new range?
The driving force behind our innovation has always been our customers. We know who our customers are and what they do, so we create clothing that will enhance all of their experiences.
We pay very close attention to our customer feedback, and how much it influences our design directions and decisions. I regularly visit our stores and meet with our retail team to get first-hand customer insights into the ranges as they are being released.
One feature in this season that came about directly because of customer feedback, is the protective mesh cuff inside the leg of our Frontier and Savannah Trousers. We realised that a lot of people didn’t like having to tuck their trousers into their socks to protect them from intrusive insects. So we decided to create an internal mesh cuff that would allow them to get the same level of protection without needing to alter the look of their outfit.
Internal Mesh Cuff shown on the Women's Savannah Trousers.
What was the first product in the range that the team developed?
The Tamar Overhead. Creating this product was a long and involved development process lasting more than a year. The Tamar really embodies the concept of innovation and progression within this season – we wanted to create something new that would actively improve the pursuits of our customers. As far as we can see, nothing like this product currently exists in the market. Designed for outdoor exploration at your own pace, the Tamar’s feature list grew larger with every iteration as we realised just how uniquely versatile this garment could become.
We know that our customers love being outside, so we wanted to create something that would really enhance their experience of the great outdoors. From slowly exploring your local woodland, to embarking on more involved adventures – the Tamar Overhead is equipped to fully adapt to your needs.
To learn more about the Tamar Overhead's features, read our latest article 'Introducing the Tamar Overhead' here.
What inspired the new Frontier and Savannah ranges?
We wanted to expand our range of Insect Shield® clothing to make it more versatile across different activities. Protection from insects is incredibly useful across many different scenarios, so the idea behind the Frontier and Savannah ranges was to create clothes that would be just as at home in town as they would be in the wilderness. Outfits that are absolutely bursting with functionality but that are subtle enough to be worn in more casual situations.
A new feature for these ranges is the anti-pickpocket zip loops. This is a brand-new feature for us, so we were really excited about including it. We spent a lot of time refining and adjusting the loop to ensure that it would effectively secure the pocket, without making the zip mechanism overly difficult to use, as that would undermine the benefits of the feature.
Anti-Pickpocket Zip Loops shown on the Men's Frontier Jacket.
Double Insect Placket shown on the Men's Frontier Shirt.
One of the new additions on the Frontier and Savannah shirts that we’re very proud of is the double insect placket. This is a concept inspired by our range of waterproofs. Using a double placket to guard against moisture is highly effective, so it made sense to employ the same tactic to prevent bugs and insects from being able to enter our shirts.
What has been your biggest takeaway from working on this season?
Innovation isn’t about just making the newest or flashiest thing, it’s about creating features that enhance the experience of the wearer, no matter how big or small.
I think that it’s important to remember that a lot people express themselves through the clothes that they wear. We’re starting to move away from sectioning off our ranges because at the end of the day, we don’t want to limit how our customers wear our clothes. Cross compatibility between our ranges enables you to fully customise your outfits for whatever you want. We’ll provide you with a toolbox of clothes that can do anything, what you choose to do with that is up to you.
