A Swedish exchange student studying at the Wilson School of Design in Richmond has piqued the interest of Arc’teryx, a major outdoor apparel brand.
A conversation on a ski lift in Sweden with someone clad in Arc’teryx apparel introduced Emilia Steinbock to the Richmond school of design at Kwantlen Polytechnic and the possibility of collaborating with such brands while studying design.
“From there on, I was on a very determined mission to get into KPU,” she said. “There isn’t a lot of schools like this in the world.”
Steinbock, a 25-year-old student who is studying in Copenhagen, Denmark, arrived in January as a visiting student – a study abroad option offered by KPU International allowing students from another post-secondary institution to spend up to two semesters at KPU.
Studying technical apparel design at the Wilson School of Design, Steinbock further developed her idea for an avalanche airbag vest for women, a design well-suited for backcountry skiers.
It’s now piqued the interest of Arc’teryx, a North Vancouver-based brand known for its leading innovations in climbing, skiing and alpine technologies.
“It’s always hard for female athletes to find something that actually fits them well because the back is usually too long, and the straps aren’t properly adjustable for a female body. That’s where my product comes in. I’m developing a valuable product with the female as the standard that later can be developed into a unisex product.”
Steinbock is a lifelong skier, studying sustainable fashion technology at Copenhagen School of Design and Technology in Denmark.
“I moved to Vancouver with the mission of getting in contact with Arc’teryx. It took time but the experience has definitely exceeded my expectations,” says Steinbock.
She expects to graduate in January and hopes to put her skills to use at a firm such as Arc’teryx, which has already given her positive feedback on her design.
