Image Alt

Dynafit, interview with Alessandro Marengo, Senior Designer: from design to final result

By Camilla Pizzini

We interviewed Dynafit Senior Designer Alessandro Marengo, to ask him how the research and development of products is structured within the company and to find out all the news for next season.

Many people believe that design is a process composed mostly of ingenious ideas and creativity, how is it really so? And how much is a methodical work composed of a lot of research and carefully calculated choices?

A designer’s first task is to sell a product. There is a lot of methodical work behind it and a lot of research. An essential part of our work is for example the continuous collaboration with product managers. The latter is a fundamental part of how our work works. If we only design what we like we probably won’t achieve the desired results.

 

How does the development of a boss begin? From an idea or a new material? What choices are made when creating a new garment? 

Let’s say that development is divided into three phases. The first part with a market analysis by the product manager, who is the one who leads our design activity, then we are presented with a development plan for the collection that can be short-term or long-term. In the short term it is clearly a seasonal development plan, so for example: “For next year we would need these five products”. While in the long term it clearly goes as far as products that will be needed in about 5 years. Based on this criterion, briefings are also developed through market benchmarks and from there it is up to us designers to figure out how to create the best possible product.

In the second phase we designers make proposals by presenting concepts, mood-boards, sketches, colours, materials. In the last phase, on the other hand, everything is transformed into technical drawings, revisions, fittings and much more, up to a prototype phase whose timing is variable. It can take a year, like a month, to understand if what you have worked on is really ready, if it still needs to be elaborated or if, as it may happen, it can’t really work and then it is put aside.

 

Within this process, how fundamental are Dynafit’s values: speed, lightness, endurance and technology?

Our values play an indispensable and clear role in the company, precisely because we ourselves are first and foremost users of our products. So as such, if a garment does not convince us, we continue to make changes to the point where we, the users, are completely satisfied with the product.

 

How important is it for you to design and produce sustainable garments? 

I am of the opinion that, in 2020, sustainability is no longer an option, but a sine qua non, a fact. Our end customers and retailers are particularly attentive to the sustainability of our products, and require certificates that demonstrate our commitment to sustainability, such as feather certifications or recycling rates. To explain better, we have people in the company who deal exclusively with the communication and certification processes, precisely because even the smallest details are part of the process and make a difference to us. As a brand that is very focused on performance, we have decided to focus on reducing the impact as much as possible during the production phase and where possible, using only recycled materials that are certified in terms of chemical content. In the latest summer collection, for example, all t-shirts and shorts are made exclusively from recycled plastic.

 

Which materials are you focusing on for the next collections? What’s new for next year?

At the moment the biggest challenge we have is to work with ultra technical materials like Gore-Tex because in this case we have to balance the performance of the garment with the number of chemical agents needed to create the garment. It’s not always so easy to create a 100% sustainable product because you have to balance quality and durability of the material and sustainability of production. It’s a balancing act.

Share this Feature