Retail Buyer’s Guide: Water Helmets 2023

RETAIL BUYER’S GUIDE

WATER HELMETS 2023

The explosion of foil has boosted the sales of water helmets. The challenge is to secure stock levels that meet the demand. By Rocio Enriquez.

BERN

Dedicated water helmet brands enjoy the increased sales. Mult sports brands turn their focus to water sports. Atenton to head injuries has increased signifcantly. “As people take bigger risks, they care about protectng their head”, says Ben Kamlet from Bern. Top wakeboarders and wing and kite foilers wear it. The current Big Air Kiteboarding champion won his ttle wearing one. That image takes the helmet cause further than any paid advertsing. Improved looks and ft help, as does the rise in water sports rentals. There is nothing like wearing a rental helmet to persuade one about the benefts of owning one. Most brands expect their biggest growth in wing and kite foiling.

SHAPES AND CONSTRUCTIONS

Classic skate cuts and brimmed styles remain the most popular. In the frst lot we fnd Bern’s Macon 2.0 H2O, Liquid Force’s Flash and Hero, Triple Eight’s Sweatsaver Halo and Sandbox’s Legend. ProTec had their skateboard helmets CE EN1385 certfed. “The Classic Skate, the Bucky and the Full Cut Skate are where we’ll see more business from”, says R.P. Bess. As for brimmed styles, there is Triple Eight’s Gotham, Liquid Force’s Nico Pro, Bern’s Hendrix H2O and the Classic by Sandbox. Gath tweaks their full cut design to suit diferent water sports. The Neo features a neoprene headband on an open shell, enabling peripheral vision. The SFC is a lightweight surf cap. The Gedi is a traditonal, mult-impact protecton style. Ion’s SS23 line up is completely new. The Slash helmet, with a 360º adjustment system, is ideal for freestyle, wake park or foil riding. The high-end style Mission is ideal for foil racing. “It has been developed towards the needs of the America’s Cup sailing teams”, reveals Julian Lange. TSG bets it all to their new All Terrain helmet. It comes as a set of shell plus two pairs of ear pads, one for water sports and one for winter sports. The top ventng can be closed, and it is certfed for water sports, bike and ski.

MATERIALS

The materials used for the shell, foam and lining determine a helmet’s level of protecton and comfort. ABS shells are popular. We fnd them in Bern, Liquid Force, Triple Eight and Sandbox. Ion uses ABS in their Slash helmet. For their high-end Mission they prefer an in-mould polycarbonate shell. Gath and Jobe opt for a high-quality plastc shell. Regarding impact foam, we fnd combinatons with EPP, EPS, EVA and others. Bern uses a sof and comfortable EPP foam fused to a closed-cell EVA. Triple Eight and Sandbox choose lightweight and quick-dry EVA foam. Ion features mult-impact EPP lining in their Slash model, and EPS padding in their Mission one. Liquid Force combines a closed-cell impact foam with an open-cell comfort one. Jobe uses a double density foam liner. As for linings, Liquid Force uses French terry liners. Bern opts for a neoprene fabric. Triple Eight has revamped their line to include their Sweatsaver wicking material.

LOOKS AND ACCESSORIES

Next Summer’s palete features neutral mates sprinkled with glossy brights. There are collaboratons. Follow’s pro model with Pedro Caldas features a thumbprint graphic. The Alex Aulbach one carries the Tobacco graphic. Liquid Force works with wakeboarder Claudia Paganini. Her helmet sports a mate fnish, two-colour spray fade, half blue and half bubblegum pink. Their collaboraton with Nico von Lerchenfeld and pop artst Nane remains. Pro-Tec’s third collaboraton with Wesley Mark Jacobsen features his own artwork on a translucent white plastc style. Ana Nikstad also signs her own artwork for Sandbox. Ear pads are common. Ion’s Mission helmet comes with removable ones. TSG adds them to their skateboard helmets to make them water sports friendly. Gath ofers them along with visors and Go Pro mountngs. Follow replaces them for a wetsuit beanie. The Mix’n’Match philosophy is popular. “Every 2023 product you buy can match our helmets”, says William Doornekamp from Jobe. Liquid Force’s helmets match their vests. Ion’s helmets match their wetsuits and harnesses.

RETAILER SUPPORT

Bern, Triple Eight and Jobe invest on retailer educaton. The Jobe Academy is an online training tool for retailers’ staf. Digital assets are key. Follow makes them available for retailers before the product hits the stores. Ion’s campaign includes digital advertsing, team rider actvaton and media reviews. Liquid Force shoots every athlete in their helmets. There is in-store POS too. Bern ofers displays and branded merchandising. Ion ofers specifc helmet hooks that work on any slat wall. Sandbox manufactures free-standing display racks. Gath prioritses dealers’ business over their D2C sales to secure the stock they need. Every brand feels the impact of material scarcity and costs increase, but they make eforts to sofen the blow. Jobe has made their range trans seasonal, enabling larger stocks. Overall, brands look at their producton processes to secure reasonable lead tmes and stock levels. Visit our website to see in depth brand previews of this category.

BOARDSPORTSOURCE.COM HIGHLIGHTS

1 Wing and kite foiling driving helmet sales 2 Classic skate cuts and brimmed styles popular 3 Matte neutral colours with some glossy bright pops. 4 Pro models and artist collaborations.