Kai Olson — Senior Designer at Spyder Active Sports
Kai Olson
Boulder | United States
Skills
No information
Interests
Environmental protection
Work experience
Spyder Active Sports
Senior Designer | 10/2021 - 02/2023
• Led design for mens and boys Fall 23, Spring 24, and Fall 24 collections
• Responsible for trend forecasting and creation of design direction and seasonal themes
• Created product and innovation stories for advanced concepts in the snow collection
• Partnered with company leadership in the building of seasonal color stories
• Ran pre-line meetings with key retailers across Europe and North America
• Led product team in new material identification and sourcing for Spring 24 and Fall 24 collections
• Worked with sponsored athletes on the creation of signature collections
• Designed pieces for collaborations with Supreme, Reebok, and the US Ski Team
KJUS North America
Product Engineer-Outerwear Design and Development | 09/2020 - 10/2021
• Responsible for design and development of mens, womens, and youth outerwear and accessories
• Led trend research and theme building for 2022 Winter and 2023 spring collections
• Ran fittings and handled development for new designs and over 200 carryover styles
• Managed junior designers and instruct them on how to build effective tech packs
• Trained new hires on Centric PLM software
• Built design schedules for outerwear while coordinating with vendors and sales to meet key dates
• Developed new construction techniques and fitting strategies for golf apparel
• Piloted the design/development of products/features that improve user experience & performance in backcountry conditions

686
Innovation Designer and Developer | 05/2017 - 09/2020
• Designed initial concepts and generation of initial product artwork renders
• Constructed detailed tech packs
• Generated trend, color, and market analysis reports
• Communicated with factory during all stages of development
• Created sizing charts and construction diagrams for new concepts
• Constructed sewn and 3D printed prototypes
• Co-designed the first generation Hydrastash jacket and sole designer for expanded range of hydrastash products which won 8 best in show awards at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show
• Designed and developed products for 686’s first ever spring and everyday carry collections
