I co-founded Struktur Event, the first design conference for the $373B outdoor apparel and equipment industry. We curate design leaders from across the industry, including ArcTeryx, Outlier, The North Face, and BioLite. We also bring thought leaders from outside the industry, like Jan Chipchase, Roman Mars, and William Lidwell. It is important to us that we foster a sense of connection with the wider practice of design, and explore opportunities to cross-disciplines whenever possible.
We also love bringing inspirational presenters like Roman Mars, Zoë Keating, and Amy Ross. She’s NASA’s lead engineer for the spacesuit for the Mars mission. There’s perhaps no garment more technical than a personal spacecraft!
We’ve expanded our programming to include experiential learning. Designers love to work hands-on with the latest tools, materials, and processes, so we bring partners like Autodesk, The Biomimicry Institute, Wacom, and others to teach workshops on everything from fabric development, low-fidelity prototyping, biomimicry, and sketching.
Now in our fifth year, we see we’ve created a true community. People have found their next jobs through the conference, launched new businesses and formed new partnerships. We’re excited for where the industry is going, and we firmly believe a strong design practice will continue to drive how people dress and experience the outdoors.