Snowroller creates retro ski apparel that will make you the fashion star of the slope. But it's not only about fashion. In April 2020 the startup was awarded by The Research Council of Norway with 1MNOK to transform Snowroller to more environmentally conscious business. The startup uses recycled materials in the production of the ski apparel and is now working on developing of "the deposit systems".
6AM: Tell us about your team?
S: Our team consists of Linnea (CEO), Eva (CMO) and Caroline (Designer). Linnea is responsible for managing finances, logistics and production. Eva is in charge of marketing, collaborations and brand building. Caroline designs the technical sketches and is in control of the fitting and details of the products. Both Linnea and Eva hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and are about to finish their Master’s degree at NTNU School of Entrepreneurship. Caroline has a bachelor’s from ESMOD School of Design and is also working in another fashion company as of today.
6AM: Tell us about the product?
S: Snowroller creates ski apparel in collaboration with its customers and influencers. The product takes sustainability into consideration at every step of the value chain and aims to extend the product lifetime by offering deposit schemes and recycled materials. The deposit system will be developed this summer, making our customers able to “deposit” their ski suits and receive a discount code to use on new products in our webshop. We will inspect the used ski clothes and sell them through a second-hand store. When it comes to recycled material, our factory in China has subcontractors that create recycled, certificated material made out of plastic bottles collected from the ocean.
6AM: What is unique about Snowroller?
S: Snowroller differentiates itself by being innovative in the way we develop our business model and involve our customers in product development. We have a focus group of 25 people in the target group who come with their thoughts and input on the design of a new collection, for example, color choices, type of products, details, etc. In addition, we use social media to collect more quantitative data from customers through tools like polls on Instagram Story. The team has worked a lot with getting to know the target audience, which makes Snowroller able to really understand our customers' pain points, needs and how to communicate with them. This has lead to great customer loyalty and satisfaction.
6AM: Do you remember how you got the idea that has later become Snowroller?
S: Snowroller was founded in 2017 after Linnea and her friends had spent the Easter holiday in Trysil. They were tired of their simple and not “outstanding” ski apparel and wanted something that made them stand out on the slopes and at after-ski. At this time, the 80s inspired ski suits were taken back into fashion, and Linnea started to ask different people if retro ski suits could be something people would love to wear in the mountains. In November 2017, Snowroller was launched in the Norwegian market with great success, ending up selling 550 pieces that season.
6AM: What is the best thing about being an entrepreneur? What’s the most challenging one?
S: The best thing about being an entrepreneur is the ownership you get to your startup. The ability to build something, and see that all the work you put into it creates something valuable for other people. Your job is also your passion, and that motivates you to work really hard. The most challenging thing that we have experienced so far is the work-life balance. It’s been difficult at times to balance school, startup, working out and time with friends and family. We need to prioritize, and that’s not always easy. Luckily, we get to fully focus on our startup from June 2020 as we are graduating in a few weeks.
6AM: What is the most challenging about the situation now?
S: We have been affected by Covid-19 which resulted in a rapid ending of our season early in March. Usually, March and April are our best-selling months due to the Easter holidays, but this year the sales numbers were much lower. However, we are looking forward to a new winter season, and hopefully, the ski resorts and after-skis will be open again within that time.
From left to right: Eva Røgler and Linnea Tveraaen, Snowroller logo, Snowroller ski apparel
Photo credit: Snowroller