Women’s participation in outdoor pursuits is growing and brands across the outdoor industry are well aware of it – including Mustang Survival. This spring, the Canadian company launched a brand new lineup for women on the water – and we can thank Sophie Laliberte, Vanessa Fors and their team for it.
Their story – and therefore, in part, Mustang’s – is a meandering journey. The company has fifty years of experience in protecting and enhancing life on the water. And over the course of the past few years, they took that experience and applied it to a new goal: develop a line of products designed for women, by women.
While from opposite ends of Canada, both Sophie and Vanessa have family roots in the outdoors, educations rooted in fashion and professional experiences spanning the sports and outdoor industries.
Sophie has worked in the outdoor industry all her life, collaborating with brands that embrace creating the right products for women – from cycling to running to small companies and big corporations.
Vanessa grew up living off the land, where an outdoor lifestyle was woven into the culture of her family. It is obvious that her long history of working for sports apparel companies prepared her to help co-lead the women’s line efforts at Mustang.
The new collection aims to provide women in marine sport, adventure and professions with gear that works better, fits better and performs better thanks to an ergonomic fit and rigorous testing. Mustang co-collaborators (Vanessa & Sophie) tag-teamed the lineup – with some inspiration from Mustang athlete and renowned sailor, Emily Nagel. The team conducting body mapping, tested varieties of each size, put each piece through relentless testing and combined it all to create a top quality product line with an exceptional fit.
Vanessa’s favorite piece: Torrens Thermal Crew Jacket
Why: “Sophie’s design is so thoughtful….[she] nailed it!”, says Vanessa. ”[The Torrens] is a mid-layer that you can wear no matter what you’re doing. It can take you from sailing to fishing to paddling [and] as that mid layer piece, Sophie selected Polartec Alpha, so it’s very lightweight and thin, yet incredibly functional.”
Sophie’s favorite piece: Callen Pant
Why: “I live in the Torrens…but I use the [packable/waterproof] Callen Jacket and Pant quite a lot as well“, shares Sophie. “The Callen Pant is an amazing waterproof trouser that is really versatile for any sport – lightweight, breathable, the cut…our pattern maker really did justice to embrace the shape of women”.
One thing is certain, the duo has taken their varied life experiences and combined their passion for women’s gear to successfully develop a lineup that exceeds expectation. To learn more about the brand’s first-ever women’s-specific collection – including waterproof jacket and pants, dry suits and crew jacket – visit www.mustangsurvival.com
