Stockholm-based industrial designers Norra Norr have partnered with Yniq, a Swedish eyewear company founded in 2009, to create a new series of ski goggles that straddle the line between fashion accessory and protective eyewear. The studio collaborated closely with freeride skiier and Yniq co-founder Jon Olsson in the design and development of the goggles.
Taking inspiration from the materials, finishes and forms of high-end sunglasses and watches, Yniq had a clear vision of how to move protective eyewear beyond the sports industry into the luxury accessory segment. The brief was an ideal fit for Norra Norr thanks to their experience working with sporting goods manufacturer company POC as well as several clients within the fashion industry.
Olsson tested a series of prototypes under extreme conditions on the slopes, carefully refining the goggles in collaboration with Norra Norr until they came up with a final product that met expectations in terms of both appearance and performance. "I had a very clear view of what I wanted, but I had no education or knowledge on how to create it. Thanks to Norra Norr, and after many test and tweaks, we finally created a goggle that I feel is better then my original vision," Olsson said.
There was no better expert than Olsson to provide feedback about the design of the goggles due to the countless hours he's logged on the slopes. His input pushed the design development and functionality forward, in effect combining his knowledge as a professional skiier with the industrial design expertise of Norra Norr.
The core design challenge and the starting point for the goggles was testing various curves, forms and materials to achieve the desired appearance on the user's face.
"We wanted to create the same feeling of coolness you get while wearing a pair of shades. We were after a look that was as close to wearing sunglasses as possible. Accomplishing that without losing out on performance was a real challenge, but it actually improved the performance in the end. For example, the low cut line by the cheek bone creates a wider field of vision. Combined with the small windows in the corners, you have total visibility," said Marcus Rudback, Norra Norr creative director.
"Looking towards high-end accessories, we used stainless steel and turtleshell plastic to emphasize the fashion angle. We really focused on honing the details to create an authentic look," he added.
The goggles are available in three colors (golden turtle, white gold, black gold) and six different lens configurations can be purchased online in the Yniq web shop.