Loughborough Alumnus Susie Beere and Sophie Kelly are set to launch Snooks, the first British snowboarding and ski brand designed specifically for women.

Born in The Studio, Loughborough’s creative hub, Snooks offer female riders well-fitting and uniquely designed outerwear that combines protection, freedom of movement and style.

As keen snowboarders, Founders Susie and Sophie identified a gap in the market for quality, high performance outwear designed with women in mind. Blending British heritage with modern urban styling, the new range includes waterproof, windproof, breathable and warm technical jackets and trousers, designed to keep riders comfortable while looking great on the slopes.

Beanies, caps, T-shirts and hoodies, including a hoody for spring/summer riding and ideal for indoor riding, will also be available. Plans to widen the range to include accessories such as gloves and backpacks for snowboarding and skiing are currently in the pipeline. Keen to support national industries and source locally whenever possible, all of the products are designed and manufactured in the UK.

As graduates in Economics and Sociology and with limited design experience, Susie and Sophie applied to The Studio for help in getting their idea off the ground in October 2014. Renting a space, the pair sought free business advice, funding and support, gained access the University’s design facilities and have the opportunity to test their designs in the sports science labs.

Launching this winter, products will be available online with the hope of being featured in UK independent snowboard and ski shops, before expanding into European markets over the next few years.

Snooks has already received interest both nationally and internationally with the pair being featured in The Guardian and contacted by the Turkish snowboard and ski team.

Susie Beere, Snooks Co-founder, comments: “Snooks hope to change attitudes towards women's action sports and build a brand that is far more than just a business, but a way of representing and supporting female action sports participants and athletes. It's so important that action sports brands represent the people they are designing for - in everything we do, we always put female riders at the core and listen to what they want.”