Where did you learn to snowboard?I first strapped into a snowboard on the wonderful Mt Buller. I took the chair up on the Blue Bullet quad (now Bourke Street Express 6-pack) and completed my first turns on the famed Bourke Street. I was hooked. It didn’t take me long to get out and explore the rest of the resort.The terrain offering at Mt Buller is perfect to learn to snowboard. It’s a comfortable mountain to develop your skills, to get comfortable with the idea of going sideways, but also caters for more experienced riders. What makes it even better, is that it’s a short three-hour drive from Melbourne - which means day trips are always on the cards! Favourite Aussie ski resort?As of today, I have only had the chance to visit the Victorian ski resorts - however I hope to change that this year. Mt Buller will have a special place in my heart but I am falling in love with Falls Creek. It’s hard to beat riding the Ruined Castle chair on a bluebird day. The striking views of the lake and when the storms are dumping powder gets me excited! There is no better place than riding the zone known as, the Maze. The International Poma ground lift takes you from The Village up to the summit. Being on the ground means, even in the most intense powder storms, you can still ride laps of the Maze. The terrain has such a variety of options that each lap is different. The black diamond and long winding blue runs mean you can use a range of skills and challenge yourself. Falls Creek is where I will be spending most of the 2021 season.
Favourite International ski resort?I might be biased on this response, but has to be, Madarao in Japan. I spent a season working over there. It’s a powder paradise with exceptional tree riding, while still packing in a tonne of Japanese culture. A close second would be Moiwa ski resort, which is to the left side of Niseko United. Moiwa is so unique because of its gated access to backcountry riding. It is semi maintained by the locals and the resort to ensure the best riding possible. And has the powerhouse resort, Niseko United, right next door.
What was your inspiration to create Nobody’s Princess?I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was early in the snow season of 2018, and I was wearing my brand-new snow pants. I loved them! They were a snug fit; bright white, and they made my ass look great! In hindsight, I knew they didn’t fit me 100% but that was just the compromise, right? I was, sitting on the chair lift with my friends on this non-windy day and I felt… cold. There was a breeze… and it wasn’t in a pleasant place. It didn’t take long to realise what had happened - the crotch had given out. Now, normally I’d put it down to the pants just not being able to handle my amazing booty – but the reality was, they didn’t fit properly. And apparently, I wasn’t alone.The girls on the lift with me quickly chimed in to how they had experienced this as well. The conversation quickly became about how frustrating it was to find good fitting snow pants. Size range, length, stretch, adjustability, room for bums and hips, well-fitting waists… And that conversation never stopped.
When 2020 rolled around. I headed up to Hotham to start working for the season. Sadly we all know how that ended up! However, during the short time I was up there, I met Jean-Francois and the team at Alpine Nature Experiences who shared their story of starting their business. I explained my idea and the problems I had faced, with some encouragement and a lengthy solo drive back to Melbourne. I thought to myself, why not take my idea and make it a reality! I connected with my textile designer through online networking on LinkedIn. Once I had explained my idea and potential solutions she was like absolutely, let’s do this! The next stop was the creation of Nobody’s Princess. Where do you see gaps in the market for female snowboarders? Through my market research and design process for Nobody’s Princess, it has become apparent that many of the female snowboard brands are a sub-brand of the male juggernaut brands. This means they are expanding their portfolio to include = female riders but not necessarily designing or producing snow pants to fit the diverse range of female body shapes.We understand that the female market in snowboarding is nowhere near as large as the male market, but that doesn’t mean all female riders need to sacrifice their comfort on the mountain. As every snowboarder knows, once you get out onto the mountain the last thing you want to do is come down from being uncomfortable, or worse- tear your snow pants. Through our research, we are also seeing that female riders at ski resorts is nearly 50/50 with male riders. Some ski resorts in North America and Europe actually have a higher percentage of female riders, than males. This says there is absolutely a need for more products to be designed to fit all types of females who love to get out there and shred. What success have you seen so far?My biggest success so far is the first round of crowdfunding I did at the end of 2020. I knew that there was a problem to be solved. But to know that others resonate with my idea and invest in it, is something else! As a graphic designer, I was able to put together my own logos, website, and a comprehensive branding campaign. This allowed me to really showcase my idea. With that, I put together video content plus a structured business plan outlining the start-up costs. I hit 50% of my target goals in the first 24 hours of the crowd funding. I didn’t plan to offer a pre-order on the pants before the first product arrived, but I got a lot of interest on social media. Within a short period of time, I had over 30 women place pre-orders. This emphasised how many women are in the same boat. It makes me so proud to know other people believe in me. What makes your products so special?The snow pants I have designed solve a very common problem that females face each winter as they get out on the slopes. Not all human bodies, specifically female bodies, are shaped the same. I will be one of few brands who stocks a female fitting snow pant with sizes from AU8/US4, to AU22/US18. Whilst I set out to solve the problem of ripping snow pants, through our design and focus groups, I uncovered another major issue for females was the placement of pockets. Not only do they not need to be directly on your hips, the depth was too short. Trying to get into your pockets on pants that are stretching around a set of hips can be rather frustrating. This means you can’t get what you are trying to reach or you risk dropping something from the chairlift. Another key element to our snow pants is that we have replaced the useless Velcro straps that don’t offer support in the areas that are required with a unique tab and hook function. This allows a fully customizable element to ensure the snow pants are supporting and cinching at the right parts of the waist which ensures they stay snug and stay up to keep the snow out.
When do your pants become available? We are looking at October, 2021. We originally aimed for August, 2021 but COVID disrupted our plans, and our supply line. Although I know October is the end of the season in the southern hemisphere, I will be spending this time introducing Nobody’s Princess to the northern hemisphere. This also means we will be ready to hit the slopes for the 2022 Australian/ New Zealand seasons and hopefully get my products into some local retailers. Is there anything else you are selling? I am mainly focussing on the snow pants however I wanted to make sure that the ladies could rock all kinds of gear from Nobody’ Princess so I also offer hoodies, T-Shirts, beanies, wax scrapers, keychains and stickers to make sure every rider who looks down at your board when on the chairlift can see the brand and hopefully starts up a conversation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nobody's Princess (@nobodysprincessapparel)
You can see the full line up of apparel and accessories on Nobody’s Princess website.
We want to thank Maria for taking the time sit down with us and take us through her journey. We can’t wait to see the landed product and, better yet, see satisfied ladies shredding the mountain without the worry of a split seam or uncomfortable experience. If you want to know more about the Nobody’s Princess snow pants or Maria’s journey please check out Nobody’s Princess Pants or their Journey Blog.Make sure you follow us on our socials!
