"JL's rodrakter anbefales paa det hoyeste!"

Nito Simonsen
Norway

"My best new products have seemed to me so perfect for their intended use, that they must have been around forever. My favorite creations for cold weather wear, the JL workout shirt and the turtleshell, both had their starts in sunny Newport Beach. Chip McKibbon (US national team, 6 years; Gold medal in men's eight) was for many years my local testing body for fabrics, suits, and special projects. Chip helped me to finalize several fitting and fabric choices, and one day he came up with a solution to a dilemma of mine -- I wanted a garment that could be worn specifically under a unisuit, be protective, and not bunch. In his travels, Chip had acquired a shirt that stretched! Just that one concept made it possible for all the pieces to start falling into their proverbial places. Ken researched fabrics while I furiously made pattern after pattern. We argued features: function versus fashion; geekiness versus cool. "No one will buy it." "Let's take a risk." A year or so later, the next generation appeared on a not so cold day when I simply sliced the arms off of one of my Coolmax longsleeves. Months later, I took a handy wire cutter from a workbench at the boathouse and made the final pattern change to the shortsleeve shirt when I slashed a v-neck into the collar. Much better."

Joline Esparza