Innate Speaks! New to You – Part Deux. Part 2 of 3

Vancouver, B.C. July 10, 2013 – The following is the second excerpt from a transcript of an actual fake interview. It features Innate’s Managing Director, Greg Foweraker, discussing the design philosophy and product inspiration.

INTERVIEWER: So you are from Vancouver – that’s in Washington, right?

GREG: British Columbia. It’s in Canada.

INTERVIEWER: Oh. Je m’excuse ! Je ne savais pas que tu viendrais tout le chemin du Canada pour assister marché estival.

GREG : No. No French. That’s Québec. We’re a young, growing business based in English-speaking Vancouver, Canada.

Vancouver’s a combination of the urban and the stuff outside the bubble. It’s surrounded by mountains and water, making it a spectacular field-testing arena for our product design team.

INTERVIEWER: So how do you design things? What’s your general philosophy? Your raison d’être?

GREG: Everything we create is influenced by our core design philosophy – Leaner, Cleaner, Greener.

INTERVIEWER: Sounds like Kermit went on a diet and took a shower.

GREG: I’m going to ignore that.

Leaner, Cleaner, Greener means we focus our designs, streamline them and put a consciousness into the production process. This gives a clean look and puts focus on the features that are relevant to the specific product. Nothing extraneous. Not only does this keep the design pristine, but by only utilizing the essential we reduce our footprint – that’s the Greener. Sustainability is not a starting point driven by a need to join the Patagonia party; it’s the result of clean, essential, focused design.

Our name – Innate – comes from the Latin word Innatus, to be born into, and refers to the inborn characteristics that are part of one’s inner essential nature. Intelligent design – steeped in the tenets of Leaner, Cleaner, Greener – is in our DNA.

INTERVIEWER: Is that from your website’s “About Us” page?

GREG: Partly.

INTERVIEWER: Please, go on…

GREG: When we develop something, we first identify a need and a niche.

Niche products – gear focused on specific solutions for specific needs – are the exciting new normal. This isn’t a trend – it’s here to stay. We love this new normal, it demands obsession.

And it’s awesome that our consumers demand elegance in design without compromising function –they demand design that actually enhances function.

For example, you are a roadie – given the opportunity you’d bust out a five-hour ride, but you rarely have the time. You squeeze shards of play into the gaps around your work and day-to-day life. In this case it may mean riding your bike to the office and cramming in a couple laps around the park along the way. It’s easy to bring your smart phone with you in the car, but how about on your bike? There are workarounds, but we all know plastic baggies don’t cut it. Nor do hard cases – you need more than just a shell; you need to carry stuff like cash, credit cards and your license too.

Solution? Our Persona Mobile Organizer fits in your jersey, lets you check and type quick responses to emails at stop lights, all with looks that’ll do you proud on fancy business trips.

We’re blown away by our customers constantly telling us they want more products that will live in both worlds – work and play. Products that offer what we call value squared – while filling the niche. We’re having a lot of fun creating products to fill this void.

INTERVIEWER: C’est une approche très intelligente et créative pour résoudre les problèmes et concevoir des produits qui sont essentiels pour le transport actif et la vie au jour le jour sur le mouvement.

GREG: Yes, it is a very intelligent and creative approach to solving problems and designing products that are essential for active travel and day-to-day life on the move.

INTERVIEWER: Et quel est votre numéro de “booth”?

GREG: We are in booth 165. Take a right turn off of the main escalator by Granite Gear. We’ll be on the right. It’s a really big booth. Massive. Look for our blimp.

INTERVIEWER: Your English is very good for someone from Canada.

GREG: Xièxiè

About Innate:
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Innate creates essential products that deliver seamless performance for travel, work and adventure.

It’s in Innate’s DNA to be active, progressive participants in the global community. They strive to make carefully considered choices that reduce their ecological footprint in keeping with a design philosophy of Leaner, Cleaner, Greener.

Innate has a simple goal: for you to experience lasting satisfaction from their products and recommend them to your family and friends.

To learn more about Innate, visit www.innate.ca, or contact Jordan Kling at 604.566.8950 or jordan@innate.ca.

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