Jobs for the girls: Melanie Leando

You’d think that being a professional snowboarder – travelling the world for contests, photoshoots and filming - would be enough to keep a girl busy – right? Wrong.

There are pro riders all over the world who somehow find the time to have another career at the same time.

As part of our Jobs for the Girls series on women in the snowboard industry, British pro rider Melanie Leando tells us about her hat company nivarlis.

When did you set up nirvarlis?
In the spring of 2003. We are an accessories company that makes a small limited edition collection of handmade and machine made beanies as well as custom made to order 'one offs' for both men and women.

Where did the idea and the name come from?
The name 'nivarlis' is derived from the word 'nivalis' meaning snow and ice in latin. I added the 'r' so it wouldn't be mispronounced. I chose it because I wanted to create a name that meant something relevant and I also wanted a name that wouldn't automatically relate to any other products.

The company itself just kind of gradually grew in to something more serious after I had been making crochet beanies for about five years, the demand for them seemed to be growing and things progressed. There is something nice about having a made to measure one off hat that you won't see anyone else wearing especially in these days of mass production.

Also I found it really difficult to find a good beanie, I feel that many clothing companies just make them as an after thought or just to get their logos/brand names out there.
I think that it's important to find a good beanie as they frame a persons face (the most focused on part of the body) so the fit and style are really important.
I try to concentrate on simple style, a perfect fit, high quality materials and comfort. My beanies are designed to be able to be worn with any get up and to have an understated style.

Back to the history, initially I did some work with Gilly Seagrave, who is another snowboarder, but we decided to go in different directions as the company grew and creative directions were established. That's the funny thing about a new company, there are so many changes in the first few years as you find out who you are and what you are going to be about. Since we changed direction Gilly has decided to start up Eka which is a similar company but seems to be focusing on pretty girly designs. Gilly has a really good eye for that kind of style so I think it was a good decision and I also think its important to be able to design stuff that you are in to..... so keep an eye out for her stuff if you want something original and feminine.

What roles do you have in the company?
I am doing pretty much everything although I have a huge amount of influence from the 'Friends of nivarlis' collective. This a group of creative minded individuals who all base their lives around the snow, skate industry and are inspired by the places they work in.

I get a lot of inspiration from artists and photographers and I have a huge amount of respect for creative snowboarders and skaters. I enjoy watching people who really think about how they do every trick and leave their personal stamp on everything. These are the people that drive nivarlis.

Where/how are the hats made and designed?
I design them with the 'friends' collective in mind and then get their feedback, we then go from there until we get the finished product.

I also do some work with a designer called Lara Hoad who is based in LA. She is really talented and has a good take on the industry. I like to work with as many people as possible to get diverse opinions on everything we are doing.

As the company grows I will be looking to employ more designers to help me develop the larger collections.... I'm really looking forward to the day I can do this.

Regarding the production, the samples are made in the UK (the handmade designs by me) and then I send them to a lady who makes them up for me in Pondicherry, India.
I try to use as many UK suppliers as possible wherever it is financially viable. This is the hard bit in business.....

The handmade custom produced hats are all made by me. The country sometimes depends on where I am snowboarding!

Do you seek the input of other riders in developing your products?
Yes, I do have a clear idea of what I want to produce although the 'friends' collective have quite a bit of involvement. I also spend a lot of time looking at designers outside of the industry to keep a broad perspective on things.

I pay special attention to the guys’ opinions as well as I am not in a position (being a girl) to see things from a male point of view, this is important. I also like to make things exactly as we all need them so that is another reason to listen carefully to the riders, skaters etc....

Is it something you think you would have done if you hadn't been a pro snowboarder?
Possibly, although perhaps not in this industry, I think I would have pursued some kind of creative position where ever I would have been in life. I am really driven when it comes to designing and I get a massive amount of pleasure from doing it. I really enjoy producing stuff that people like to wear.

Have your experiences helping your sponsors with their products given you a helpful insight into the world of clothing/accessory production?
I have learnt so much from my sponsors along the way, I have learnt a lot about marketing and how important it is to develop something solid. And also to be involved with the right people.I am aiming to establish a brand that combines good quality, good style and something a bit exclusive and special.

How do you find time to fit it all in?
As I mentioned before snowboarding is my main priority but there is only so much time you can ride and train. There is actually a fair amount of time that can be devoted to other things. A lot of pro riders have other interests and maintain studies or pursue business ventures... It's nice to have something that is mentally stimulating.

Are your pro-rider friends happy to be roped into supporting your venture?
Yes, I think we all like to support each other and we know that brands started by riders are likely to be the best ones... riders know they will be represented in the right way..... as long as a good balance of the business side of things can be achieved I think rider run companies can be successful, look at Grenade..... Its also rewarding to support companies that have real roots in the sport and a good understanding of what it's really about. Another main bonus is that we can make exactly what we like for us and our friends and those trends after all help drive the market anyway so it's all good.

How do you see nirvarlis developing in the future?
I would like to establish the brand further and involve my creative interests a lot more, by that I mean that I would like to get more involved with artists and designers who share an interest in creative sports like skating and snowboarding. I'd like to use their influence to create original designs that are inspired by the natural environment that we all work in as snowboarders, photographers etc.... Nature is a big inspiration.

I would like to be able to produce a larger collection of headwear, clothing and whatever takes our fancy really, anything we think is cool or that we could use that nobody else makes..... we are an accessories company after all and practically anything can come under that label! We will keep you posted on that, we have quite a few pieces in production that no one else has produced before....handy little numbers...

What do you enjoy most about it?
Getting to design things, I love it. The business side of things can be tough but it can't all be fun and I'm learning so much every day about how to run a company. The nivarlis 'friends' team is steadily growing so I imagine that eventually I won't have to deal with all of it and the things that are more difficult for me can be passed on to some one more experienced.

I also love being my own boss and because of snowboarding it's all I've ever really known...

Has nivarlis given you any ideas about what you'll do when you hang up your professional snowboard boots?
Absolutely, I am a pro snowboarder first and foremost, it's what I live for and I can't imagine ever stopping and I have so much more to do. But, as all of us realize, there will come a day when we have to quit.... and do something else. This is when I will take nivarlis on full time and increase the collectionsand concentrate on it 100%. At the moment snowboarding comes first.

This actually works for me perfectly at the moment as I want to have a smaller more underground company that stocks independent stores and is all about the style rather than the money. I think as companies grow they start concentrating on figures and profit rather than credibility and the rewards of producing cool stuff, no exceptions.... Business people will say this is naive but I refuse to let my company be all about the dollars!

Where can we buy your products?
You can find a list of stockists on the website www.nivarlis.com

Click here to win one of Melanie's ubernice hats.

Previous Jobs for the Girls features:

Josie Clyde- film director and photographer