Cutting Up the Prototype

Sometimes product development starts with a factory sample.
Sometimes it starts with a pair of scissors.
With GC50 approaching, I kept coming back to the same problem: I wanted to race in TAUDON, but I wasn’t prepared to wear something simply because our logo was on it.
It had to work.
So I took one of the fabrics we had been testing and started cutting.
The material was extremely light — around 90 GSM — but the original garment construction wasn’t giving me the airflow I wanted for a long race. Instead of waiting for another sampling cycle, I removed material from the sides and started experimenting with an open construction.
That led to another idea.
Rather than sewing the sides into one fixed shape, why not let the athlete change the fit?
Loose for airflow. Closer for training. Locked down for racing.
Using snap fasteners, I started building what we’re currently calling the Snap Flow concept: an adjustable side system that lets one garment change shape depending on how it is being used.
The first version looked rough.
That’s fine.
At this stage, appearance isn’t the point.
The questions are:
Does it breathe?
Does it move?
Does it stay comfortable when you’re sweating heavily?
Do the snaps stay secure?
And does having less fabric around the torso actually make a meaningful difference over distance?
The open sides immediately felt promising.
Now it needs kilometres.
That’s becoming a recurring rule at TAUDON:
Don’t protect the prototype. Test it.