This week we officially opened up pre-orders on our new product—one that we have been working on for months. The design behind the product was spearheaded by demand, specific feature requests and what our customers told us they wanted to see in a base layer top.
Soteria is an innovative protective base layer top designed for youth hockey players that provides additional protection to the forearm and wrist area while incorporating fabric finish technology to help players stay cool, dry and fresh.
In Greek mythology, Soteria is the goddess of protection representing safety and preservation from harm. With hockey getting faster, players getting bigger, and the severity of injuries increasing, we sought to develop a new product using innovative fabric and foam technologies to help close the gaps that are left from areas that are left exposed on the ice.
In this blog post, we’ll do an in-depth dive into the major product features and their benefits as well as technologies we’ve incorporated into the design of Soteria.
XRD® Impact Protection on Forearm that Protects Against Slashes and Pucks
The lower forearm is a very vulnerable area for players due to a gap between the elbow pads and gloves where skin is left exposed. The area is susceptible to pucks, slashes from other players, and the worst type of injury, getting stepped on by a skate. While investigating suitable foams to protect this area, we came across a leader in the market and knew instantly, we wanted to incorporate the technology into Soteria. XRD® Extreme Impact Protection foam is a thin and flexible foam that provides comfort and unparalleled protection. It offers a light-weight profile and contouring memory-like foam for a custom fit allowing for mobility without hindering movement. The foam hardens on impact, absorbing shock then returns to its regular state. XRD® is also infused with Microban® Antimicrobial Protection to help prevent the growth of bacteria within the padding that causes odors. Combining comfort with a high level protection made XRD® a no-brainer when we were choosing a protective foam.
Cut-Resistant Wrist Protection to Protect Against Skate Lacerations
Another protective feature of Soteria are cut-resistant wrists. We used a soft cut-resistant fabric for a comfortable feel against the skin, while still providing significant protection from lacerations. Our knit cut-resistant fabric went through rigorous lab testing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada using the ‘Measuring Cut Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing’ with Tomodynamometer (TDM-100) | ASTM F2992-15 standard. The result was an ASTM Cut Level 4 classification. The wrist also includes a thumb loop to hold padding and cut-resistant fabric in place comfortably against the body during play.
TRI-COOL Fabric Technology
Our TRI-COOL fabric technology is a textile finishing incorporated into the body fabric of the top. It provides moisture absorption, transportation, and rapid moisture evaporation. What do all these buzz words mean for your hockey player (and for you)? It means the garment is super fast drying and provides a cool-down effect to keep players cool on the ice. The hydrophilic effects transport perspiration away from the skin keeping the body drier. The fabric finish is also anti-bacterial for better hygiene and freshness….and most importantly, helps prevent that nasty hockey stink!
Movement and Comfort
The body fabric is a light-weight 4-way stretch material for added comfort, fit and range of motion during play. The body composition is 88% Nylon and 12% Spandex with added mesh panels under the arms for added ventilation and breathability.
Soteria is the perfect addition to Oneiric’s product portfolio and goes great with a Genesis or Origin Base Layer.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: WHY IS THERE NO INTEGRATED NECKGUARD?
When conducting research for our new product, we received a TON of feedback. A main theme that we found was that every player is different and has their own idea of what they were looking for in a protective base layer top. We looked for trends and worked to narrow down the features that were most important to our customers; features that filled a gap in protection. One of the features requested often was integrated neck protection and was one that we strongly considered for this version of Soteria.
Canadian legislation requires neck protectors to go through a rigorous certification and approval process, and the standard is currently being re-developed (BNQ.)This process adds substantial complexity and costs to product development and manufacturing; and requires the factory that is manufacturing the product to be certified as well —a long and expensive process.
With all the players and parents that wanted integrated neck protection, there were many that didn't and preferred a separate neck guard piece. Due to the challenges with BNQ, we decided to not move forward with the integrated neck feature for first iteration of Soteria. We are however, very confidant that we developed and tested this product and added incredible features to help improve safety in the game—and we are continuing to research new and exciting features to add to our next versions of our products.
PRE-ORDERS START NOW
To secure your size and receive 15% off selling price, you can order from January 28th – February 26th. All pre-orders will be shipped within the first few weeks in March. Limited quantities are available. Pre-order here.
We want to thank our customers for the continued feedback and support in helping develop this product. For any further questions, feedback, or to just reach out and say hi, you can email us at info@oneiric.ca. We love hearing from our customers—every piece of feedback is pivotal in our product research and development.
Welcome to the Oneiric family, Soteria!
