ABOUT
Merle Schubert is a German/New Zealand apparel designer with over 15 years experience designing active lifestyle and outdoor apparel. She currently lives in Vancouver, Canada.
With a Masters in Performance Sportswear Design (MA-PSD), Merle brings a specialist perspective that is focused on performance driven design solutions for the active lifestyle and outdoor apparel market. For the past two decades Merle has pursued sustainability in design, creating new business concepts, products and strategies that seek to solve the growing sustainability challenges within the apparel industry.
Merle started her career in New Zealand where she designed for local outdoor brands Fairydown, Cactus Outdoor and Sub20 Snowboarding as well as doing a short stint in the costume department for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. At Fairydown she learned the craft of designing down insulated outerwear and designed the 50th anniversary collection for Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent of Everest.
In 2003 Merle launched clothing brand True in the heart of the southern alps of New Zealand. True garnered a following, both locally in NZ and internationally, for it’s high quality custom-made and hand-crafted down-insulated outerwear. Merle worked as owner, director and designer, building the brand from scratch into a successful small enterprise with international reach. She ran the business successfully for more than 13 years.
In 2010 Merle started working with Kathmandu in New Zealand; she re-designed the insulation category and led the active and lifestyle outerwear categories. In 2014 she emigrated to Canada to hone her craft designing for esteemed outdoor brand Arc’teryx in Vancouver. Working at the brands unique in-house design center, Merle developed innovative insulated outerwear and transformed the hike & trek collection, which included many bestsellers.
Merle has an entrepreneurial spirit; she is both a big-picture thinker and a meticulous executor with deep knowledge of the product creation process. Her approach is rooted in a solid understanding of craftsmanship, material science, fit, patterning and construction. Her design work balances the importance of innovation, on-brand aesthetic and commercial needs. She pushes to execute to the highest standards without losing sight of commercial constraints. Her aesthetic is a blend of modern, refined style and contemporary street style. Her keen eye for trends, a futuristic perspective, coupled with her passion for problem solving, has allowed her to create true design value for the brands she has collaborated with.
"Merle’s ability to communicate her designs visually is outstanding, whether this is at briefing & concept stage or as a technical specification for costing and manufacturing. She is a highly original designer, dedicated equally to the aesthetic, as the performance, fit and functionality of her apparel......
Designers of Merle’s skill are rare. I have always appreciated her professionalism, respected her skill, and highly recommend her design talent as an asset to your business."
- Vicky Wynn-Williams, Senior Apparel Designer, Kathmandu NZ
"Merle and I worked alongside each other for two years in her business True in New Zealand. It was a dynamic time, developing a start-up apparel business and retail store.
Merle designed the business from the ground up with a strong vision. She worked on every aspect from developing apparel to store design, web presence, print media and advertising. Her ability to multitask, work under tight timelines, lead a team of international staff and keep the end goal in sight make her a skilled project manager.
I would not hesitate to recommend Merle for any position she wishes to pursue. Her sunny personality and vitality is sure to be a welcome addition to any organization."
- Sheena Denmead, Lead Designer, Bellroy
"I first met Merle during a weekend workshop in Tasmania. We were both attending as volunteers for an international peace organization and Merle gave a presentation on behalf of the organization.
I was immediately impressed with her poise and communication levels. Her presentation naturally moved into a forum with people in the audience asking questions. She was honest with her replies and always willing to find a solution if she didn’t immediately know the answer. She never appeared under pressure.
Merle’s relaxed respectful approach, her natural enthusiasm and organizational skills make her a wonderful team player. She is able to seamlessly move across generations, comfortable with her peers and also with older folks.
I have no hesitation recommending her for a position that requires a professional approach, creativity, multi tasking and interface with people.
I am the richer for knowing her."
- Rob Love, Photographer, Writer, Public Speaker