Base of Operations: Boulder, CO

Technical Soft Goods Studio

Technical Soft Goods, Material R&D, & Industrial Design

Engineering high-performance mountain equipment, technical next to skin product, and custom textile solutions for outdoor brands.

Karow Designs is a Boulder, CO industrial design studio operating at the intersection of advanced material R&D and structural soft goods design. The studio distills complex concepts into simple, intuitive equipment by leveraging specialized fabric and trim expertise to tackle user needs right from the start.

The result is high-performance gear built to excel in extreme environments, backed by end-to-end studio capabilities.

Material First Product Design

Our Goal

To create elegant and durable solutions that solve complex challenges faced by athletes.

Karow Designs

We believe great design is born from the intersection of real world experience and understanding users’ needs.

Highlighted Client Work

  • Raide LF 5L

    Bridging trail running and alpine ascents with a hyper-breathable, zero bounce 5L vest that carries technical tools without the bulk.

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  • Raide UL 1L

    Driven by the athlete's need for a weightless feel, this ultralight belt was meticulously designed to secure a runner's essentials with zero bounce.

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  • Cork 12L Airbag Product Line

    Designed for the elite demands of Freeride World Tour athletes, with a meticulous obsession over every single detail.

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  • W LF 2L Front

    Raide W LF 2L

    A women’s specific 2L running belt combining a zero-bounce fit with a quick release detachable closure.

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  • Peakbagger Pro 32L

    Designed with insights from professional ski guides, this field-tested evolution of the Peakbagger 32L offers ultralight performance with uncompromising comfort and function.

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Studio Capabilities

  • Custom Material R&D

    Work closely with overseas partners to innovate custom fabrics, laminates, and material layups to optimize weight, performance, and durability in equipment and apparel.

  • Industrial Design & 3D CAD

    Executing complex 3D surface modeling, ergonomic body-mapping, and precise digital pattern geometry tailored for backcountry snowsports, running, and more.

  • Tech Pack Development

    Delivering bulletproof, factory-ready tech packs, complete Bill of Materials (BOM), and exact construction callouts engineered for tier 1 sample rooms.

  • In House Prototyping

    Building physical mockups, refining functional ergonomics, and managing rapid sample revision cycles to ensure seamless transitions from concept to production.

  • Ryan Karow Pattern Making

    Pattern Making

    Experience drafting patterns from the ground up, utilizing a variety of techniques to refine to a final form.

  • Complex Problem Solving

    I excel at solving complex softgoods challenges: seamlessly integrating hard components like batteries and airbags, designing intuitive cinching systems, and engineering intricate seams for production.

  • Sketching

    Hashing out early concepts to technical details via sketching.

  • Digital Design

    Specialize in bringing concepts to life using CLO3D, Rhino, and nTopology, with additional experience in Gerber Silhouette and Substance Designer.