When you purchase gear through links on our site, we may earn a small commission. Here’s why you can trust our tests and our affiliate partner.

TheKiteMag 62 Im on it Under the Hood Reedin 5 1200x800 - Under The Hood: Reedin

Under The Hood: Reedin

It’s been five years since kiting legend Kevin Langeree and designer Damien Girardin fused their talents – and their surnames – and launched their brand Reedin. We caught up with Damien about how the first half decade has gone, and about their latest product launches, including an exciting new lightwind model.

Photos Andy Troy

 

THEKITEMAG ISSUE #62

Congrats on your five-year anniversary! Does it feel like the time has flown by?!

The past five years have been absolutely amazing. I’ve loved focusing on the long-term vision of product design, and working with the awesome team of individuals we’ve put together. There has been some hard work and stress! Sometimes suppliers let you down or products are delivered late which has a knock-on effect for the staff, shops and distributors, and it can feel like it’s all your fault. Overall, it’s been awesome, I’ve probably been working just about every day for the past five years, but I feel like I’m “playing” all the time and if you’re playing then you can do so much more than someone that’s just “working”.

How is the working relationship between you and Kevin going? Do you ever disagree about how to develop a product?!

With Kevin it’s always been pretty easy because I do all the product design and he’s really the face of the brand, riding the gear and inspiring people. He’ll test and approve products and I know that usually if I like a product he’s going to like it too. So there’s no reason for us to have any tension and we completely trust each other. It’s been ideal to start a company with someone who will have a different role to you rather than someone who has the same tasks as you.

What has been your proudest moment so far?

The first one that comes to my mind is when we launched the first kite – it was the culmination of so many hours of work. I’d had a vision of launching Kevin’s kite with Table Mountain in the background (which if you look is kind of our logo) so when it actually happened I even shed a few tears with everything coming together at that point. But then there’s been so many moments, like our first-year dealer meeting, and the catwalk show at our latest dealer meeting which is an idea I’ve had for years. That was a moment of feeling that this really is my own brand, of feeling super stoked. Then the decision to work with Brainchild has been awesome – I feel like this one of the best decisions we’ve made for the brand. But overall what I’m probably the proudest of is watching our team of employees becoming so good at what they’re doing, I’m blown away by the quality of what are our guys are producing!

TheKiteMag 62 Im on it Under the Hood Reedin 3 1260x754 - Under The Hood: Reedin

We looked at the collaboration with Brainchild on your new HyperModel in our Christmas issue. Now your latest SuperModel has just been released. How has the collaboration changed the kite compared to the previous model?

SuperModel is still produced at our factory in China and features our HTF construction. When I started working together with Ralf to produce kites at his Brainchild factory, we quickly realized that it would make sense to also work together on SuperModel. Last year I thought that kite was as good as it could ever get – suddenly we started implementing things we had learned from working on HyperModel into this year’s SuperModel, and it took a huge leap in performance. It really felt like I had a “cheat code” – which is the design collaboration with Ralf!

We started by completely rebuilding the bridles into a pulleyless bridle system like on HyperModel, then updated the kite’s arc shape and trailing edge shape. The new bridles hold the kite so much better that this, in turn, allowed us to increase the ‘torsion zone’ of the HTF construction, which gives it more twist when turning the kite – so essentially making it more solid and steer smoother at the same time. We also added battens to reduce canopy flutter when steering the kite, which increases the turning speed.

All of this allowed us to greatly improve SuperModel, while really keeping it true to its identity, which is important for us. The kite has gained such a fanbase, they should be able to upgrade and never feel like it has become a different kite. However, these changes will also make it appeal to a much broader audience, thanks to the added smoothness that have already made HyperModel2025 a huge success. SuperModel really is the perfect do-it-all kite that puts a smile on my face every time I ride it.

TheKiteMag 62 Im on it Under the Hood Reedin 6 1260x754 - Under The Hood: Reedin

You’ve also added the brand-new, groundbreaking WhisperModel to your range. Tell us more!

Yes, this one is super exciting to me. Ever since I moved to San Diego where winds are like 7 knots, (or 12 when it’s really firing), lightwind riding has been a big focus for me, which is already seen in our lightwind wing range and foilboard. This year, working together with Brainchild allowed us to create something that just wasn’t possible before. I was fortunate again to work with Ralf on this kite and to have it manufactured using Brainchild technology. I think we have created the lightest and most reactive lightwind kite on the market, opening a new world of fun lightwind riding in as little as 4 to 6 knots. The kite is so efficient and so quick, I really get excited to go out in those light conditions and just kite way more than ever! Of course, big lightwind kites have been around forever, but people don’t realize how special WhisperModel is until they actually see it fly when no one else is out, or when they ride it themselves for the first time. Everyone I’ve spoken to has been blown away by it. This excitement from people loving our gear is really what drives me!

And what about your twintip range – what are the biggest changes compared to the previous year’s?

All of our boards have gotten updates in lay-up, and some shape changes. KevPro has a new outline that helps you keep your edge in those strong Cape Town-like conditions. Super E and Big E are now lighter and have a new layup for increased response and smoother glide. Big E has a new rocker line for better upwind capability, grip and power. SpaceAgency is also lighter and rides smoother thanks to the new lay-up.

The biggest release in our twintip category this year is actually our totally new bindings. ‘Toasties’ are a whole new design with a major focus on weight savings and comfort. One binding is now only 320 grams which is almost half of last year’s, and as far as I could find, the lightest bindings out there. It just makes your whole board feel much lighter and hugely improves the feeling on your feet. Most of the weight savings actually came from focusing all the strength right where the load goes, which in turn makes them much stronger too. I think the fact that all of our photoshoot samples have been confiscated by team riders says enough about how much everybody loves them, haha!

TheKiteMag 62 Im on it Under the Hood Reedin 7 1260x754 - Under The Hood: Reedin

Let’s talk about those team riders. You must be super proud that Parker Sage made it into King of the Air.

Yes I’m really excited about how we can help our team riders grow. Parker is a good example. A friend of mine on Maui told me about him and when I met him I could see he had drive and motivation, plus the opportunity to kite a lot on Maui. So we hooked him up with gear and have grown with him over the years, planning products together. Once he graduated from high school he went to Hood River for the summer, then Tarifa, then Cape Town; he’s competing as much as he can, and it’s been awesome to see him getting better and better. We were also stoked to see Marius Sanchez compete at Lords of Tram and River Moore killing it on the Spanish Wing tour. We’re not taking on too many more riders at the moment – we don’t want to take on too many and have them be disappointed if we can’t fully support them.

With the financial market in a difficult position at the moment, it’s good to be cautious!

Yes, luckily I think we’re heading in the right direction and we’re gaining market share and are still growing. We’re staying true to the main idea of why we started the brand – to bring something to the market that is not out there already. I don’t want to copy people, my main focus is to make better products and something unique, and I think people can see that we care about this. I love the feeling when you enjoy riding something and I love that people can get that feeling from a product I designed. ■

More about Reedins 2025 Range here

Want More?

You can get the latest goodness from the world of kiteboarding by subscribing to our print edition. You'll get 5 packed issues, plus a free tee and free digital access. And you'll be directly helping with our sustainability efforts too!

Check it out now
Subscribe Today