Old Look, New Startup, Same Safety
Lowdown challenges modern design with a retro-inspired style.
Italian small-batch craftsmanship reinforces quality.
Safety, comfort, and ventilation sit beneath classic aesthetics.
Looking for a helmet that doesn’t conform to the formulaic style but will definitely conform to your head? Then LowDown helmets, a new startup based in Carbondale, is the company for you.
Family-owned and-run by brother-and-sister duo Courtney and Steve Eaton, they based their helmets off of a family trip to Italy during which they saw many people riding Vespas and wearing retro motorcycle helmets, which their lineup of helmets is based off of.
“As a lifelong skier, I thought, ‘Man, those are cool,'” Steve Eaton said. “I’d love to have something like that to wear on the slopes. That was the catalyst for the idea.The company is brand-new, and the only way to get its helmets is to purchase them online. The Eatons, however, want to be able to sell their helmets in local stores and possibly expand to their own premises at some point.
“If you were to visit Courtney’s garage, it would be a clear indicator that this is a brother and sister that took their passion for skiing and put it into a concept of bootstrapping a company in a very competitive market,” Eric Henderson, LowDown Helmet’s Agency of Record said.
The Eatons wanted to break into the helmet market because they were noticing a decline in the amount of people wearing helmets skiing, and part of that, they deduced, was because mainstream helmets lacked style. Courtney Eaton’s kid attended Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS), and that’s where she first began to notice the decline in helmets, especially for younger people.
“When my daughter was at CRMS, I watched how kids faded out of helmets,” she said. “I wanted to make helmets cool again.”
LowDown helmets partnered with a company in Italy to produce the helmets. The idea behind this was to honor the Italian heritage of the helmet’s inspiration as well as to ensure the quality production of the helmets. The helmets are all handmade in small batches.
The helmets are designed by all safety standards, although it does not include MIPS, but also to be comfortable and breathable. The helmets have good ventilation, despite the small vents visible.
“We were focused on creating a cool looking product with that old-school motorcycle style, making it to be modernized with all adherence to modern safety standards,” Steve Eaton said.
Read the online article The Aspen Times: here
About Lowdown Helmets
LowDown Helmets is a unique family-owned ski and snowboard helmet company nestled in Carbondale, Colorado. Our journey began with a once in a lifetime family trip to Italy, where the charm of old-school classic retro-style motorcycle helmets ignited our inspiration. From that moment, the vision of blending that sleek retro look with modern safety standards and unparalleled comfort took root, paving the way for our venture into the world of ski and snowboarding helmets. In a market dominated by a few major brands focusing primarily on function and safety, we recognized a gap – the need for style. LowDown Helmets emerged to bridge that gap, offering a full-coverage helmet meticulously hand made in small batches in Italy. Our commitment goes beyond just safety; we bring you a helmet with a cool and unique aesthetic, redefining the way you approach winter sports gear. Our fundamental drive is to see more helmets on more heads, emphasizing both safety and style. We aspire to create ski and snowboard helmets that you not only wear for protection but also because you genuinely want to.
