Arena Powerskin Carbon-Air: an interview with Greg Steyger

*Greg Steyger: arena racing category manager

Why did you design a new suit, did you discover a new need?

As we know, each swimmer is different. They have different needs which are influenced by different body shapes, different swim strokes and distances and different personal preferences. To satisfy all of these needs, it is important to provide choices and options. We developed this new suit to ensure we offer our top technology in a variety of different suits. The arena Powerskin Carbon-Air completes the trilogy – Carbon-Pro, Carbon-Flex and Carbon-Air.

What was this need? Who will benefit?

Carbon-Air stands for lightness and comfort, hence the name. Some swimmers want to be hugged but not squeezed. This could be personal preference or related to the duration of their event, or their discipline. The added comfort could be appreciated by mid to long distance swimmers for example.

How do you position this suit in respect to the other suits in the range?

Powerskin Carbon-Air is part of the Carbon Series family and provides many of the performance benefits of the Carbon-Pro and Carbon-Flex suits, specifically the intelligent compression, but with a focus on comfort.

Who is going to swim in the new Carbon-Air? Is it designed to suit a particular stroke or specific distance?

As mentioned earlier, it’s all about providing options. If a swimmer is looking for comfort, without compromising performance, then Carbon-Air could be suitable for them, depending on their own personal needs. So it’s not limited to any particular stroke or distance.

Why is it special? How is it unique?

The uniqueness is in the balance of comfort and performance. Its special as the fabric is incredibly lightweight yet maintains performance in terms of compression and durability.

Were swimmers involved in its development?

As always, this is where it all begins – with the swimmers. They talk, we listen. We create, we test and we listen again. Then we fine-tune with their help and perfect the product. We developed this suit with members of the arena elite team and tested with well over 100 elite swimmers in Europe and the USA.

What is the genuine feeling of those who have swam in it?

You should ask them! But the feedback has been unanimous – Powerskin Carbon-Air is a great suit. The swimmers understand the concept immediately – from the first time they touch the suit and then after they swim in it.

Is it aimed towards male or female swimmers?

It is not at all gender specific – it can be enjoyed by both.

Can it help me win races? (It is cheaper than the other two, is it good enough?)

Powerskin Carbon-Air uses our latest and top level carbon technology – it is a high performance, FINA approved suit.

And it’s available at an affordable price.