POC, a leading manufacturer of skiing and cycling helmets, apparel and accessories, has been awarded a Design S award for the AVIP concept. AVIP stands for Attention, Visibility, Interaction and Protection and is POC’s most ambitious initiative to date, promoting safety for road cyclists.

Design S is Sweden’s national design award and singles out creative and innovative solutions in every imaginable area of products, services and environments, regardless of the design field. The Design S award has been presented every second year since 2006 and this year’s winners were announced during a prize ceremony at the Architecture and Design Centre in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Design S jury members were carefully selected for their various forms of special expertise, approaches and involvement in the design field. To broaden the perspective for the jury’s evaluation, this year also saw an impressive international jury including Giulio Cappellini, Li Edelkoort, Ross Lovegrove and Alice Rawsthorn. “To be recognized and awarded a Design S for the AVIP concept in the category of fashion and textiles provides additional fuel. It also gives us confidence and shows us that we are on the right track, which will make us try even harder,” says Stefan Ytterborn, POC CEO and founder. AVIP stands for Attention, Visibility, Interaction and Protection and is POC’s most ambitious initiative to date, promoting safety for road cyclists. The AVIP concept has been created in collaboration with some of the best minds in science, health and technology. Together with the partners, POC has investigated and researched areas such as visibility, psychology, anthropology, perception and communication to better understand the specific hazards in road cycling and where gains could be made. “Moving into a new business area is always challenging but more than anything else, it’s extremely energizing,” says Stefan Ytterborn, POC CEO and founder. “With POC’s history in hard goods, we stepped into the road bike scene with the ambition of supporting the POC mission by developing the most accurate apparel in regards to performance and safety, in tandem with helmets and eyewear. The challenge has been to apply the thinking and philosophy from 3D, industrial design and architecture, and to construct and build wearable skins with the most appropriate materials and sophisticated making.” AVIP will be a part of the Design S exhibition at the Architecture and Design Centre in Stockholm that takes place between November 27, 2014, and February 8, 2015. AVIP – DESIGN S 2014 Category: Fashion & Textiles Jury statement: “A successful totality in the borderland between function and fashion. The graphical application consistently follows the brand. Innovative in its materials and technical solutions. Skillfully creates its own niche in the exclusive market segment and delivers to an extreme degree. They’ve done it again!” More information about Design S at design-s.se More information about the AVIP concept can be found at avip.pocsports.com.