Maria Baker is known to club members as the Newsletter editor for a couple of years. She is married to Andrew, who served on the committee for a few years before they both took a time out and spend some time in the snow in Japan. Andrew’s Grandparents were Swiss and they joined to learn more about his family’s way of life and better understand his Swiss-Australian upbringing. During the pandemic, this is what Maria has been up to:

Of the many clichéd Swiss pastimes that Andrew introduced me too, the one I fell in love with most was the snow. I now find any opportunity I can to go snowboarding. Unfortunately, recent events haven’t allowed to indulge in this pastime regularly, but this forced time at home has allowed me to solve my biggest complaint about being a woman who enjoys the snow:

One day in 2018, while on a ski lift at Mount Buller, I felt unusually cold. I realised that my brand new ski pants had ripped, most likely during one of my many entertaining “stacks” on my last run. Immediately, other girls sitting next to me on the ski lift all told me not to worry, and they had all had this happen at some stage. I said “if it’s that common, someone should do something about this!”

Over the next couple of years, it became a constant conversation. Friends, including some in the Swiss Club, would keep mentioning poor fitting pants, while every winter I would offer to mend their pants.

Then while in lockdown and stuck at home, I realised that wishing “someone” would fix it wasn’t going to help – and starting thinking perhaps that someone was me. I started researching, and one of the first things I found is that most (in fact, probably all) snow pants are actually designed for men, and then simply made a bit smaller and in “prettier colours” are marketed as women’s.

A snow apparel designer from a big well-known brand reached out to me, also frustrated that her plans to design pants for women were continually knocked back, and she offered to work with me.

Over the past year and a half, we designed and tested the world’s first snow pants for women. They have unique features that allow a single pair of pants to be comfortably adjusted to suit women of many shapes and sizes, to allow for bigger or smaller hips, waists, and backsides. I’ve pre-sold over 500 pairs, all over the world – including North America, Asia, the UK, and of course even Switzerland. The first pairs are expected to be delivered in about a month’s time – depending on shipping!

So although the last year and a half have had many challenges, it gave me the opportunity to stop hoping “someone” would fix this, and learn how to do it myself – helping not just me, but many other women too. I can’t wait to comfortably go snowboarding in Switzerland as soon as we’re allowed to!

If you love the snow too, visit www.nobodysprincess.com.au 

Social Media: www.facebook.com/nobodysprincessapparel  www.instagram.com/nobodysprincessapparel