Now, they are both officially designers, launching their line - Incline Collections - in Queenstown next week.
Company directors Paul Fallon and Hayden Seddon (both 30) began their new venture last year with the help of an investor, working at the Dunedin Fashion Incubator (dFi) and learning everything from the ground up.
After a bit of brain-storming, the pair decided to fill a perceived gap in the market when it came to the "middle layer" of clothing worn by skiers, boarders and other outdoor sports enthusiasts, simultaneously creating something which could cross over to everyday wear.
"The main thing for us was to create a New Zealand product to use in the industry that we'd spent a lot of time in," Mr Seddon said.
"There was no real ultimate middle layer for ski and snowboard gear - that's the gap in the market.
"We really know our market, and we could see that opportunity.
"Working together in Queenstown we just started discussing that idea and that's where it's grown from."
The result is a range of hoodies, tops and T-shirts, with a few dresses thrown in for good measure, "100% New Zealand made, using 100% New Zealand wool".
"The clothing isn't necessarily for skiing, but for active people," Mr Fallon said.
"The idea is we try to incorporate it into your ski gear - it can be worn underneath, but also it has that cross-over into every day casual."
The pair set up an office at the dFi where there was plenty of support and they had access to "whatever we needed at our fingertips".
Mr Seddon went on to complete a design course, but Mr Fallon said they were very much "taking it as it comes".
"We mostly do it ourselves - we do get help from a few of the mentors from the incubator, but we're at the stage now where we're pretty comfortable doing patterns and designs ourselves.
"Adventure Outfitters do the manufacturing for us - if things aren't looking good they'll tell us pretty quickly."
Until last year Mr Fallon's only experience as a designer was during home economics at high school - a subject he was "pretty good at".
"I thought I could cross those skills over," he joked.
Mr Seddon said while there were a few raised eyebrows when he told his family he was going to be a designer, they had been hugely supportive of his goal.
"They've been great ...they're supportive. Everything you do, as long as you're giving it a good crack, they're up for it.
"I love it ... it's been a real challenge but it's made our designs really unique and being able to do it ourselves gives us a lot more control."
Next week Incline Collections will launch at the Heritage Theatre in Reading Cinemas, with a garment viewing prior to the New Zealand premiere of Sherpa Cinema's ski documentary All I Can, which combined "amazing cinematography" and the world's best big mountain skiers to show how everyone could make a difference in conserving the mountains and snow - which in Queenstown was the backbone of the winter economy.
The evening would also see the launch of the company website, which would be a vital tool in terms of its growth, Mr Fallon said.
"We really want to grow it [the business] internationally - we see New Zealand as a vital market because it's where we're from, but we also want to be in Europe and North America and Asia
