When Western Washington University student Nick Marvik was tired of paying for expensive name brand jackets that didn’t meet his needs, he decided to design and create a jacket of his own. After quickly learning how to sew from a friend, Nick soon began making custom ski and snowboard jackets for his close friends. As more and more people became interested in his jackets, he realized what a great opportunity it would be to launch a start up business of his own. After teaching himself to build a website in 3 months, Northwest Technical Outerwear became a reality.