Inside SKILD: Singapore’s Paddlewear Brand on the World Championship Stage

Based in Singapore and born from a genuine passion for paddling, SKILD is building a name for itself with technical apparel designed specifically for life on the water. At the heart of the brand is co-founder Christoph Renger, an active Dragon boat, OC and Va’a paddler who understands first-hand the demands of long hours in the sun, heat and changing conditions. His approach is simple: combine high-performance fabrics with thoughtful design to create paddling gear that works as hard as the people wearing it. We’re excited at TotalPaddler to be partnering with SKILD and to bring you closer to Christoph, his paddling journey and the story behind the brand. With the IVF World Championships taking place in Singapore, there couldn’t be a better time to discover what SKILD is all about — and meet the man behind it.

Hi Christoph! Can you tell us a little about your sporting and professional background, and how paddling became part of your life?

Hello Mathieu! When I moved to Singapore, my partner — now my wife, Anne — told me I needed to make some friends, and apparently the easiest way to do that was to join her paddle club. So that’s how I got into paddling. What started as a way to meet people quickly became something much bigger and a very important part of my life.

When did you move to Singapore, what brought you there, and how has your experience of living there been?

My wife “imported” me to Singapore in April 2014. And I have to say, I’m a huge fan of the place. Singapore is incredibly efficiently run, and that makes everyday life here remarkably easy. Over the years it has really become home for me.

What is paddling like in Singapore — the conditions, the weather and the local scene — and how have you become part of the paddling community?

We’re located in the very protected Singapore Straits, so we don’t get the kind of big ocean conditions you find in more exposed locations. But that doesn’t mean the water is boring. The Straits are essentially a bottleneck between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, so huge amounts of water are constantly moving through the area and between the surrounding Indonesian islands. That creates some seriously impressive currents.

So, compared with many open-ocean regions, I’d describe paddling here as more technical and generally flatter. We don’t regularly get those classic downwind runs where you can just connect bump after bump when the trade winds are right.

That said, at the end of the year, when the northerly monsoon kicks in, things get very interesting. We’ve discovered some fantastic areas east of Bintan where you can enjoy seemingly endless miles of downwind paddling, heading north to south along beautiful, uninhabited islands. It’s a very different kind of paddling experience, but a pretty special one.

How did Skild come about, and what was the idea behind creating a technical clothing brand specifically for paddlers?

During COVID, I was already thinking seriously about making a change in my professional life. At the time, I was a TVC executive producer running my own production company, but I felt ready to do something new.

I joined an incubator course run by the Singapore Fashion Council, and that gave me the opportunity to explore the idea properly. At the same time, the idea of creating a paddling jersey that actually lived up to our own high standards had already been floating around in our heads.

That combination eventually became Skild: taking what we knew and cared about as paddlers and applying it to technical clothing.

When you compare a premium rashguard with a standard one, where do you really notice the difference on the water?

I think there are a few factors that really make a difference. First is the fabric itself — how it feels against your skin and how it performs when you’re actually out on the water. Then there are the technical functions: UV protection, moisture-wicking capabilities and four-way stretch.

All of that translates into something you notice during a long session. Good UV protection helps protect you from the sun, while effective moisture management helps move sweat away from the skin. That moisture can then evaporate, which helps with cooling and temperature regulation.

So for me, it’s not just about making something that looks good. The real difference is how the garment performs when you’re paddling hard and spending hours in the sun and water.

How far has Skild reached today, and what are the options for paddlers outside Singapore who want to get hold of your products?

Skild has grown well beyond Singapore, and we’re travelling to quite a few major paddling events each year. We’re at events such as the IVF World Championships, both sprint and long-distance, The Gorge, the Sydney Harbour Challenge and others.

Those events have been a great way for us to meet paddlers from all over the world, showcase what we’re doing and build the Skild community beyond Singapore.

You also create custom designs for clubs and federations. What does that collaboration look like from the first idea to the finished product?

Once a crew or team contacts us, the first thing we want to do is have a conversation and understand what they’re all about. We look at their identity, their colours, what they like, what they definitely don’t like and any artwork or other elements they want to incorporate.

From there, we work together on the design. But essentially, there are very few limits to what we can do because we use sublimation printing — the design is transferred into the fabric using heat rather than simply sitting on top of it.

That gives us a huge amount of freedom creatively, and it also means the colours stay vibrant and true for a very long time. For clubs and federations, that’s important because the kit becomes part of their identity.

You’ve also chosen to distribute Nalu Canoes. What’s your history with the brand, and what made you want to bring Nalu to the paddling community in Singapore and beyond?

I met Marton (e.d. note: Marton Buday, Founder of Nalu Canoes) in Brazil when we were both participating in the Molokabra downwind race week. I had actually met his Brazilian distributor, Ulisses Calenti, a few weeks earlier at the Brazilian Nationals, and he arranged a Nalu canoe for me to race.

We started talking, and pretty quickly the conversation moved towards how we could work together. It felt like a very natural fit, so we started building the business relationship from there.

With the IVF Sprint World Championships approaching, what is the mood like in Singapore at the moment?

The countdown clock is definitely ticking! All the volunteers are on board, and I think the organising committee will probably be very happy when we can finally kick off the event after all the preparation.

It’s going to be a really special occasion. We’re also planning a great opening ceremony with some fantastic local cultural elements and shows, so I think everyone is looking forward to seeing the whole thing finally come together.

You have a lot going on during the championships — racing, exhibiting with Skild and creating content. How are you approaching the next three weeks?

My calendar for the next couple of weeks is absolutely crazy.

As you mentioned, I’ll be setting up and running our SKILD booth, but we’ll also be representing and distributing a number of other brands and products, including Palafamala paddles, O-OU sunglasses, Wildcurrentsco dry bags and more.

At the same time, we’ll be running around trying to capture as much content as possible. I’ll also be keeping a close eye on one of our sponsored athletes, Isaac Berryman from Hawaii, who will be competing in the J19 V6 and V1 categories.

And, of course, I’m not going to be able to resist racing myself. I’ll be competing in the V1, V6 and V12, so it’s fair to say I’ll have plenty to keep me busy.

You know the championship venue both as a paddler and as a spectator. What should people expect when they arrive, and what are your insider tips for getting the most out of the event?

There are plenty of places around the venue where you can get a great view of the race course. One of my favourite things is to watch from the side, where you can really see the crews as they come across the finish line.

And when you need a quick break from the racing, there’s a very Singaporean solution: head into the nearby shopping mall and make your way to the far end, then go down into the basement. You’ll find a really nice Singapore-style food court with a huge variety of food.

It’s the kind of place where you can easily discover a new favourite dish. So my advice would be: watch some racing, explore the venue, and definitely make time to eat. That’s an essential part of the Singapore experience.

Visit Skildwear.com to find out more

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