What’s New In Ski? These Labels Are Rising Within the Heritage-Dominated Market – VOGUE
Fri 2 Dec
Skiwear is one of those corners of the apparel market dominated by brands that have been around since the early days of the sport itself. Consider that Rossignol was founded in 1907, Bogner in 1932, Fusalp in 1952, and Moncler in 1953, etc. For decades, shopping for ski meant shopping heritage labels with established reputations. And it makes sense; the products require technical knowledge, extreme craftsmanship, and durability, and for a time, there wasn’t an appetite for fashion with a capital F on the ski slopes. But that was then, and this is now. Skiwear has seemingly become the new frontier for high fashion—because what is a piste, if not a snowy catwalk?—with fans of the sport eager to showcase their personal style. Brands, and retailers, meanwhile, have been taking notes.
For Shoreditch Ski Club, which was launched in 2018 by Will Beedle, environmental responsibility is paramount—as is the ability to wear your ski jacket just about everywhere come wintertime. “If you’re launching a brand today, why would you not embed some level of responsible practice and sustainable materiality,” Beedle tells Vogue. And more newcomers have shaken up the market too. Beyond new labels, this year since a slew of designer collaborations worth shopping. Below, a roundup of what’s new labels and new collabs to shop now.
Shoreditch Ski Club fuses downtown street style with the technical requirements of skiwear. Regarding the name, Beedle explains, “our skiwear makes as much sense in the streets of our East London neighborhood of Shoreditch as it does on the slopes of Aspen. And, you know, who doesn’t love a club!” Plus, SSC isn’t limited to your ski trips; Beedle cites seeing his pieces on the streets in between shows at London Fashion Week and art fairs like Frieze London. (“In my humble opinion, they always look cool and confident… and warm!”) The label’s puffers and even leggings are meant to carry you through wintertime as seasonal wardrobe staples. But where Shoreditch Ski Club really sets itself apart from the others is its sustainability practices. The label’s signature ‘Willow’ puffer is constructed with 100% recycled fibers, from the outer shell to the insulating filling—it all makes for the equivalent of about 10 plastic bottles.