A SLIPPERY SLOPE – WHY LUXURY FASHION IS OBSESSED WITH SKIING

by Jack Cook 2 years ago

by Jack Cook 2 years ago 5 min

Skiing is one of the world’s most fashionable pastimes. Once reserved for the wealthy, the winter sport has indeed taken over as everybody’s favourite Christmas getaway. Skiing has always had a reputation for allowing the fashion conscious amongst us to flex their creative muscles. This reputation dates back to the 80s and the vibrant, neon suits covering the slopes. Fast-forward to today, and luxury fashion brands across the globe have adopted skiing as not only a marketing tool but also as an inspiration for many A/W collections.

With Prada releasing a technical ski wear collaboration with ASPENX, I take a look at luxury fashion’s obsession with the snowy hobby, highlighting key pieces from Dior, Fendi and Casablanca alongside the ASPENX x Prada collaboration.

ASPENX x PRADA
The ASPENX x Prada collection is about as ready for the slopes as any luxury fashion brand has delivered thus far. The collection consists of a hoodie, thermal jacket and extreme cold snow jacket. All products from this capsule are crafted with eco-sustainable practices, making the products one of the more sustainable offerings in ski style. The product is as practical as it is stylish, with the snow jacket featuring Extreme-Tex, a waterproof fabric created by Prada. Graphene padding, antibacterial properties, carbon-free waterproofing, and heat-sealed taped seams also star on this must-have winter jacket.

The product features the highly coveted Prada red tab logo with an intriguing black and white graphic design. The product is meant to capture the unique spirit of Aspen in honour of the legendary locations 75th anniversary.

The items from this first collaboration range between £1500 and £3800, so sporting the ASPENX x Prada collaboration does not come cheap. I just hope that the skis, snowboard and goggles used in the campaign are the following pieces to release.

DIOR SKIWEAR
Owning one of the most iconic monogram prints of all time, whatever product Kim Jones decides to cover in the ‘DIOR‘ pattern is guaranteed to be a hit. Although, many of us would never have thought that monogram would feature across various skiwear products.

A ski-ready pair of goggles and helmet was released as part of a collaboration with POC Sports, a Swedish brand that can deliver the finest technical sportswear. A DIORALPS collection was also released, featuring a full array of everything you would need from skiing to the apres ski and even covering you for the flight. The DIORALPS collection featured jumpsuits, rollneck sweaters, ski boots and even a handy travel kit featuring a passport cover, luggage tag and sleep mask.

Dior really made sure you are covered from the beginning of your ski holiday to the minute you get back home.

CASABLANCA SKI CLUB
Casablanca founder Charaf Tajer prides himself on producing some of the more striking pieces of clothing around today. The high energy product features intricate visual designs alongside an array of vivid colour hues. The transition into the ski scene seemed like an obvious one for Casablanca.

The brand released a capsule called Ski Club. The ready-to-wear product did not feature technical skiwear but instead used skiing as the main inspiration for the collection. A skier and a picturesque ski scene covered two silk shirts, whilst a Casablanca Skiing logo features across a tracksuit. A monogram double denim co-ord and sweater also starred in the capsule, rounding off the Ski Club collection. Although not fit for the slopes, the Casablanca Ski Club product will make you the envy of everyone at the Apres Ski.

FENDI SKIWEAR
Not to be outdone by any of its competitors, luxury fashion house Fendi has also stepped into the skiwear game. The Italian-based brand has a collection that will have you ready to hit the slopes in no time at all, offering more than just the usual jackets we have seen many times before. That isn’t to say that they don’t provide one of the finest versions of a ski jacket around, with the cropped Fendi ski jacket covered in the FF motif. Fendi also offers ski suits and salopettes in the same striking FF design.

Fendi also offers technically sound products like the black fabric anorak, which is not only perfect for your upcoming trip to the Alps but also for day-to-day wear whenever the rain is falling.

If you aren’t looking to be head to toe in Fendi for your time on the mountain, though, they offer a slightly more subtle way to flex the brand when skiing. You can pick up a pair of goggles, gloves or a helmet to support the Italian powerhouse in a less obvious way.

Luxury fashion brands show no signs of slowing down in their skiwear themed releases. Why would they? We, the consumer, are lapping up this current trend. It is no surprise to see more and more of the luxury fashion spaces filled with ski and snowboard ready products. Are these pieces for the everyday skier looking for a casual trip on the slopes? Definitely not. But if you want to represent your favourite brands whilst gliding through the snow, Prada, Dior and Fendi more than have you covered.

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