This week, an in-depth look at skiwear’s glow-up.
As the world heads into its third year under the dark cloud of the pandemic, cabin fever has officially set in. Though many people are deeming indoor destinations off-the-table and winter weather has officially arrived, the desire to go out remains strong. As a result, skiing has become an increasingly popular pastime — and sales of its unofficial uniform are booming. Fashion brands are now rushing to answer the demand for sporty puffers, ski suits, ski pants and goggles.
“2020 was all about loungewear. And in 2021, everyone got a little overambitious and bought going-out clothes and for the return to normal,” said Madison Semarjian, founder and CEO of the 2-year-old Mada shopping app. “Now, we’re back to activewear. The 2022 look is elevated loungewear you can wear in the cold. Skiwear has become the ‘it’ girl uniform, even for people who don’t ski.”
Semarjian said that, since fall, Mada’s skiwear sales have been up 400%. What’s more, people are “eight-times more likely to buy a skiwear outfit than another winter outfit featured on the app.” As a result, the company has overhauled the ”Featured Outfits” section of its app to exclusively feature skiwear. The plan is to keep it that way for the foreseeable future, only updating it when new ski styles become available.
Think of the trend as winter’s take on fashion’s pandemic-fueled love affair with golf and tennis. As playing sports has become a go-to fall-back plan, brands have latched on to the opportunity to put their fashion spin on the limited, often lackluster apparel options on the sporting goods market. At the same time, many are fulfilling their promise of being a lifestyle brand, able to outfit their customer for every aspect of their life.
To go
