This winter’s most stylish skiwear, Gucci to Hermès

The latter weeks of the year mark the arrival of ski season; with it, an array of new skiwear arrivals for making a style statement on the slopes, whether in Courchevel or Colorado. Here, in an ongoing list, Wallpaper* selects this winter’s best skiwear – goggles, salopettes, bodysuits, helmets and more – from winter apparel specialists and fashion houses alike, keeping you protected from the elements as you escape to the snow.

This season’s best skiwear

Gucci Après-Ski collection 

The irreverent glamour of Gucci is channelled in a new après-ski collection, released by the Italian house earlier this month (December 2022). Tropes of Alpine dressing – colourful quilted puffas, shearling and hiking boots, ski masks, sporty leggings et al – are given the Gucci treatment, reimagined in the house monogram or with distinct vintage-inspired motifs and silhouettes. Encompassing ‘the duality of sportier and refined aesthetics’, as the house describes, the playful collection also features a preview of the latest upcoming chapter of its collaboration with Adidas. Various covetable accessories sit alongside, including new versions of the house’s signature Gucci Horsebit 55, the Gucci Diana and GG Marmont handbags, as well as a series of aluminium hard-sided trolleys made in collaboration with Italian luggage maker FPM Milano. 

Khaite Après-Ski collection 

Khaite has also looked toward the ’art of après-ski’ with a dressed-up wintertime collection that draws inspiration from memories of ‘slope-side chalets, ski school and ski bunnies’ – from elegant skiwear-inspired puffers and knitted balaclavas to fair-isle sweaters and slick jodhpur-style leggings and trousers. Playful accessories accompany the collection – including furry shearling shoes and bags. 

ERL x Salomon ski goggles

Eli Russell Linnetz’s ERL – the cult Santa Monica-based label that riffs on Americana and the tropes of Californian style – has collaborated with Japanese activewear brand Salomon on a distinctive pair of ski goggles. Reimagining the Radium Pro and Aksium 2.0 styles, the tinted-coloured lenses also feature flame-emblazoned straps in Linnetz’s distinctive style. Currently, the two styles are available from Swedish menswear retailer Très Bien. 

Moncler Grenoble

This month (November 2022), outerwear heavyweight Moncler releases its latest Grenoble collection, the skiwear-focused offshoot named after a town in the French mountains (the self-proclaimed ‘Capital of the Alps’, Grenoble offers a gateway to the area’s many wintertime pursuits and is just 30km from where Moncler itself was first founded in 1952). As has become the Grenoble line’s signature, the A/W 2022 collection marries Moncler’s technical prowess and innovative fabrications with a colourful palette, bold silhouettes, and more casual elements, designed for aprés-ski. Spanning mens- and womenswear, and promising pieces for ‘every moment of mountain life’ – ’from pursuits at the summit, to downtime in the chalet’ – highlights of the new collection include an array of hard-working outerwear (like the ‘Cerniat’ ski jacket, which features lightweight ‘PrimaLoft Gold’ insulation offering both unprecedented warmth and easy movement), a collaboration with Reusch on colourful insulated gloves with sheepskin detailing, and mix-and-match layers of teddy fleece, metallic ripstop and fluffy patterned knits, made for both on and off the slopes. 

Giorgio Armani Neve

Promising ‘the Armani take on the winter wardrobe’, Giorgio Armani’s Neve collection channels natural elegance and sprezzatura at the heart of the Italian designer’s eponymous house. Various riffs on the staples of wintertime sportswear – from quilted chevron jackets and salopettes to jumpsuits and gilets – make up the comprehensive collection, which from December 2022 will travel to various ski resorts, beginning with a show in St Moritz outside of the famed Olympia Stadium (home to 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics) before moving on to Verbier, Courchevel, and Megève. While several of the pieces are imbued with innovative technical elements with winter sports in mind, others exist simply for when the skis are hung up for the evening – whether a dramatic ankle-length black faux-fur coat for women or cosy ribbed knits for men. 

Louis Vuitton ‘Snow’

Beginning from an idea proposed by Virgil Abloh prior to his death last year – the late designer was an avid snowboarder in his lifetime – Louis Vuitton’s new ‘Snow’ collection for men sees the codes of skiwear reinterpreted through Abloh’s distinct lens. ’We live in a time of increasing awareness – of both ourselves and our surroundings – where businessmen from Paris become weekend warriors in Gstaad, and everyone is testing their own limits,’ he said, which provides the starting point for a collection featuring riffs on the Louis Vuitton monogram inspired by the knitted designs on winter jumpers. As was Abloh’s signature, aesthetics and function intertwine in the various pieces, which feature technical padding, yarns and nylons ‘allowing the pieces to adapt to both alpine and metropolitan climates’. ’We expect design to perform, to multi-function, to serve a purpose beyond the obvious,’ he said. 

Dior Ski Capsule for Men

‘Pushing the boundaries of inventiveness and performance,’ as the house describes, Kim Jones’ new ski capsule for men provides a sleek wintertime wardrobe featuring collaborations with ski experts POC (via a range of protective masks and goggles) and Japanese brand Descente (on down jackets, pants and ski suits emblazoned with the Dior logo). Available from October 2022, the collection is defined by vivid graphic motifs which recall vintage skiwear, gradient prints, and sleek technical elements; Dior call the resulting look ’dynamic and couture’. As Jones has proved adept, various covetable accessories sit alongside, from a new version of the Dior Explore bag reimagined in colourful technical fabric to water bottle holders, padded boots and geometric-print socks. A Dior-emblazoned snowboard – created in collaboration with Swedish brand Ak Ski – completes the collection.

Hermès ski accessories

As expected, a new range of ski accessories from Hermès are a demonstration of the Parisian house’s historic association with luxury and craft. Skis are created in collaboration with a French manufacturer in glulam ash and decorated with the house’s ‘Cheval punk’ print (they ’marry versatility and performance’, as Hermès describes); while ski poles are crafted from super-lightweight carbon with aluminium tips and webbing handles. An accompanying bag in sporty bivouac canvas, meanwhile, recalls the ‘tall bags’ of early mountaineers and is ‘technical, lightweight and weather-resistant’ with details in régate bullcalf leather and raw titanium. Numerous pockets and a roomy interior make it primed for adventurous wintertime escapes.