Balmain is landing in Aspen, Colorado, this week. And it’s not alone.
The French brand is part of a growing number of fashion houses holding events and opening temporary pop-up shops in mountain resorts for the holidays, chasing the growing ski gear and equipment market that according to Future Market Insights, is projected to have a global revenue size of $1.6 billion in 2022 and $2.26 billion by 2032.
The trend led Giorgio Armani to St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Dec. 10 to present a runway show for Neve, a new skiwear line, and it has seen a number of players, including Louis Vuitton, Pucci, Farm Rio and Off-White, launching new skiwear brands this season.
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Aspen Skiing Company, which owns and operates Colorado’s Aspen Snowmass as well as The Little Nell and Limelight Hotels, was at the forefront of the fashionable skiwear movement, launching its own luxury clothing brand and flagship store AspenX in 2021. The brand was conceptualized by artist Paul Crown, and has collaborated with Prada on three skiwear collections.
Now, other luxury players are flocking to celeb-loved Aspen, where Kendall and Kylie Jenner have already landed for the season, wearing statement coats and shopping the local boutiques.
Balmain is taking up residence at One Hour Ahead downtown Dec. 16 to Jan. 6, for the second stop of its Villa Balmain virtual reality experience that debuted during Art Basel Miami Beach. Taking over a 2,300-square-foot gallery space, the pop-up mixes fashion, tech and art to showcase Balmain’s Egyptian-inspired resort 2023 collection and Apres Ski collection.
Max Mara is popping up in the Colorado ski town starting Dec. 16, at the Aspen Times Printing House at Hotel Jerome.
Outside, the Italian luxury brand will install a life-sized ice sculpture of Max the Teddy, the brand’s unofficial mascot, and a custom branded cart serving hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts.
Inside, imagery of vintage Italian ski posters of the Dolomites will be brought to life through vignettes designed by creative duo And Or Forever, including moving images in high-definition projections and on LED screens.
The store will feature the brand’s full assortment of seasonal outerwear, including its popular Teddy coats.
Stockholm-based Totême will be opening a temporary residency Dec. 14 to March 31 at beloved Aspen multibrand store Max. The residency space, which last year was taken by Gabriela Hearst, has been redone to in Swedish natural style with lots of contemporary textiles and birch wood.
Founded by Elin Kling and Karl Lindman in 2014, Totême has won over celebs like Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley with its camel wrap coats, boxy blazers, black shifts and striped fisherman sweaters.
The space will sell the brand’s latest collections, hand-picked with the Aspen woman in mind, including coats, shoes and accessories, and a shearling tote created exclusively for the store.