Shiny fabrics, neutral colors, faux fur trims and skinny silhouettes have been popular in mainstream fashion recently, so you can expect to see them on the slopes as well as the streets in the coming season.
The overlap of streetwear and sports trends has never been greater, judging from the 80 outfits previewed at the SnowSports Industries America fashion show Thursday night at the Colorado Convention Center. The show capped the first day of the annual trade event in Denver, where hundreds of manufacturers of clothing, accessories, skis and snowboards presented their wares for winter 2012 to retail buyers from across the country.
While a sleek black down parka can look as appropriate on a city street as on a black-diamond slope, don’t doubt that the coat made for the mountain has all the bells and whistles a snow-sports enthusiast wants. Waterproof, breathable and stretch fabrics, warm linings, hidden hoods and multiple pockets for stashing everything from tunes to phones to lip balm are staples in these highly technical garments.
When it comes to pure aesthetics, there’s a return to chic classics after a few seasons when neon brights made a splash. Jeanine Pesce, senior editor for activewear at Stylesight, a trend-forecasting service that collaborated with SIA on the fashion show, says black is always chic, winter whites look expensive and faux fur is a runaway — as well as runway— hit. She also sees workwear, outdoor and military influences showing up, in cargo silhouettes, neutral colors such as khaki and brown, camouflage patterns and stripes.
Mirroring what spectators will see some athletes wearing during this weekend’s Winter X Games in Aspen, “utilitarian fabrics and denim- like materials are finding an audience,” Pesce said, citing the popularity of canvas, leather and shearling. “And designers are experimenting with shapes.”
Sophisticated graphic prints in gray, black, brown and green were well-represented on the SIA runway, as were fabrics with subtle surface prints of herringbone, stripes and menswear-like tweeds. Quilting, shirring and smocking added texture and loft to vests and jackets.
And while big and baggy has long been the look for snowboard wear, companies like Ride showed skinny pant silhouettes for guys, as well as longer parkas.
Design innovation seems to be paying off, as does an uptick in the economy. An SIA audit of early season retailing found apparel sales are strong, with an increase of 11 percent in dollar volume. Purchases of clothing have been aided by La Niña. The weather phenomenon brought plentiful snow to many resorts across the country and colder temperatures to regions, including the South, driving sales of snow-sports clothing and accessories. Insulated parka sales are up 22 percent in units sold, and accessories sales increased more than 16 percent, led by surges in goggles, snowboard and backcountry accessories, according to the SIA.
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
