Brooke Ely Danielson Brooke Ely Danielson | October 13, 2021 | Lifestyle, Style & Beauty,
Aspen Snowmass has stepped up its performance apparel game with a launch of brand-new season uniforms. Here, product line manager Lauren Myatt talks about the collection, process of creating it and what she is most looking forward to this winter season.
Unveiling its new innovative on-mountain uniforms in August 2021, Aspen Snowmass is the first ski resort operator to create custom uniforms for the entire staff including ski and snowboard instructors, ambassadors, ski patrol and mountain operations. The patrol uniforms include bibs and shells in advanced technical fabrication in the ski patrol signature orange, while the on-mountain instructor uniforms feature a three-piece layering system made from Gore-Tex 2L nylon fabric with Primaloft Gold insulation and feature artwork in the interior lining by Paula Crown. These snazzy new uniforms are part of the ASPENX apparel concept and are sure to elevate the brand both on- and off-mountain. We sat down with product line manager Lauren Myatt to talk about the collection, the process of creating it and what she is most looking forward to this winter season.
What was your involvement with this project?
As the product line manager I oversaw every aspect of design, development, sourcing and planning for the uniforms.
What were the key factors for the new uniforms?
Uniforms are one of the most visible parts of our brand, and we wanted them to better represent our bold character and our brand purpose. Through many months of due diligence and number crunching, we determined that custom-building uniforms ourselves (meaning not through a partnership) was the best path. The first key factor was finding a factory that would take our calls. Once we had manufacturing secured, we went to work gathering product intel from our on-mountain staff. It was extremely important to get the functionality and performance right for the work they do across our four mountains.
Can you talk a little bit about your approach to creating the uniforms?
Sustainability is part of our DNA, so every step in the process had a sustainable consideration. Having transparency into the supply chain gave us the ability to choose Bluesign fabrics when possible and make cleaner decisions during the lab dipping and dyeing process. Ultimately the most sustainable move we made was building uniforms that will have a long-lasting life cycle.
How do you think this collection will differentiate SkiCo from the rest of the industry?
Honestly, it’s the people wearing the jackets that differentiate us from the rest of the industry. And I thought about them every day while building this collection. They are the heart and soul of this place, the ones making it happen for all of us. It’s an honor to outfit them.
Do you have a favorite piece in the collection? If so, what is it and why?
They are all my favorite, but the midlayer piece is pretty sick because of the high-end technical fabrics we used. It’s breathable yet warm. I hiked the bowl in it and stayed thermo-regulated in variable conditions. Every staff member gets this piece in their assigned color, and we are also selling a black version of it in retail stores.
What challenges did you all face during the creation of the new uniforms?
We didn’t face as many as you would think seeing as this was our first rodeo! The pandemic made things challenging, of course. It limited our ability to collaborate in person, but thankfully my husband and 4-year-old had some sharp input. Really the most interesting challenge was probably the production timeline as it related to the design timeline of our new logo. We cut it pretty close.
What are you most looking forward to this ski season?
I’m looking forward to seeing the initial vision come full circle. I look forward to the input from employees and taking that feedback into our next iteration. And, of course, I’m looking forward to skiing powder.
Photography by: PHOTOS BY TYLER WILKINSON-RAY/ASPEN SNOWMASS