Courtesy of Loro Piana
The world’s leading menswear brands have never been shy about colonizing new territory—and recently, the best are heading to the hills. The current influx of ski (and après-ski) collections from houses like Louis Vuitton and Canali answers an explosion of interest in mountain sports, recasting the slopes as a stage for not just technical skill but also the kind of personal style that reads as unmistakably luxurious despite the elements.
“People want to invest in experiences,” says Sophie Jordan, menswear buying director at Mytheresa, adding that where skiing and snowboarding are concerned, “You have to have the gear to go and do that, even if you are just going to an après to have a nice time, a cocktail, or a hot chocolate on the side of a mountain.” The numbers back up that mindset. So significant is the surge in stylish guys heading off to the Alps or the Hakuba Valley that Jordan’s ski sales were dramatically higher at the start of the season. “The overall ski business is 53 percent up versus last year at this point,” she says. “But Brunello Cucinelli’s ski gear is, like, 365 percent up.”
The advantage such brands have over mountain specialists like Snow Peak or Bogner? Familiarity. “You already know the fit. You already trust the brand in terms of quality and how it works,” she adds. That level of confidence matters when you’re dressing for performance as much as pleasure, so that you don’t have to learn about a new outfitter at altitude. “It’s fulfilling a need without having to really think.”
Which suggests that if you opt for some of the high-end gear on these pages, you’ll have that much more energy to focus on what actually matters when you click in: perfecting your jump turn.
1. Prada
Image Credit: Courtesy of Prada 
The Italian house produces one of fashion’s most established and well-respected ski and snowboarding lines. It partners with Oakley to make reliable—and stylish—helmets, arguably the essential element of a mountain look. Linea Rossa by Oakley snow helmet, $775
2. Brunello Cucinelli
Brunello Cucinelli’s safari-style ski jacket uses two bonded layers of wool flannel in a technique that enhances its durability without sacrificing softness. Insulation from Italy’s Thermore keeps the jacket lightweight but warm enough to handle extreme cold. Mountain Safari jacket, $8,900
3. Louis Vuitton
Image Credit: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton For his first ski capsule at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams aimed to splice high-performance design details with recognizable sartorial codes. This warm trucker jacket and thick, cotton-corduroy trousers transition seamlessly from après-ski to everyday winter wear once you’re home from the slopes. Above, left to right: Corduroy and shearling mix trucker jacket, $6,750, and casual corduroy pants, $1,590
4. Loro Piana
Image Credit: Courtesy of Loro Piana While some ski-focused brands default to nylon, Loro Piana’s ski jacket and salopettes are made from wool, silk, and microfiber and covered in a lightweight layer of graphene that captures body heat. Its suede hikers extend that logic with a plush shearling lining. Above, left to right: Defender ski jacket, $7,050, Bia salopettes, $6,850, and Andreas boots, $2,130
5. Canali
Image Credit: Courtesy of Canali For a hint of graphic distinction, Canali added its freccia—or arrow—motif to this supremely cozy quarter-zip sweater, made from a spongy weave of alpaca, wool, and cotton. The gray-jacquard pattern will put you one step ahead of the guys who didn’t bother to change before those well-earned end-of-day drinks. Mock-neck sweater, $1,125
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