Vuori Expands Into Ski Gear With New Outerwear Line

As POWDER’s Gear Editor, I get a lot of brand pitches into my inbox, and this morning one really caught my eye. Vuori–yes, that Vuori–just dropped a full line of men’s and women’s ski apparel including outerwear, mid- and baselayers. And, judging by what I can see on their website and PR release, it doesn’t look half bad.

A brand best known for extremely comfortable “athleisure” wear like sweatpants, gym clothes, and yoga attire, Vuori announced the launch of their new Snow Apparel line today. It seems to squarely fit into the emerging trend of mid-price point, resort-focused, stretchy hardshell apparel that we’ve been seeing from brands newer to the ski apparel space. I’m partial to heavy-duty hardshell Gore-Tex Pro jackets and pants, but in all honesty, this kind of apparel makes a ton of sense for most skiers.

Vuori is launching their new ski outerwear line with the men’s Taika Snow Shell jacket and pants and women’s Taika Snow Shell jacket and bibs. These forego any heavy-duty (and expensive) Gore-Tex, and are instead constructed with softer, stretchier 100% recycled waterproof NetPlus® 4-layer fabric. NetPlus is made from recycled fishing nets, and has been used by manufacturers like Patagonia, TREW, and Oyuki, to name a few.

The Taika kit is rated to 30k waterproofing, and features the standard bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from any ski shells: a powder skirt, underarm vents, an oversized hood, RECCO reflectors, and a simple pocket layout. The men’s fit looks to be on the relaxed side, with a more freeride and freestyle-inspired look, while the women’s style looks to be much more fashion/lifestyle oriented, and a bit more fitted. The men’s kit is available in an impressive size run from XXS to 3XL, while the women’s is available from XXS to XXL.

All in all, it’s pretty cool to see new players in the ski apparel game that are bringing their own types of expertise to the drawing board. If their launch campaign (shot in the Utah backcountry by Cam Mcleod) is any indicator, Vuori is hitting the right buttons to break into the industry. They even sponsor FWT rider and Olympic freestyle skier Thibault Magnin.

It’s easy to hate on new non-core brands entering our space, but I have to think back on a similar situation just recently. During the height of the Lululemon craze a few years ago, I couldn’t get enough of their baselayers for skiing–and I still wear several of their practically indestructible athletic shirts nearly every day when mountain biking. I’ll admit that I’m a huge fan of Vuori’s lifestyle apparel, and I’m curious to see how this plays for them.