How a ski jacket is made

According to Google Trends, in the past 20 years people’s interest in skiwear has generally decreased, whereas their interest in specific garments, among which ski jackets, has increased: today almost 40% of all snow garments sold in stores are ski jackets (source Global Ski Market Report).

Maybe due to the fact that a ski jacket is a piece of clothing that we are used to wearing, it is difficult to understand the fascinating and complex, balance between innovation, creativity and technique, that is concealed in a jacket.

Modern outerwear is not only to protect against the cold, snow and wind, but is also a true expression of style and functionality.

Behind a modern ski jacket, just like behind every piece of clothing designed for time on the snow, lies a world: a world of values, expertise, intuition and technique.
We have decided to open up on this world, by going behind the scenes of our products.

Read this post to find out how a ski jacket is made, how many steps it takes to make it, and the value of what you wear on the slopes.

1. First of all research: this is fundamental for proposing products that, once on the market, will emerge for their unique style
2. Next comes the moment for shaping the ideas: there is a time for drawing, for fashion plates that tell the mood, and for technical cutting and sewing plans that will lead to the model, which will take us to the next step.
3. The prototype: this is garment ‘zero’, checked both technically and aesthetically. This
   garment represents a crucial moment as from here onwards the construction of the last phase begins.
4. The sample collection: at this point the games are played, and the step to actual production is really short.

At One More, the choice of materials, for example, is a key factor: the cohesion between technicality, quality and design that lives in our brand, imposes precise, we could say identity-making, choices on us.

From the very beginning, One More has searched for sustainable fabrics, whether recycled or recyclable: the idea has always been to give waste a new life, reduce waste, and create a closed circuit in which nothing is thrown away.
This is how we came up with AppleSkin and Econyl®, two 100% Italian products that enable us to be a technology brand based on Italian technologies.

This is not only an animal-friendly and true Made in Italy fabric, not merely compliant with law, but also a functional fabric.

Before choosing AppleSkin for our garments, we tested all the conditions to which an AppleSkin ski jacket could have been subjected: stresses from skiing, carrying the skis on the shoulder, prolonged exposure to sunrays at high altitudes (even over 2,500 metres), and the hot/cold excursions experienced in the typical situation of going from the slopes below zero degrees to inside a hut, near a wood heater or fireplace, with temperatures even around 70 degrees.

AppleSkin passed all these tests and that is why we used it in our most fashion-oriented garments, to give them a classy and elegant touch combined with functionality

When we chose Econyl®, the target was always to produce a super-functional technical fabric for ski school garments: to be used for a few years and, then, to be completely recycled once the uniforms need to be changed. In regards to this, we can see the goal, and we are completely going in this direction.

The processing of Econyl® is also carried out in Italy, obtaining an elastic fabric that we, then, process in different ways: with the application of a breathable, porous, European membrane which lets out the natural body moisture but does not let water in thanks to a very environmentally friendly Water Resistant treatment.

Most of our garments are made of Econyl®: jackets, technical fleece, even the so-called base layers. With a series of workmanships we ensure both the comfort of common skiers and the performance of World Cup athletes.

Sustainability means, as already mentioned, having one extended concept in mind, that is not only related to the environment, but also to society, an almost ‘integral’ concept, and this is what we offer our clients: the possibility of being part of a simple project that tries not to impact on nature, that protects animals, does not pollute and ensures respect for labour and people.

One More moves in the direction of Fairtrade: our suppliers produce 95% of the accessories and materials in Italy or in Europe, and only a very small part comes from Asia.
We are constantly working to bring this small percentage to zero.

Respect for nature, animals, and people: these are – for example – the main values that One More instils into every ski jacket placed on the market.

These values must be embodied – in our case – in an object that we can buy and wear, and that we let be our ‘shell’ in the world: this is why we all choose garments that are consistent with our image, that enhance it, that speak of us and that do so in positive terms.
It is not easy to bring a system of values into a combination of shapes, colours and fabrics, especially for a company like One More, which has made values its corporate feature.

Our manifesto is proof of this.

This is a difficult task as it presents challenges in all the stages of product and collection development: when the idea of a piece of garment is conceived, when it is ‘cuddled’ with creative research, when selecting non-trivial and innovative inspirational ideas that can be concretely realised: but not only.

Even when – as in our case – the choice of materials must account for sustainability, of which we have already extensively spoken, and for our desire to be animal free throughout the entire collection: the raw materials themselves must be aligned with the brand spirit.

One More wants more and to go further, but to do so it does not intend to unconditionally take from the environment, from the people, from the world in which we live.

Then, there is the ‘ultimate’ challenge that retraces the entire process: it maintains the consistency between the initial idea and the final jacket so that, as far as details, style and fitting are concerned, it is an authentic expression of One More.

This implies hours and hours of study of the styles in trend before putting pencil to paper: and when the point lands on the screen or on paper, it is only because a balance between fashion trends and the One More concept has been reached.
It is not just a pure whim, a fixation of ours or of all brands.
It is a form of respect.

Respect towards our ideas, but also towards those of thousands of people who, by choosing us, have chosen to be represented in their public image, the one most seen and discussed, by our system of values.
It is a form of respect, responsibility and care.
And all this is concealed in what is a ‘simple’ ski jacket.