While the lion’s share of attention Moncler garners goes towards its covetable puffer jackets and seemingly endless collaborations, it’s Moncler Grenoble that set the tone for what the brand is today. Named after the French town near the luxury Italian fashion house’s founding location in the mountainous village of Monestier-de-Clermont, Moncler Grenoble represents the technical snowsports focused arm of the brand.
Uniting style with high performance, the Moncler Grenoble Autumn/Winter 2023 collection sees traditionally utilitarian garments rendered in bold, pop colours. Designed to offer freedom of movement while providing defence against rain, snow, and wind, both the men’s and women’s collections feature technical details such as strategic vents for increased breathability, Recco reflectors, powder skirts, generous internal pockets, and the use of Gore-Tex fabric which is both breathable and waterproof. Complementing the technical snow wear is a considered set of accessories and equipment, including goggles, helmets, skis, and snowboards.
Après-ski style is also catered to with a lineup of tactile knitwear and transitional pieces that can be worn on their own off the slopes or layered with the performance-driven Grenoble collection.
The accompanying Moncler Grenoble campaign explores the human side of professional snow sports, with the brand inviting a quartet of all-star ambassadors to a retreat in Switzerland. Shot within this laidback environment, the campaign depicts Cai Xuetong, Perrine Laffont, Shaun White, and Richard Permin modelling the latest pieces — and of course, taking them for a spin on the slopes.
Much like Moncler Grenoble, French skier Perrine Laffont was born on the slopes, learning the sport from the age of two at Les Monts d’Olmes in the Pyrenees. “My father was a ski instructor and my mother was president of the mogul club,” Laffont tells Albert Review. “As soon as I could walk, they put me straight on skis.
“I immediately loved the adrenalin it gave me. As my mother would say, I was the resort’s mascot, because I used to get on the chair lifts with my pacifier and go downhill at top speed.”
We spoke to the 25-year-old Olympic gold medalist and five-time World Champion mogul skier about her journey thus far.
Albert Review: As a female athlete, have you faced any challenges and how did you solve them?
Perrine Laffont: I was lucky enough to have very supportive parents, who put me on skis at a very early age and then trained me to reach the best possible level. They also gave me the values of respect, determination and resilience. Later, when I had to leave home to train, they were always close by and helpful to me, in my sporting and personal life.
When I joined the French Mogul Team at the age of 14, I joined a group made up entirely of men who were between 4 and 10 years older than me. As a teenager, it wasn’t easy to find my place in a completely male team, but it forged my character to impose myself and legitimise my presence within the group. As time went by, my results spoke for themselves and I was able to establish myself as the boss of the team today [laughs].
AR: What role does skiing play in your life?
PL: Today, skiing is an integral part of my life: it’s my passion and my job. There are several reasons why I love skiing. Firstly, it’s an outdoor sport that lets you reconnect with nature and unwind in peace and quiet after moments of stress or intense work. Secondly, it gives me unique sliding and adrenalin sensations that I only get when I’m on the slopes. On skis, I feel free and that makes me want to push my limits.
AR: Are aesthetics important to you when selecting ski wear? What influences your choice when it comes to ski gear?
I’m very attached to being stylish when I’m skiing, and my outfits depend on the situation. There’s the competition outfit, in which we need to be comfortable, and they’re often very wide so we can move freely on our runs and jumps. But when I’m skiing with my friends, I like to have stylish outfits that match my style or mood of the day, while keeping the comfortable side that lets me enjoy my runs. I’m very lucky to be able to ski in Moncler outfits, which offer very elegant outfits with a technical edge.
AR: What are your favourite pieces from the new Moncler Grenoble collection?
PL: Moncler Grenoble’s new collection is incredible. They’ve managed to combine technique and style; it’s an ideal collection for people who want to ski feeling comfortable and warm while looking stylish. My favourite piece is the blue set with the belt which adds a very elegant touch to a very technical outfit.
AR: At just 25 years of age, you’ve won an Olympic gold medal and are a World Champion mogul skier five times over. Are there any goals you haven’t achieved yet?
PL: It’s true that I’ve got a great track record and I’m often asked what I’ve still got to win, but as a top-level athlete you can’t stop setting yourself new goals. In terms of sporting objectives, I’d like to win a second Olympic gold medal and try to achieve the most World Cup victories (I’ve held the record for World Championship gold medals since February 2023). As far as my personal goals are concerned, I’m keen to develop the practice of freestyle sport among the younger generation, and to pass on to them the values of respect, resilience, and performance. In particular, freestyle, an impressive discipline, has too few girls on the circuits today, and I’d like to develop this aspect of my sport and freestyle skiing in general. Each year I organise The Perrine Laffont Winter Camp in a French ski resort where we conduct activities that link with my discipline and the values that I want to pass to the young.
AR: And we have to know, where’s your favourite place to ski thus far?
PL: Let’s say I have two choices of resort for this question. In France I’d choose my home resort of Les Monts D’Olmes where I recharge my batteries during my rest periods and which reminds me of where I come from and where it all began for me. As for skiing abroad, I loved skiing at Tazawako in Japan, which had an impressive quantity of snow and a super-light quality ideal for freeride.
The Moncler Grenoble Autumn/Winter 2023 collection is now available via the Moncler webstore and in select physical boutiques.
Words by AR Staff
