Over 400 guests attended the Moncler Grenoble spectacle that took place in the French ski region of Les Trois Vallées this past weekend. Since we had all been asked to wear the same black boots and white duvet cape, it was hard to tell people apart. But among the sea of human snowballs perched on the stands that had been set up on the Courchevel Altiport sat Adrien Brody, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, as well as brand ambassadors Xuetong Cai, Tomohisa Yamashita and Shaun White (the latter designed a snowboard for the occasion).
At 2,008 metres above sea level, Courchevel Altiport is the highest airport in Europe. For Saturday evening, with the help of events company Villa Eugénie, the Moncler team turned its famously short landing strip into a U-shaped catwalk that saw 140 looks comprising skiwear, (natural and synthetic) shearling coats as well as seemingly tweed skirt suits that were actually made of wool and “nylon laqué micro patchworks”, according to the press release. A live orchestra and a light show completed the scene, while the snow that fell heavily as the models walked added to the atmosphere, despite having put the organising teams on high alert in the hours leading up to the show.
“The Moncler team is very organised,” said model Neelam Kaur Gill, who walked the show and had also taken part in Moncler’s Genius event in Shanghai last October. “They had all kinds of changes of clothes for us backstage to make sure we stayed dry and also those little electric hand warmers. I had them in my gloves and in my boots while I walked the show. This is my second time walking for Moncler, and the experience is always epic and unforgettable.”
As the teams put the finishing touches on that epic experience on Friday night, guests including the aforementioned celebrities were treated to a three-course dinner at the Moncler store on Le Chalet de Pierres. Saturday morning saw ski and snowshoeing excursions followed by lunch at luxury restaurant Bagatelle. A three-course dinner that turned into a party was also served at Le Cap Horn, which touts itself as the oldest mountain restaurant in Courchevel, after the show.
.jpeg)
“With Moncler Grenoble, we are building a world where mountain and outdoors enthusiasts truly feel they belong. That has always been my dream,” said Moncler CEO and chairman Remo Ruffini. “What we did here in Courchevel is a perfect example: creating unique immersive experiences — taking further what we started in St Moritz last year and inviting people to be part of this world.”
This was the second Grenoble event in the updated Moncler universe, the first having taken place a year ago in the Swiss town of St Moritz. It comes as interest in skiing and mountain travel is booming, creating more opportunities — and competition — for the established skiwear players.
Grenoble is the third pillar of the brand’s three-pillar strategy; the other two being Moncler Collection (its main line) and the prodigious Genius. The latest Genius event took the brand to Shanghai for a sprawling activation of 10 designer pavilions that was attended by 8,000 people and viewed by 57 million. Grenoble was launched in 2010, but rebooted last year to cover all aspects of mountain life, from high performance to après-ski and other outdoors experiences.
It’s all very ambitious and expensive but evidently within the company’s reach: Moncler Group said consolidated revenues were up 7 per cent year-on-year to €3.1 billion for full-year 2024, compared with €2.98 billion in 2023. It also seems to prove that investing in brand moments and thinking outside the box can bear results. “Over the past year, we have focused even more on what makes our brand truly distinctive,” Ruffini told his investors on the brand’s earnings call in February. “[Shanghai] has been the most impactful brand event we have been able to accomplish as a team yet,” chief brand officer Gino Fisanotti continued on the same call.
It makes sense that the second chapter of Grenoble would take place in Courchevel, too. The brand has two stores in the luxury ski resort town — the first one opened in 2013 at Place du Tremplin, which is basically on the main shopping strip, followed in 2014 by the one at Let Chalet de Pierres, which sits right on the slopes. A walk around the town’s shops on Saturday morning revealed that a good chunk of the population, whether local or tourist, were decked out in Moncler. “I work here for the season, which lasts from December to the end of March, and I like to look good and obviously keep warm. So every season I like to invest in one good coat and I normally go to Moncler for that,” said photographer Yulia Gargai, who I met on that walk.
“Courchevel was the perfect choice representing one of the most iconic ski resorts in the world and reflecting Moncler’s deep connection to the French Alps,” added Ruffini. He was referring to the fact that the brand was actually founded in 1952 in the Alpine village of Monestier-de-Clermont (a couple of hours drive from Courchevel) by René Ramillon and André Vincent, originally as a professional mountaineering equipment offer.
The Moncler spectaculars have, over a short period of time, become a fixture on the fashion calendar, even though they are operating outside of it. If nothing else, it s a smart content strategy: this latest Grenoble show took place right at the end of fashion month, meaning social media feeds were mostly clear of any other runway content.
Where is Ruffini’s head at now that it’s all done? “I am already thinking about where the next Grenoble brand experience should be,” he says. “It’s not easy though, as we always aim for higher peaks.”
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More on Moncler:
My first job in fashion: Remo Ruffini on the 20-year apprenticeship that led him to Moncler
.jpg)
