Rossignol + Wallpaper’s Pavement-to-Peak collection works as well on the streets as on the slopes
WRITER: SIMON MILLS
In collaboration with Wallpaper’s fashion editors, French winter sport specialist Rossignol has designed a new capsule collection exploring the connection between metropolis and mountain, pavement and peak. On a mission to make Alpine-inspired outdoor wear for urban explorers, the creative teams at Wallpaper* and Rossignol developed an aesthetic that captured the city centre-to-snowscape journey of, say, a Lyon-dwelling urbanite taking a road trip to Alpe d’Huez, or a Zurich freeskier on the vertiginous train ride across Switzerland to his bolthole above the village of Arosa.
Fuelled by Rossignol’s passion for producing mountain-ready lifestyle products with the help of cutting-edge technologies and maverick collaborations, the collection of down jackets, parkas, fleeces, goggles, gloves, beanie hats and downhill skis is rendered in a muted primary colourway of red, white, navy and Wallpaper* Blue with accents of pink and orange that reference traffic lighting, urban signage and street furniture. Wallpaper’s trademark asterisk graphic is re-imagined as a five-pointed, snowflake motif across the apparel range on jacket linings, hats, and even goggle lenses, while the project’s logo is a graphic portmanteau of the snowflake/asterisk and the Rossignol nightingale.
Just as Wallpaper* is the global authority on design, Rossignol is a world leader in Alpine and Nordic winter sporting equipment, outerwear and accessories. It was founded in Isère in 1907 by Abel Rossignol, a maker of wood spindles for the textile industry and a keen skier who used his carpentry skills to craft skis from American hickory or European ash in his spare time.
His rudimentary designs were gradually honed to competitive standards, until in 1937 Emile Allais became triple-world champion on ‘Rossignol Olympique 41’ skis. At the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, California, the French downhill hero Jean Vuarnet won gold on Rossignol’s all-metal ‘Allais 60s’. More black run innovation followed; in 1964, Rossignol released the ‘Strato’, its first fibreglass ski. The legendary Alberto Tomba, dominant on international pistes during the 1980s and 1990s, always raced on Rossignols.
Now based in a spectacular Hérault Arnod-designed HQ near Grenoble, Rossignol is a dynamic, future-facing manufacturer in a constant state of technical evolution. With a focus on style, performance and multifunctionality, Rossignol’s celebration of Alpine vitality lends personality to the thrilling winter season. Featuring a mix of refined fabrics, colours and graphic details, Rossignol’s exclusive capsule collections have been produced in collaboration with not just Wallpaper* but also Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Tommy Hilfiger, underlining a vibrant and unconventional spirit. §
The Rossignol + Wallpaper* Pavement-to-Peak collection is now available via Rossignol stores in key cities of Paris, Lyon and Oslo, and in Alpine resorts of Chamonix, Megève, Crans Montana and St Moritz, plus online at the thewebster.us and Farfetch.com. Previewed at Florence’s Pitti Uomo and at the Webster, New York City earlier this year, the range’s official Nordic launch will take place at the Rossignol flagship store, Oslo, Norway on the 29th of November.
