There was a time when ski wear fell into two very distinct camps: highly technical and vaguely unflattering, or wildly chic and wildly expensive worn by those who valued aprés-ski more than on-piste ski and winter wardrobes they wore for one week a year.
Hey, we don’t begrudge those that want to look like they’ve stepped out of a Slim Aarons alpine shoot as they slide into aprés but who can afford that during a cost of living crisis? Have you seen the price of a lift pass? And fuel? And a coffee? And council rates? And, and, and…
Thankfully a new wave of luxury ski wear rental businesses down under means you can look Courchevel-loaded on an Aldi-budget. You can now rent the likes of Moncler, Perfect Moment, Fusalp, Celine and friends for the duration of your ski trip and send them back when the snow holiday ends.
Social media has turned mountain style into part of the travel experience, at the same time the cost of premium ski wear has skyrocketed, especially when you’re looking at European designer labels for the titled at The Farm Club in Verbier.
Luxury ski wear rental lets travellers experiment with fashion, wear higher-end brands than they might otherwise buy, and avoid contributing to the cycle of one-trip purchases that end up forgotten in the back of a wardrobe.
Be warned, though, if you step onto the slopes dressed in a Goldbergh onesie with matching helmet and gloves or My Sunday Ski from head to toe, you’d better know a stem christie from a champagne stem or find yourself on the local Jerry page.
One thing to note – farshonable skiwear rental is clearly reserved for the GLP-set in size XXS to Medium with rarely a Large in sight (and they’re probably the goggles). Just saying.
2nd Lane: luxury snow style for rent nationwide
Sydney-based 2nd Lane is aimed squarely at women who care about being seen in the right fashion on the gram and looking more pristine than freshly groomed cord (while the rest of us are sporting helmet hair and a goggle tan). Kudos to them.
Founded by the ever-chic Mariane who needs no last name and knows how to create a website that makes it easy to navigate.
Rather than impulse-buying pieces for a single ski holiday, customers can rent high-end looks that give them the designer ski aesthetic for the duration of the trip, including après, then return them once the holiday is over (without anyone being any the wiser when you drop Phoebe off at boarding school in the Rangey).
You can hire your outfits from a minimum four days, the longer you ski the cheaper the daily rental rate. You can also use Afterpay for your rental, all gear is professionally cleaned before each rental and they ship nationwide. Snaps.
They also offer private styling at their Vaucluse studio and even a “women’s ski retreat” to Queenstown this September.
The Ski Closet – a sustainable slant on slopestyle fashion
Melbourne-based The Ski Closet is built around the idea that ski wear can be both aspirational and practical.
Founded in 2017 by Madison, who also needs no last name, but who has been skiing at Mt Buller since she was two years of age. The luxury ski wear rental service ships Australia-wide and focuses on internationally sourced pieces. By renting high-quality garments and extending the life of each item across multiple users, the business is tapping into a more circular approach to snow fashion.
With a refundable AUD$200 bond you can rent garments for a minimum of two days and have them shipped anywhere in Australia. All garments are dry cleaned between rentals to remain in pristine condition.
Chalet Girl, Queenstown: designer ski style delivered to your hotel
New to the luxe rental scene this year is Chalet Girl Queenstown offering an intimate handpicked collection of the season’s most in-demand designer skiwear from leading global brands, available to hire for your New Zealand ski holiday.
Chalet Girl skips the queues and delivers skiwear directly to your hotel or accommodation. Just go online, choose your outfit and voila, there it will be in your hotel room, like magic.
The pitch is convenience as much as fashion: less time waiting around in rental stores, more time getting on the mountain, heading to lunch at the clubrooms or settling into Queenstown’s famously social après scene.
Best of all you don’t have to pack and schlep snow outerwear across the ditch. Win win.
*feature image from the Goldbergh X MyTheresa colab collection
