Nature lovers and producers of high end eco friendly outerwear Patagonia have revamped their complete freeride collection for winter 2012/13 to guarantee you an even better experience through better performing gear of theirs (the jacket arm cuffs fit like gloves!!). And to reflect that improvement, they’ve pimped their flagship store in Chamonix now as well. Check out the photos for some visual experience and read through the press release for the facts & figures!
Opened in 1987, by Yvon and Malinda Chouinard, the Patagonia Chamonix Store was the very first Patagonia store to open in Europe and the first of all the outdoor brand stores to open in Chamonix.
As Yvon Chouinard explains in his book Let My People Go Surfing: “Chamonix is the most cosmopolitan of the Alpine towns (…). I had fond memories of my time there and believed it was an ideal place to showcase the Patagonia line and create a direct relationship with a wide range of European customers. I wanted to create a local hangout, staffed with international hard-core skiers and climbers.”
As with all Patagonia stores, the Chamonix space was selected with Patagonia’s retail brief, to use historic sites and to preserve the integrity of the building. At the time, Malinda Chouinard was running the retail sector of Patagonia and she insisted and still does that any building we occupy must honour its surrounding history and culture and must be prepared to last another hundred years. This is certainly the case with any Patagonia store opened since then.
After 25 years, it was time to refresh the iconic Patagonia store to better fit Patagonia’s new presentation of the brand. With 200 square metres of retail space, the store will be a showcase for the entire Patagonia offering focusing on core technical alpine and ski/snowboard products and including lifestyle products, kids, packs and footwear collections.
And, the best part (at least according to us): The first floor will be entirely dedicated to women. Yeay! Make sure to bring the big wallets next time you visit Chamonix…
