product
design
“Coat of Many Couloirs” is a women's technical ski jacket that bridges high-performance gear with artistic heritage. Crafted from reclaimed ski jackets and quilted by hand using the traditional “Wild Goose Chase” pattern, this piece is a wearable statement on sustainability, identity, and the richness of feminine craftsmanship. Both functional and narrative-driven, the jacket challenges the aesthetics and ethics of outdoor gear, offering warmth, performance, and a powerful story.
coat of many couloirs
Color blocking plays a central conceptual role in the design. The contrast between loud, bright sections and more muted, traditional tones explores how women in outdoor spaces are visually and culturally coded. Whether seen as bold, commanding attention, or soft and subdued, the jacket invites discussion about gendered expectations and self-expression in male-dominated outdoor environments.
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individually hand-cut triangles were quilted together made from deconstructed, discarded ski jackets. In total. This process transforms textile waste—part of the staggering 92 million tonnes generated by the fashion industry annually—into something meaningful, durable, and beautiful. By using existing materials, the design stands as a protest against disposable fashion and the environmental impact of outdoor gear production.
The jacket is constructed using the “Flying Goose Chase” (or “Birds in Flight”) quilt pattern—a historically rich motif in women's quilting. This pattern not only offers dynamic visual rhythm but symbolizes movement, migration, and resilience. Reimagining this heritage technique in technical outerwear honors the often-overlooked contributions of women’s domestic craft and repositions them in a contemporary, performance-driven setting.
This jacket draws direct inspiration from Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors—a symbol of resourcefulness and reinvention—redesigned for the alpine environment. The title, Coat of Many Couloirs, plays on both the country music roots of the original story while placing it in a new context: the rugged, demanding world of women's backcountry skiing.
Despite its artistic foundations, the Coat of Many Couloirs is a fully functional ski jacket. It is insulated with synthetic down and lined with fleece for maximum warmth in alpine conditions. Quilting not only adds texture but improves thermal performance by creating multi-layered insulation zones. Every design decision balances aesthetic storytelling with outdoor performance. Color blocking plays a central conceptual role in the design. The contrast between loud, bright sections and more muted, traditional tones explores how women in outdoor spaces are visually and culturally coded. Whether seen as bold, commanding attention, or soft and subdued, the jacket invites discussion about gendered expectations and self-expression in male-dominated outdoor environments.
