The Rise of Moncler: From Luxury Brand to Streetwear
Song Of The Week
What up y’all, Today’s song of the week is…
Drake: 8AM in Charlotte
Listen… Drake blacked out on this new song.
His timestamp songs are fan favorites for a reason. This one might be the best one of them all, so I hope you press play.
With that said… Let’s get into today’s piece.
This one is for Moncler.
Quiet as kept… Moncler is on quite a run this year.
They’ve been working with some of the biggest names in music and fashion, and while they don’t always get mentioned culturally in the same breath as Gucci or Louis Vuitton, it isn’t because of lack of quality or awareness.
The thing is… Moncler lives in a rarified air.
Their presence is more subtle (possibly because of the price point), and the brand gives the vibe of If you know, you know.
It’s a dope fashion house generating a ton of buzz, so of course, we’re gonna talk about it today.
Buckle up. Let’s dive into the world of Moncler.
IN 1952…
Two friends and Mountaineers, René Ramillon and André Vincent created Moncler.
They sought to form a company that could producer sleeping bags, tents, and other mountain-climbing necessities that were higher quality than what was available to them at the time.
As for how they landed on the name?
Moncler refers to Monestier-de-Clermont — a village in the mountains near Grenoble, France, which served as a source of inspiration for their mountain climbing activities.
The company itself was success in the decades since its start.
At one point they were the supplier for the French downhill skiing team, Alaskan expeditions in the U.S., and the preferred brand of famed mountaineer Lionel Terray.
Things were good, but by 2003, it was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Then Remo Ruffini Stepped In…
Remo was entrepreneur who was very familiar with the Moncler brand, and bought it before they shut their doors forever.
Upon taking over, he formed several partnerships with investment firms to help the brand grow.
But eventually he sold off 48% of the shares to the financial giant, The Carlyle Group, and together, they aggressively opened new stores globally (over 50+).
Within 4 years of partnering, their revenue jumped by 48%.
It was official. Moncler was back.
Notice below how the search volume for the brand steadily increased under Ruffini’s leadership.
But, with that said…
A huge part of the their resurgence in culture was their change in positioning from strictly a luxury brand to a streetwear brand.
Their clothing became fashionable, and that was partially due to…
Moncler’s Relationship w/ Hip-hop
“Celebrities wear our jackets in music videos and in everyday life. Often, we don't even know about it, it's perfect advertising"
- Remo Ruffini, CEO of Moncler, Surface Magazine
At face value, the kinship isn’t mentioned as much as the other fashion are, but that’s more so because of how it’s coded culturally.
Over time, many of Moncler pieces have been adopted by rappers, but one piece, has stood the test of time…
THE MONCLER BUBBLE
Down & Puffer jackets have always been the style in Hip-hop, especially up North where the Winters are harsh.
Much like North face, or Ralph Lauren Snow Beach jackets in the 90s, Moncler Bubbles became a status symbol & culture fixture in the 2010s.
Think about Drake’s video for “Hotline Bling”
Remember that red puffer jacket he wore? That was a Moncler Bubble.
The Hip-hop Effect is perfectly visible in an instance like this.
According to Vanity Fair, Drake wearing a Moncler bubble in his extremely viral video led to a huge spike in sales.
Sales of 'The Maya' — the coat seen in the video, doubled the following day that the video drops. (Fun Fact: the coat retails for $1,150).
Moncler’s affiliation with Hip-hop doesn’t really stop there.
Much of what you see from the brand dabbling in rap culture comes from their platform:
Moncler Genius
In keeping with Ruffini’s motif of making Moncler a household brand they launched “Genius” in 2018.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Genius is responsible of 30% of Moncler’s revenue, and it’s a huge factor in their success.
Moncler describes Genius as:
“Representing an evolution from collaborations to a platform for co-creation, Moncler Genius challenges the boundaries of possibility at the intersection of art, design, entertainment, music, sport, and culture.”
All Genius collabs fit squarely into interests that intersect hip-hop and fashion & their most Partnerships include…
I. Salehe Bembury
Salehe is one of the top figures in fashion right now.
He was recently listed on Complex’s list of people you need to know in fashion, and his work can be found with brands like Versace, New Balance, Crocs, and most recently Moncler.
The partnership saw Bembury putting his spin on the classic Moncler Tailgrip sneakers seen below.
II. Billionaire Boys Club x Pharrell
Reaching further into the Hip-hop roots that they’ve established, Moncler partnered with Billionaire Boys Club for a collection.
The brand ambassadors were none other than The Clipse (a highly respected group and frequent Pharrell collaborators), who show off the new line below.
The collab features a co-branded logo, and the collection includes a bomber jacket and, naturally, the signature Moncler bubble.
III. Adidas
Just recently, Moncler announced that they were partnering with Adidas — another partnership under their Genius platform that shows how in tune they are by tapping into the high-low fashion trends.
The collection itself has been dubbed…
The Art Of Explorers
The apparel releases were accompanied by AI generated “explorers” who are traversing their way across the metaverse.
Adidas x Moncler collaborated with 3D artists to create the explorers, and some of the garments they were are directly available for purchase in app.
The collection became available for purchase this week.
AS FOR MONCLER’S FUTURE…
Things are looking really bright.
Moncler will probably continue doing partnerships through the Genius platform, doubling down on their commitment to music and fashion.
It’ll be interesting to see who they tap for their next release, but until then, keep watch.
Under Remo Ruffini’s leadership the brand is poised to overtake its competitors and become a permanent fixture in streetwear.
It’s almost Winter y’all, might be time to cop the Bubble.
Peace.
I've been loooving what Tobe Nwigwe has been cooking up for Moncler as part of Pharrell's Genius collection. loved learning more about the brand https://www.instagram.com/p/CxiONMYqZzE/