The < Creative > Studio: Born in Zermatt

(Feature story from the Field Book Issue 1)

A wise man once said, “if you want to create true excellence, follow your heart.” And our hearts definitely belong in the mountains. The mountains are engraved in our name, and the mountains are where we live, where we play, and where we work. The mountains aren’t just a part of our lives; they are the essence of our lives, the very thing we live for.

There’s one mountain in particular that means more than anything else to The Mountain Studio: the Matterhorn. This iconic monolith of gneiss dominates the view from the windows of our headquarters, urging and inspiring us to design, to create, and to dream every day. The Mountain Studio was founded here in Zermatt and it’s here, at the foot of the Matterhorn, that we design, develop, and test our garments, always with the unique mountain lifestyle that defines this small town in mind.

This little mountain town at the end of the Mattertal valley is a cosmopolitan melting pot, inhabited by people from all over the world, who all add their own distinctive flavour to the mix. Throw in six of the ten most prominent peaks of the Alps and a massive lift system, and you’ll have the formula that fuels The Mountain Studio.

But it’s the mountain itself, of course, that serves as our main inspiration and playground. We live for skiing powder or groomers, biking, hiking, climbing, or just having lunch at a mountain hut every day we possibly can. We live close to the mountain and enjoy the luxury of being able to ski all year round. This is our primary testing ground, where we’re able to quickly determine what works and what doesn’t, as well as seek inspiration for new products and technical solutions.

This is also where we’ve learnt that the elements can ultimately never be tamed. All you can do is prepare yourself as best you can and choose gear that will allow you to enjoy your day, whatever weather it may bring, in sunshine and storms alike. The incredible beauty of mountain life on a perfect day is matched fully by the brutality of its violent storms.Living and creating products in this environment has taught us what quality means in real-life situations: you can’t get away with just pretending that something works. We strive to always be moving closer to perfection, with every step, or turn, of the way. Our ethos revolves around responsibly made, durable products that will stand the test of time.

This is the spirit of The Mountain Studio, and Zermatt provides its very essence.

The Mountain Studio is a creative collective of ski industry veterans, Olympic athletes, World Cup winners, powder hunters, seasoned clothing designers, and content creators.

We all live in different parts of the world, connected to one another by digital solutions, a shared love of the mountains, and the drive to create clothing that we want to use on our own daily adventures, whether they happen to take us to the mountain or to the city. We’re simply letting our own passion for skiing, biking, hiking, and mountain life guide us.

We’re on a journey together, adding new pages to the history of The Mountain Studio every time we step through the doors of our HQ, open up our computers or drawing boards for a new day of work, or click into our skis for another great day on the mountain.

However, our journey isn’t about arriving at some destination: what matters the most to us is staying curious and enjoying what we do. We’re constantly striving to improve our products, whether in terms of their technical quality or their impact on the environment. And we live to share our adventures, because we strongly believe that our creativity reaches beyond our products. It’s every bit as important to us that we inspire people to get out there and seek their own adventures.

It’s all an endless, fulfilling journey.

Living in the mountains also gives us a front-row view of the effects of climate change. The receding snow, the melting glaciers, and the rising temperatures are all inevitable realities.

However, the production of clothing that’s designed to withstand the toughest weather conditions will inevitably involve the use of materials and processes that cause some degree of harm to the environment. This is why we’ve chosen to refrain from using the term sustainability, and to prioritise and communicate the concepts of environmental and social responsibility instead, with the aim of promoting mindful consumption. Because we believe in the concept of buying less, but better.

The Mountain Studio was founded around the core concept of encouraging consumers to invest in high-quality, durable products that are well made and will last for a long time. We create small collections, focusing on key products that can withstand several seasons of hard use. Our goal is to deliver responsibly manufactured, stylish products that will perform both in challenging outdoor conditions and in everyday life. Every garment we produce represents our best attempt to strike a perfect balance between performance, durability, responsibility, and style.

One of the challenges that clothing design and production is facing today is the overwhelming number of products that various brands release every season. We firmly believe that there’s no need to launch hundreds or even thousands of new products each year. Instead, we’ve chosen to rely on our conviction that well-designed, responsibly produced products can be used for multiple purposes and activities, and last much longer.

Our collective experience has taught us that the time-tested methods for making things will often prevail in the long run. Because of this, we always use the highest-quality materials and production methods, and partner only with the best suppliers in the business. We’re committed to minimising our impact on the environment by carefully selecting our materials, production methods, and business practices, and by creating garments that you’ll be able to use and rely on to deliver the highest levels of performance for many years to come.

Nonetheless, even the most well-made garment will eventually start to show some kind of wear or suffer accidental damage. We are committed to the idea that clothing should be repaired and refurbished, rather than discarded. This is why we do our best to provide resources and guides on the proper care of our garments, to extend their lifespan and reduce the need for replacements.

Everything we do revolves around our love for the mountains, and we strive to create clothing that lets us enjoy their majestic beauty to the fullest. As mountain people, we have a collective responsibility to do our best every day to preserve them for future generations.

That’s the heart of The Mountain Studio, and Zermatt is the foundation of our existence.

Find more reading about The Mountain Studio and our world in our 308-page Field Book Issue 1.