Just as every invention has its own inventor, and behind every piece of art is an artist, so every piece of clothing has its own creator. There are some clothing items that have been recognized as iconic. As we learn from an interesting book “MODY icons” from the VALERIA MANFERTO DE FABIANIS publishing house, this is exactly in the case with a down jacket, originated by George Inge Finch, a climber and chemist, and a pioneer in the development of oxygen masks. It was a simple jacket literally stuffed with feathers. However, this one of the high fashion is the legendary Moncler down jacket. This brand comes from an alpine village in France, called Monestier de Clermont. Its resident, René Ramillon in 1952 founded a small company, which name comes naturally from the abbreviation of the name of his hometown. The entrepreneur produced highly valued quilted sleeping bags, telescopic tents and one model of a waterproof jacket with a hood. The real breakthrough in the company took place two years later, in 1954. The birth of the iconic product, forever inscribed in the history of fashion – as it usually happens – was a mere coincidence. The first brand down jackets were made for the employees of the Ramillon factory. Their task was to protect against freezing frost and was put on workers’ coveralls. Initially, these were only prototypes, but were quickly noticed by the true legend of French mountaineering, Lionel Terray, who won many eight-thousanders in the Himalayas and Karakorum. He asked Ramillon to create a small collection for him that would help him to survive in extremely cold temperatures. The owner of the Moncler brand joined the action, the result was the specialist clothing line “Moncler pour Lionel Terray” for climbing the high mountain range. The collection accompanied him during heroic expeditions in the 1950s. The natural turn of things was to start the production of sportswear for athletes. In 1968, Moncler created the official costumes of the French national team at the Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble. The brand’s logo was soon changed, the Eguit mountain profile replaced with a stylized rooster symbol. The down jacket began to enter everyday use gradually in various cuts and colors. After numerous changes taking place in the company, it enjoys great recognition now. Today, designers of many clothing brands, familiar with the power of the cult puffer jacket, offer us interesting solutions. We have short and light jackets, long sectional coats or exceptionally stylish and fashionable oversize jackets in the last seasons of winter. The designers of the well-known and popular ZARA clothing chain reacted to this strong trend. An extensive segmented jacket ideally suited to the cold days and it will allow us to avoid boredom in creating winter stylizations. One of the more interesting solutions will be reaching for black fitted trousers with white and red stripes also from ZARA, a red blouse from sistersM and black leather boots. When leaving the city, remember the stylish golden SM bag with practical handles.
