Esteemed Italian brand Colmar celebrated its 100th anniversary in style with a collection in collaboration with visual artist Joshua Vides. For the collection, Mr. Vides brought a refreshing twist to some of Colmar’s iconic designs.
The spotlight shines on two jackets and a reversible padded vest, all adorned with a striking black and white print on one side where Mr. Vides lends his artistic touch to the brand’s iconic 1249 down jacket and a sleek all-black finish on the reverse. Each piece features the artist’s reinterpretation of the 1923 Colmar logo, depicting a dove gracefully gliding over water, transformed into his signature graphic style.
Mr. Vides continues to breathe new life into archival pieces, such as the legendary 1970s Blue Avalanche jacket, renamed as Ceffa by Olympic champion Erwin Stricker, now reimagined as a cashmere and wool Jacquard knit reminiscent of a ski race bib. The capsule is rounded out with two beanies, a scarf, a sweatshirt, a pair of pants, and a t-shirt that pays homage to Colmar’s Olympic victories through art rendering of historic images.
Speaking on the collection, Mr. Vides said, “As one of the many champions and athletes who have inhabited Colmar’s history, I also feel like a competitive person and I think it shows through my artistic practice. When I reflected in Colmar such a profound idea of striving for achievement, I felt strongly inspired. And it all started from there.”
Much like the captivating collection itself, Joshua Vides’ personal journey is equally intriguing. He catapulted to global recognition courtesy of an Instagram post that caught the world’s attention. In 2017, his social media exploded with the viral image of his creation, a hand-painted Nike Air Force 1. This now-famous piece bore his signature cartoon stencil style, executed with a black marker on a pristine white canvas, creating the illusion of two-dimensional art seamlessly transforming into a three-dimensional product. In the years that followed, Mr. Vides embarked on a series of collaborations with various organizations and brands.
Founded in Monza in 1923 by Mario Colombo – the name Colmar derives from the first three letters of the surname and the first three letter of the forename. The brand began its journey producing woollen hats, leggings and men’s workwear. In the immediate post-war period, with the recovery and development of sport, the company began specialising in sportswear with particular attention to skiing. Working closely with the Italian Winter Sports Federation, Colmar became renowned as a manufacturer of highly technical and stylish garments. The 1952 Olympics saw the company commissioned to dress the Italian ski team and, in collaboration with World Champion Zeno Colò, created the first aerodynamic windbreaker, the Guaina Colò.
Over the next four decades Colmar dressed national teams in alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and other disciplines including bobsledding and sledging. Today, the brand uses its technical know-how and Italian style sensibility to create full collections that feature jackets, pants and accessories.
