U.S. Ski and Snowboard secures historic partnership with apparel brand J. Crew

The GIST: Yesterday, U.S. Ski & Snowboard banked a three-year partnership with American apparel brand J.Crew, making it the governing body’s official lifestyle apparel partner. In J.Crew’s longest deal to date, the brand intends to amplify the connection between snow sports and their après ski lifestyle, especially as the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games roll around. No waiting for this lift.

The details: J.Crew will create vintage-inspired Olympic loungewear and maintain a presence across the 10 national sports teams U.S. Ski & Snowboard oversees. The partnership officially hits the slopes with a sponsored “warm-up station” at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, next week.

The context: Last summer, J.Crew collaborated with USA Swimming ahead of Paris 2024 and was stunned by the results, which included a 10% increase in new customers and a double-digit boost in web traffic. To meet surging demand, the clothing brand responded with a second collection.

• According to The Broadsheet, this response showed J.Crew Group CEO Libby Wadle that sports — especially Olympic ones — offered the perfect assist for the brand, which came out of bankruptcy in the past decade and has been looking to re-establish its identity as a classic American brand.

The alignment: While both sides see the appeal of après ski apparel, there’s also a key demographic overlap that serves both companies. Fans of Olympic skiing and snowboarding tend to partake in these sports themselves, which generally require affluence. Additionally, J.Crew’s preppy aesthetic tends to appeal to middle-aged adults, which also overlaps with skiing’s average demo.

Zooming out: Aligning with the Olympics is good business and an ideal opportunity for companies looking to associate with prestige — it’s no coincidence luxury American brand Ralph Lauren has designed Team USA’s uniforms since 2008.

• Under Armour saw significant engagement when it featured iconic Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps in its 2016 spot, while Speedo saw its air time value at the 2008 Beijing Games more than triple what they paid Phelps. Time to dive in.