History of Moncler

1954 - The famous Moncler down-padded jacket was born. Initially created to protect their factory workers from the cold, the outerwear design later caught the eye of French mountaineer Lionel Terray who noticed its potential as a sellable product. Moncler embraced the opportunity and created its Moncler pour Lionel Terray collection, which included a range of specialist down padded jackets, salopettes, gloves and sleeping bags.

1954 - In the same year, Moncler’s down jackets were chosen to equip the pioneering Italian expedition to K2, the second highest summit in the world. The team made history by becoming the first to reach the top. 

1955 - The word spread of Moncler’s reputation and the company was asked to supply its down padded jackets to the French expedition team for their climb to the summit of Mount Makalù, the world’s fifth highest peak.  

1964 – Moncler’s relationship with Lionel Terray continued to flourish, with the company becoming the official supplier for the mountaineer’s expeditions to Alaska. 

1968 – Moncler dressed the French downhill ski team during its competition at the Grenoble Winter Olympic Games. This collaboration helped to put the Moncler name on the map and helped it to become a direct inspiration for its high-fashion menswear line 'Grenoble' some 40 years later. 

1980 – The designer began to target its technical apparel to the fashion market. To help do this, they brought Parisian designer Chantal Thomass on board to reinvent the look of the iconic Moncler down jacket. Thomass replaced the functional zip fastenings with buttons, and introduced fur trims, satin and reversible fabrics to widen the collection’s appeal beyond the slopes.  

2000 – The company launched its Moncler Enfant collection, a luxury apparel and technical ski wear collection for children. This premium ‘mini-me’ line encompassed the performance specifications and high-luxe aesthetic seen in the main collection, tailored to boys and girls from newborn to 16 years old. 

 

2003 – Moncler was purchased by Italian entrepreneur Remo Ruffini, who is still the current owner. Over the years, the development of the signature down jacket has been his main focus, working to constantly evolve the fit and the design, experimenting with different materials and finer details. 

 

2006 – The Moncler universe continued to expand, launching the much-anticipated Haute Couture Gamme Rouge collection. Combining feminine elegance and sophistication, the womenswear collection was designed initially by Alessandra Facchinetti followed by Giambattista Valli. 

 

2009 – Moncler’s fashion line grew ever larger with the launch of the menswear Gamme Blue collection. American designer Thom Browne is credited for bringing elegance and sporting spirit to the luxury collection. 

2010 – Moncler’s luxury ski wear label Grenoble made its debut at New York Fashion Week. Paying homage to the brand’s heritage, the collection featured men’s and women’s ski apparel and après-ski wear, including signature down-filled jackets.

 

2012 – Moncler celebrated its sixtieth birthday. 

 

2014 – Moncler provided apparel and equipment to the K2 – 60 Years Later expedition, celebrating the first conquest of the peak six decades on. 

 

2017 – Moncler announced the end of the collaboration with Thom Browne for the Gamme Bleu menswear line and with Giambattista Valli for Gamme Rouge. 

 

2018 – Moncler introduced a new creative chapter: Moncler Genius. This eight-part capsule looked to the creative vision of established and emerging designers to reinvent the original heritage of the brand to move in-line with Ruffini’s ambitions for the Moncler identity.