Skiwear for women who want to look good and shred hard
Marion Zaniello launches Team Event in Park City
Winter/Spring 22-23
Written By: Natalie Taylor | Images: Gillian Hunter and courtesy MANICPROJECT
"When I learned to ski in the late 1970s and early '80s, it was really exciting, and a little crazy,” says Marion Zaniello, the founder and creative director of Team Event, a super-cool, '80s-inspired women’s skiwear brand.
“It was also a time when ski culture was pushing traditional boundaries. Snowboarding became commercial, and ‘hot doggers’ transformed into official freestyle athletes competing in moguls, aerials, and ski ballet events.”
Nostalgia for those glory days inspired Marion to launch Team Event in 2021. “I wanted to bring back style and a 1980s playfulness to women’s skiwear, but with a modern sensibility,” she says. “I also wanted to design a suit that lets women look good and stay warm while skiing for more than just an hour. I enjoy a lodge break, and really love après ski, but mostly I want to spend my ski day out on the slopes.”
Like, totally dude.
Marion’s dream of designing skiwear took root when she moved from Seattle to Park City in 2018. She had been working as a fashion designer since the ’90s, primarily in New York’s Garment District, but later for Nordstrom’s private label in Seattle. “It was only after a couple of years living in a ski town that I had my ‘when-in-Rome’ awakening,” she says. “If ever I was going to design a women’s ski collection, this was the time and place to do it.”
Team Event is known for its svelte lines and smart, three-piece ensembles that can be worn together or separately. The jacket hits right at the jumpsuit waistline so that it looks like a bodacious, ’80s one-piece. “It’s nice and toasty without giving up mobility,” Marion says. She also transformed the ’80s fanny pack into a more feminine “peplum” belt for holding valuables in a far more fashionable way.
Radical.
In addition to looking good, Marion’s designs use fabrics that are climate-friendly. “One of the biggest challenges the industry faces today is that of maintaining a climate that still produces snow in the winter,” says Marion. “One way to help the issue has been for fabric mills, designers and manufacturers to practice more responsible, climate-friendly operations.”
The Team Event ski collection uses highly technical, bluesign-approved fabrics from Switzerland and partners with experienced, ethical manufacturers, mainly in British Columbia and New York.
Merino-wool ski sweaters are the latest addition to the Team Event line. “These sweaters are perfect for layering under our jumpsuit,” says Marion. Team Event also likes to collaborate with local designers and artists. Last season, they joined forces with local pop artist Elizabeth Carrington to create ’80s-inspired T-shirts. This season, they collaborated with the local brand Zenzee to design après-ski loungewear that is both stylish and comfortable.
