Voleurz has gained the reputation as being one of the best independent clothing companies in the ski industry. Not only does Voleurz produce quality and stylish clothing, they also make movies each year highlighting the riders and people behind the brand.
Back in 2003, friends Darren Rayner and Bruce Giovando started Voleurz with a passion for the outdoors and having a good time. After some brainstorming and a few beers Voleurz was birthed.
Recently, Freeskier had an opportunity to chat with the founders of the company and pick their brains about their brand. See what Darren Rayner and Bruce Giovando had to say:
FS: How would you describe Voleurz?
Darren Rayner (DR): We’re a clothing brand and we’re a family. Our family is our support group. Voleurz is comprised of people from all different kinds of backgrounds and who all share a passion for excelling in whatever it is that they do.
It includes people that ski, snowboard and skateboard, but that also includes artists, DJ’s, writers and filmmakers. Voleurz is basically a diverse and awesome group of people that have come together to accomplish the same thing.
FS:What separates Voleurz from other companies, artistically speaking?
Bruce Giovando (BG): I think one of our most redeeming artistic attributes is the quality of our garments. It doesn’t sound like an artistic advantage in the most obvious sense of the word but consider the pieces of clothing you owned as a child, they probably lasted a really long time and you may still have them around the house. A lot of times these pieces become your favorite because they last and because you experienced something while wearing them. These pieces of clothing build a sort of emotional power as they become an integral part of that experience. I think a lot of companies think of quality as something totally separate from artistic expression.
FS: What inspires your clothing collection?
BG:Having been asked this question every six months or so for the past few years I’ve noticed that the answer usually stays the same: Art, Music, People, Technology and Design. It’s hard to bite the cliche and go beyond the obvious.
Our active lifestyle plays a big role but a lot of the time the stuff that inspires you the most goes completely unnoticed as being inspiration at all. There’s always a reason why you choose A over B but sometimes it’s hard to explain why beyond it being an emotional choice that just feels right. Our line is based on a lot of those gut decisions.
FS: Along with making clothing, you make videos as well. Is there a relationship between the clothing you make and videos you produce?
DR: Our films give us the opportunity to travel the world and showcase the people behind Voleurz. It also gives our brand a unique personality. The two are very much integrated together and we’re always looking to showcase our clothing in films, and use our films to give life to our clothing line.
FS: Who are some of your favorite companies/ designers out there that you get inspiration from/ stoked ?
BG: This is a total plug but Randi, our womenswear designer, has her own line of recycled leather bags called Ora. It’s hard not to get stoked watching someone really excel at a craft using their hands.
FS: Any special collaborations or projects in the future?
DR: We actually just put out a Camp of Champions x Voleurz collabo hooded flannel this month! We’re stoked on it and it seems to be making its way around Whistler. At the moment it is available exclusively at the COC shop, but will soon be available in Showcase Snowboards and online at Evo Gear.
Also, we’re working on another collaboration for next winter, but have to keep that one under the radar for a little bit. We’re super stoked on this one and I think it’ll be a big step for us.
FS: What advice would you give the young kid who is trying to get his own company up and running? What do you contribute your success to?
DR: Surround yourselves with hard working and like-minded people. It’s important that people realize it’s more than just us (Darren, Harvey and Bruce) and also more than our athletes. These people have been helping us since day one, even before we were a real business and are a big reason why we are where we are.
FS: If you could have ANY model or celebrity model your womens/mens line who would it be and why?
BG: I’m actually good friends with The Buried Life guys from MTV so they’ve been wearing our stuff on the Hollywood scene a bit. They fit the brand well, having humble beginnings making actions sports videos much like ourselves. If I could have any muse though. I’d go for Zooey Deschanel and Jason Schwartzman. They both have a sort of whimsical eclectic quirky style that I really love.
FS: Any shout outs?
DR: The artists who work with us to design our clothing, our head women’s designer Randi Obenauer, Mason Mashon, and our sponsors for “Look on the Bright Side”: Smith Optics, Line Skis, Whistler Blackcomb, Faction Skis, Coors Light, Kombi.
Check out Voleurz.com for more, shop online at shop.voleurz.com, and check out the trailer for Look on the Bright Side posted bellow.
Look on the Bright Side teaser from Voleurz on Vimeo.
