The fundamental rule for enjoy time in the mountains is essentially one: starting with the right one equipment in terms of training, mental disposition, equipment and clothing. LaMunt it is a relatively young brand – it was founded post-pandemic – which is totally focused on creating quality clothing for women who love experiencing the mountains. You understood correctly, the brand’s collections are only for womenbut that’s not all: there is a company that designs, tests and improves them entire team made up of women. Technological progress in the field of outdoor clothing in recent decades has made giant strides and today many more people can experience the mountains safely, being able to count on warm, breathable garments designed to facilitate the movements of skiers, snowboarders, climbers and mountaineers. You will have noticed that the last terms are written in the masculine and no, it is neither an oversight nor it is an overextended masculine plural used out of habit: clothing for mountain performance up to now has always been designed first on men’s bodies and then, at a later time and with adjustments that are not always accurate, adapted to that of women. Feminists are now tired of repeating that women are not little men and that our bodies are radically different, but when it comes to investing money in research there are not many brands that decide to work on what is still a niche compared to to the male audience.
The founder of LaMut Ruth Oberrauch decided, in 2022, to move from words to deeds: sixth generation of a family that has made history in the world of outdoor clothing – the Oberrauch they are the founding family of Oberalp, the group that owns reality like Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca And Wild Country – was guided by the need to create products specifically designed for the needs of female mountain lovers, with the aim of overturning this paradigm. The La Munt trousers, for example, are slightly raised on the backin order to keep a particularly sensitive part of the body warm in women, while sweaters and jackets are constructed following the “Ali shape”or a curved shape, which adapts better to the naturalness of the body compared to boxy jackets. Not for nothing is the brand’s motto By women for women and, to give it a concrete landing, Ruth Oberrauch and her team brought one to life Crew: one community of girls and women who has accompanied the brand from its very first steps, contributing with his feedback to build and improve LaMunt products.
The key moments in which brands and Crew meet, i LaMunt Crew Eventsthere are two per year and they are a precious opportunity for comparison, for product testing and mutual knowledge, but not only: i workshops organized by the La Munt team at each meeting are of vital importance to make crucial improvements to their products both from the point of view of design and more intangible aspects, such as environmental responsibility and sustainability both of the products and of the production processes. It is during these moments that you get to move a pocket even just a few centimeters, or you decide to magnetize a zip to make the experience of use more comfortable. The crew includes professionals from various sectors: there are journalists, glaciological researchers, startup founders, marketing experts and sales managers, but they all have in common theunconditional love for the peaks. These are not necessarily super expert people, the Crew is made up of women who were born in the mountains, but also of those who have recently discovered this element: the fundamental point of the brand is in fact to address a broad audience of people, both those looking for performance and those who have less stringent needs in terms of performance, but want to feel good in their mountainwear looks.
This is how I found myself being welcomed by the Crew during a weekend of nature walks and discussion in the heart of the Dolomites, in the presence of the imposing Sasso Lungo And Flat Stonesymbolic mountains of the Sella pass. We started walking in the soft, warm light of the afternoon to reach the Plattkofel refuge just before dinner time. The Sasso Piatto ring is not among the most popular routes challenging that you can choose in the area, but the weather conditions in the mountains can certainly be and we were welcomed by a light sprinkle of snowstrong wind and very few degrees above zero which immediately started a discussion on the thermal properties that each of us appreciates most when it comes to choosing thermal garments. A focal point for LaMunt is in fact the sustainability of its productsin which it invests heavily to maintain optimal performance levels while being careful to organize production processes with a view to environmental and social responsibility. It is precisely on this point that the evening workshop focused sustainability specialist of the brand Martine Riblan described in detail LaMunt’s commitment to the production of increasingly green and worker-friendly materials, collecting doubts, suggestions and questions from the Crew who, in fact, are an integral part of the brand’s development. One of the effects of this initiative is the building of a relationship of esteem and trust between the brand and the Crew, which has led to the creation of something unique, which goes far beyond the simple comparison with a product, but is a profound sharing values and one’s life stories linked to the mountains. And this such a fragile ecosystemand never so precarious, arouses in all those who love it deeply the desire to safeguard it above all through own choiceswhich also includes the choice of equipment and technical clothing.
During the workshop we therefore discussed crucial topics such as circularityuse of chemical agents And respect for workersall areas in which LaMunt has, since day one, strived to do her best. One of the brand’s points of pride, for example, is ReMOCA Hallinnovative synthetic insulating padding made with waste from Pomoca ski mountaineering skins (one of the other brands owned by the Oberalp group) combined with post-consumer recycled polyester fibres. This material, produced entirely in Italy by the Oberalp Group, represents an important step towards circularity that does not compromise performance: ReMOCA Pad is light, but has high thermal capacities. The production process in fact involves the recovery of waste, their mechanical processing without chemicals, and mixing with recycled polyester to guarantee softness and resistance. Still on the subject of circularity, LaMunt is the first outdoor brand to use the post-industrial recycled cashmere as insulating padding for jackets. Cashmere, thanks to its thermoregulatory properties, offers excellent performance while reducing the environmental impact compared to traditional materials. The process begins with the recovery of manufacturing waste, which is then transformed into fine fibers and then mixed with recycled polyester.
On the product side, another excellent result achieved by the brand founded by Ruth Oberrauch is that of do not use PFASor perfluoroalkyl, chemical substances used in traditional waterproofing treatments and very harmful to the environment. However, we must not forget the aspect of sustainability linked to the treatment and protection of workers: Martine Riblan has in fact explained her work in detail, which largely consists of reading and commissioning audits, cooperating with other companies that delegate production to factories overseas and monitor the conditions of LaMunt supply chain workers.
In fact, the brand guarantees fair working conditions by collaborating with suppliers who respect its standards Code of Conductwhich provides decent wages, safety, respect for human rights and employment without discrimination. Factories are independently monitored and must adhere to environmental and anti-corruption standards, which is why LaMunt is a member of the Fair Wear Foundationwhich verifies working conditions and, from 2023, the entire Oberalp Group will participate in a pilot project to improve due diligence on human rights in supply chains.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
