PARIS — French legacy skiwear brand Fusalp has its sights set on U.S. expansion, despite the 20 percent levy on European Union goods announced Wednesday.
“The U.S. is and remains a priority market for Fusalp. The announcement is, of course, something we are taking into account — but it doesn’t change our ambition,” chief executive officer Pascal Conte-Jodra told WWD.
“We deeply believe in the potential of the American market, both in retail and e-commerce, as well as through our wholesale partners. This context only reinforces the need to be even more strategic and agile. We have a long-term vision, and that vision remains unchanged.”
Conte-Jodra stepped into the CEO role in September with the ambition to grow Fusalp’s retail footprint in the U.S. to between five and eight stores in the next two years. Los Angeles and Chicago are potential locations.
The expansion plans follow the successful opening of three flagships in the U.S. in 2022, planting its flag in New York City as well as the ski resorts of Aspen and Vail, Colo.
While the company has grown in all markets, the strength of the U.S. plays out in the numbers.
The company’s revenue has steadily climbed from 40 million euros in 2022 to what it expects to be “around 63 million” for the 2024 fiscal year, which will end May 31, said copresident and co-owner Sophie Lacoste, with like-for-like growth of 10 percent in that time period.
“Like-for-like growth is very important to us because we are independent, so we really need to make a sustainable, strong company. We don’t have a group to back us up,” said Lacoste.
First the brand will move its New York City retail location from Madison Avenue to SoHo in September. The new location will be a better fit as Fusalp continues to expand its sport-oriented technical and ready-to-wear.
The SoHo location is expected to draw a better mix of locals and tourists, and should raise the visibility of the Fusalp name among sportier brands. “While where we were at Madison, it was more a destination venue,” Conte-Jodra said.
A “well-known architect” is working on the design, which will tweak the brand positioning slightly, but the look will mostly be in line with the Paris flagship opened in September 2023.
“[The U.S] is a very, very demanding clientele, but also very inclined to like new brands,” said Lacoste. “It’s the kind of people who really dress themselves in the full look and really get tempted.”
A look from Fusalp spring 2025.
Courtesy Fusalp
Thus far the U.S. has been lucrative on a per-customer basis, too. “When they shop our stores, they want the pants, sweater, jacket, everything — while in France it is one piece,” he said, noting the different consumption patterns between the U.S. and Europe.
They are digging through the data from e-commerce sales to identify key markets. Moving forward in the U.S., Fusalp will emphasize new communications.
“In terms of image and content, we’ll be doing things slightly different. We will be showcasing the brand, its values, the product, a full, very rich universe, which has been here for 73 years,” to position Fusalp as an aspirational lifestyle brand beyond the world of the slopes.
The “transformation of the communication aspect” will start to roll out in the coming weeks. Already the brand has changed the way it generates content and created an increased focus on social marketing.
“We are switching our gears a bit in where we are aiming to create a full Fusalp universe in terms of brand identity, in terms of positivity, in terms of image. You will see the impact starting with the spring [collection] where you will see the atmosphere, the people and the product,” he said.
The company will also invest in installations and activations, including an exhibition at the Saint-Gervais Biennale in June.
Conte-Jodra also has his eye on what he calls “paving the silk road” by expanding throughout the Asia Pacific region.
The brand entered the South Korean market seven years ago with the creation of a direct subsidiary, and now has five department store doors. It’s looking to grow the region with new partners, expanding retail in Japan and China from its wholesale base.
“We aim, of course, to grow but to grow reasonably, and we are trying to identify the proper partners that can sustain our growth with us,” he said of APAC aims.
China is “an untapped market” that Conte-Jodra sees as one of the brand’s medium- to long-term targets.
Though its home country of France is still its power base, it accounts for about 60 percent of sales in 2024, down from 80 percent two years ago. Conte-Jodra expects that trend to continue, even as it grows in France, as the mix will shift toward new markets.
In Europe, that means focusing on fashion capitals and key cities. To that end, Fusalp will open a stand-alone store in Madrid and a second London location later this year.
In Madrid Fusalp previously worked with a retail partner. The sales success led to the decision to open its own outpost. “It’s really a lifestyle brand that people wear…they really tend to buy a lot, so it’s not always linked to the weather of the place,” he said.
A look from the spring 2025 collection.
Courtesy Fusalp
One key initiative has been completely revamping e-commerce due to the lack of historical and customer data. With those gaps filled, the company is better positioned to target its customer, a demographic of about 35 to 45 years old.
The newly revamped site is more immersive and filled with editorial and film content, and behind the scenes the team has beefed up the customer service capabilities to include features like person-to-person WhatsApp messaging.
If current sales trends continue, e-commerce is set to double “within the next four to five years.”
With fashion brands from Balenciaga to Zara getting in on the skiwear game, Fusalp is happy to have its 70-year lead.
“It’s competition and a trend, but that means as well that it’s comforting because it’s a core root of Fusalp. That means we are here not only as a pioneer, but a leader in our segment, in skiwear,” he said. “That means we are in a good segment that everyone wants to get in, and of course there is a lot of traction in that segment.”
With climate change impacting snowpack at several resorts, the Fusalp team is aware there may be challenges in the skiwear segment in the future. The current mix is about 50-50 ski to ready-to-wear.
“We need to reinvent ourselves,” said Lacoste. That means introducing more urban warrior and everyday outdoor pieces, more midseason pieces as well as “expanding a full set of product categories to secure less seasonal activity.”
Read: more sporty slimline parkas that can be slipped over a suit for a bike ride home, for example.
The challenge is to “be a little bit more agile, and how can we be faster just to keep up with the trends as maybe more of a fashion brand, without having the ambition to be as fast as a quick ready-to-wear” label, and to “break the seasonality pattern,” said Conte-Jodra.
Added Lacoste, who purchased the brand a decade ago with her brother Philippe and former CEO Alexandre Fauvet: “It’s a rich brand with strong roots, but it goes into the future,” she said. “We speak about art of movement. It’s here to empower you to move. And it also comes with very long-lasting value.”
