Down with Down

When I was asked to partner with and collaborate with Moncler, I thought this should be interesting. I didn’t know a lot about this company. I owned several puffer coats and jackets from various brands. When I started looking to find out more about Moncler, I realized this was not a low-end piece of apparel – it was first class in every way and priced according to the value it offers. I feel like I have pretty expensive tastes in apparel. I’m the one you can easily put in a room with all different price points and no price tags, and I can promise you I will pick out the most expensive item in the room. A gift or a curse – you tell me?

Moncler is a company that was started in 1952 by two French mountaineers from Montmartre, France. When the brand was started, it mostly produced gear for mountain passage. Their down jackets became popular in 1968 when Moncler sponsored the French Ski team during the Winter Olympics in Grenoble. In the early 2000’s the company was purchased by Remo Ruffini.

Moncler is now based in Milan, Italy.

So what makes Moncler down coats so special? Moncler down is 90%-95% pure and acquired in a humane way from animals that are food sourced. The down is prepared by way of a 4 room process. Feather are placed in a room where air is blown into and circulated, the heavier feathers fall to the floor and the lighter (under coat) feathers are blown into the next room where the process is repeated twice more. In the fourth area the down is gathered to be used for the different garments at Moncler. Each coat has at least 180 grams of down per coat. In the lifetime of one of Moncler’s coats there is only 10%-12% feather loss.

The nylon that is used is the very best nylon from China. Moncler also has machines made specifically for them that are used to manufacture each garment. They are sewn in the high mills of Hong Kong.

Moncler became part of the global market a little over 5 years ago. There US home office is located in New York. There are 17 stores in the US, and 2 in Canada. I had the privilege of shopping at Moncler at the Shoppes at Buckhead. The stores decor is made to look similar to a Ski Chalet nestled in the mountains. The customer service was outstanding in the store as I shopped and made my choice.

The Flammette coat was the one that caught my eye. This dark matte charcoal gray coat fit me like it was made for me. The slight A-line cut is perfect for my shape with the little elastic gathered back and notched sides. A lot of the other down jackets and coat I have are rather bubble like in shape and not nearly as figure flattering as this coat. This coat gathers nicely in the back at the waistline giving a lovely silhouette. Also the weight is great, because the Flammette is really lightweight, but very warm. This coat has this wonderful high collar that that keeps my neck warm, but also houses a hood that has a thin down filling.

I have to say I never thought a down coat would be my go to coat, but on the contrary Moncler proven it could be!