Ambleside’s Swiss Sports Haus subscribes to the Five Golden Rules of Athleisure as decreed by fashion bible Vogue magazine.
To avoid a fashion faux pas at the beach this summer, you should mix function with fashion, accessorize appropriately, dress for the occasion and, when in doubt, stick to neutrals.
Swiss Sports Haus owners Sean Wardell and Amanda Arnold-Wardell are a little wet behind the ears when it comes to summer fashion trends – thermal underwear and goggles have long been their forte – but are taking their cues from experts in the industry.
They are excited for the upcoming summer season – and not just because temperatures on the North Shore hit double digits yesterday, getting locals excited for beach weather.
“Proximity to the beach is important, however our customers are very active people and this is summer clothing to move in,” explains Arnold-Wardell. “We needed a way to bring them in the door that was congruent to our winter program.”
It’s the first summer Swiss Sports Haus, which was founded as a ski shop in 1980 by two good friends from Switzerland, will sell shades, sunscreen and boardshorts – all the summer essentials.
“Historically, we’ve just done ski and either closed up or sublet our space in the summer, this will be the first season that we will remain open year round,” says Arnold-Wardell, who grew up in Deep Cove and lives in West Vancouver with her family. “We’ve curated some very cool athleisure lines; some maybe not so familiar to the general public, Strongbody, Indygena and Spiritual Gangster to name a few.”
Spiritual Gangster is a “hip” yoga-inspired clothing brand popular with pro athletes and celebrities, explains Arnold-Wardell. The shop also stocks Fig, a travel friendly, wrinkle resistant, “athletic chic” clothing line made from stretchy material with built-in UV protection.
Classic surf and beach brands like Body Glove – which recently expanded into crossover athletic/yoga wear – and O’Neill will be in the Swiss Sports Haus, along with New Zealand-based Icebreaker clothes made from merino wool, a high performance natural alternative to synthetic fabric.
Shades from Smith and Oakley will headline Swiss Sports Haus’ summer accessory selection, while surf-inspired Reef sandals and Sun Bum, a small company out of Cocoa Beach, Fla., offering cruelty-free sun protection, are also sold at the shop.
With this year’s epic ski season winding to a close and short sleeve weather upon us, now is a good time to find deals on skiwear, says Arnold-Wardell.
