Zenith and Fusalp explore their shared historical know-how and legacy of innovation to create a collection of watches and apparel to take on the winter season in style.
Driven by a shared passion for technical innovation and contemporary design, Zenith, leading innovator in its field since 1865 and Fusalp, French iconic luxury ski and ready-to-wear brand, have combined their historical know-how and innovative prowess to release a unique capsule collection. This capsule, which coincides also with the 70th year anniversary of the Fusalp brand features two bespoke watches and a contemporary sport-chic wardrobe that perfectly embodies the spirit of innovation and penchant for assertive style shared by the Le Locle watchmaker and the Annecy tailor.
With an emphasis on couture cuts and crafted with cutting-edge materials and tailoring techniques, Fusalp and Zenith share a common vision of heritage, paving the way for innovation, style, and performance, created together impeccably. This meeting of two distinct Maisons is about celebrating the art of movement and the perpetual motion towards achieving greatness that resonates far beyond the mountains that both brands call home.
On this one-of-a-kind collaboration, Zenith CEO Julien Tornare shared, “This is an exciting new kind of partnership for Zenith, and one that is very close to our hearts. More than just a fashion House, Fusalp are innovators. Their never-ending quest to produce highly technical yet fashionable clothing is something that Zenith totally relates to.”
Fusalp CEO Alexandre Fauvet said, “Fusalp and Zenith have respectively revolutionized their industries. The mastery of time and movement, embodied by Zenith, as inventor of the world's first automatic chronograph movement in 1969. Two years earlier Fusalp invented the first competition ski suit, with France’s national ski team going on to win seven gold medals at the Portillo Alpine World Championships in 1966. These feats shape Fusalp and Zenith as pioneers, who nurture the precision for exceptional products, which are designed with refined modernity, accuracy and craftsmanship.’’
FUSALP ON ZENITH TIME: DEFY CLASSIC SKELETON FUSALP Versatile in its styling and resolutely futuristic in its lines, the DEFY Classic Skeleton was chosen as a senseful template for this collaboration. As stylish as it is endurant, the DEFY Classic is ideally proportioned as a unisex sport-chic watch that stands out with its symmetric open dial. Whether speeding down a slope or just lounging beside a fireplace in a cosy chalet, the DEFY Classic Skeleton brings a cosmic radiance to the winter wonderland.
Limited to 300 pieces in a black ceramic case and 100 pieces in white ceramic, the DEFY Classic Skeleton Fusalp features a new open dial. Zenith worked with Fusalp to develop this new open dial that combines the two universes of the brands, by retaining the signature five-pointed star of the Manufacture while incorporating a snowflake into its design. The result is a dial full of depth and contrast, highlighted by a rose gold coloured lower open layer and surrounded by a ring in the French tricolore tones of blue, red and white, a nod to the tailor’s French origin and a recurring design element in its sought-after creations.
The rubber strap has also been designed to incorporate elements inspired by the clothing capsule collection designed by Fusalp exclusively for this collaboration. As durable as it is stylish, the rubber features a fabric-like structure, featuring a raised motif consisting of concentric rectangles providing a bold graphical element in line with the open dial.
A star among Zenith’s vast repertoire of manufacture movements, the DEFY Classic Skeleton Fusalp special editions are driven by the Elite automatic high-frequency movement with a power reserve of 50 hours.
TAILORED FOR THE MOUNTAINS
For this winter-ready collaboration, Fusalp tailored a capsule collection of ski wear for men and women, specifically designed around Zenith and the DEFY Classic Skeleton Fusalp watches. True to Fusalp’s philosophy, utilizing its unique expertise to the fullest extent, designs are effortlessly chic, taking on a couture look while boasting technical materials, without compromising on performance and freedom of movement.
Crafted using a durable yet supremely comfortable softshell by Swiss fabric-maker Schoeller, the outfits are soft and stretchy without any of the bulkiness associated with traditional ski clothing – while remaining warm and breathable for a day on the ski slopes. In a timeless palette of black and white, the quilting design takes on an exclusively designed graphic linear motif, also found on the straps of the watches. The outfits are adorned with a specially developed logo for this capsule, consisting of a superimposed star and snowflake that also make up the watches’ open dial motif.
Fusalp x Zenith ski jackets have another trick up their sleeves – literally. A first for Fusalp and specially developed for this collaboration, the “storm cuff” sleeves feature a zippered opening, designed to be able to comfortably wear and view your watch between the outer shell layer and the soft, fine knit fabric underneath that’s adorned with the blue, white and red stripes, representing Fusalp’s French heritage.
The Fusalp x Zenith collection will make its public debut in Zurich during the opening of the new Fusalp boutique in November, after which the watches will be available at Zenith physical and online boutiques around the world, as well as selected Fusalp boutiques.