History
THE ORAGE STORY SPEAKS VOLUMES OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BRAND AND EXEMPLIFIES WHERE OUR PASSION TRULY LIES. KNOWN AS "FREESKIING'S ORIGINAL OUTERWARE BRAND", ORAGE IS STOKED ON ALL ASPECTS OF OUR SPORT AND WE’RE DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE TO ENJOY WHAT WE DO TO THE FULLEST.
ORAGE GOT ITS START IN 1989 AS THE BRAINCHILD OF EVELYN TREMPE, A BUSINESS STUDENT AT UQAM (UNIVERSITY OF QUEBEC AT MONTREAL). SHE BEGAN MAKING WATERPROOF SKI JACKETS AND A ONE OF A KIND SKI PANT THAT WOULD LATER BECOME KNOWN AS THE "LEGENDARY ORAGE PATCH PANT". AT THE START, THE GOAL WAS NOT TO DOMINATE THE SKI INDUSTRY; MORE SO, EVELYN WAS SIMPLY LOOKING TO MAKE PRODUCT FOR HER FRIENDS AND THE UNIVERSITY SKI TEAM AS A WAY TO EXPRESS HER PASSION FOR INNOVATIVE PRODUCT DESIGN PAIRED WITH HER LOVE OF FASHION AND SKIING.
ALONGSIDE ERIC D'ANJOU, THEY FIRST SOLD THEIR GOODS OUT OF EVELYN'S CAR IN THE STREETS OF MONTREAL. THE BRAND NAME CAUGHT ON AND BEFORE LONG THEY TOOK ON THEIR FIRST SALES REP. WITH A CAR FULL OF PRODUCT THEY TRAVELED FROM SHOP TO SHOP RELYING ON A SHARED PASSION AND VISION OF SKIING TO MAKE A LASTING IMPACT ON SHOP OWNERS AND STAFF TO JUMPSTART THE BRAND.
ORAGE TOOK A UNIQUE STAND WITH A FRESH NEW LOOK IN COMPARISON TO THE OLDER, MORE ESTABLISHED BRANDS. THIS UNIQUE STYLE REMAINS ITS FOUNDATION AND THE BACKBONE OF WHAT THE BRAND CONTINUES TO REPRESENT MORE THAN 25 YEARS LATER.
LIKE MOST BRANDS BORN FROM THE LOVE OF A SPORT, ORAGE’S BEGINNING WAS A TYPICAL START UP GARAGE OPERATION WITH ITS HEADQUARTERS BASED OUT OF EVELYN’S PARENTS’ HOUSE. IT WAS A LOW COST SET UP, WHERE AN UNEVEN PING-PONG TABLE SERVED AS THEIR FIRST CUTTING TABLE AND THE BASEMENT ACTED AS A WAREHOUSE. BUT WITH EXPERIENCE CAME MORE FINE-TUNING, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE ABILITY TO CREATE OUTERWEAR WHOSE PERFORMANCE WOULD SOON RIVAL ITS UNIQUE LOOK.
ONCE THE PRODUCT FORMULA WAS DIALED, ORAGE’S PRODUCTION FACILITY MOVED FROM EVELYN’S PARENTS’ HOUSE TO AN OFFICE IN LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC, ON THE SOUTH SHORE OF MONTREAL. AT THAT TIME, THE OFFICE WAS STILL A BARE BONES OPERATION AND IN THOSE DAYS THE STAFF CONSIDERED HEAT AND AN OCCASIONAL COMPANY PIZZA LUNCH OUTING A LUXURY. EVERY MORNING EVELYN WOULD COME IN EARLY TO FIRE UP THE SPACE HEATER BEFORE THE SEAMSTRESSES ARRIVED TO WORK ON THE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING WAS RUN ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET, BUT THEIR PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM FOR SKIING REMAINED STRONG.
THE BELIEF THAT THE "IMPOSSIBLE LEADS TO INVENTION" INSPIRED THE CREW TO STICK WITH WHAT FELT RIGHT, EVEN WHEN OTHERS DOUBTED THEIR POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS.
AS LIFELONG SKIERS, ERIC AND EVELYN WERE COMMITTED TO INTRODUCE THE SKI INDUSTRY TO PROGRESSIVE NEW DESIGNS WITH ALTERNATIVE FABRICS AND A UNIQUE LOOK. THEIR MISSION WAS TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT FORCED PEOPLE TO QUESTION THE IDEALS OF WHAT SKI GEAR COULD BE. THEIR GOAL WAS TO BLUR THE LINES BETWEEN TECHNICAL OUTERWEAR BUILT TO WITHSTAND THE WINTER ELEMENTS AND STREET FASHION...SOMETHING NO OTHER BRAND HAD BEEN DOING AT THE TIME. THEY WERE DETERMINED TO HAVE A UNIQUE STYLE DRIVE THE BRAND PAIRED WITH THE NEW AND INNOVATIVE MARKETING ACTIONS THAT WOULD HELP PUSH THE SPORT OF SKIING IN AN ENTIRELY NEW DIRECTION.
BEFORE LONG, ORAGE’S CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO MARKETING LED TO THE BRAND’S FIRST PROPRIETARY COMPETITION, WHICH WAS AS REVOLUTIONARY AS THE BRAND ITSELF. THE NO-ATTITUDE, NO-RULES EVENT APPROPRIATELY TERMED "THE ORAGE MASTERS" IMMEDIATELY ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF THE ENTIRE FREESKI COMMUNITY. WITH THE SPIRIT OF A FREESTYLE COMPETITION OF THE 70’S MIXED WITH MODERN DAY TERRAIN AND TRICKERY, THE "MASTERS" WAS A VENUE UNAVOIDABLE TO THE WORLD’S TOP SKIERS WHO CAME READY TO COMPETE HEAD TO HEAD IN AN "ANYTHING GOES", COSTUME CLAD, SKIER-JUDGED SLOPESTYLE EVENT.
WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE MASTERS, ORAGE IMMEDIATELY BECAME SYNONYMOUS WITH "ON HILL GOOD TIMES AND A DETERMINATION TO BE UNIQUE", WHERE THE ONLY RULE IS THAT THERE ARE NO RULES. THE BRAND REPRESENTED THOSE WHO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE A CONSTANT STATE OF CHANGE IS A CONSTANT WAY OF LIFE, SKIERS WHO EXIST SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENJOYING THE MOUNTAINS TO THE FULLEST AND THOSE WHO APPRECIATE INNOVATION THROUGH STYLE.
WE LIVE TO SKI, WE LIVE TOO INNOVATE
25 YEARS LATER THE BRAND REMAINS HEADQUARTERED IN MONTREAL, QUEBEC, IS PRIVATELY OWNED UNDER MTN DEWDS DISTRIBUTION, INC, CONTINUES TO BE LEAD BY ITS ORIGINAL FOUNDER, IS RUN BY PASSIONATE SKIERS, DESIGNERS AND INNOVATERS AND CONTINUES TO PUSH ITS OWN BOUNDARIES WITH ITS RELENTLESS DEDICATION TO THE CLAIM FROM WHICH IT CARVED ITS NICHE... INNOVATION THROUGH STYLE.
THE UNIQUE LOOK AND FEEL OF ORAGE CONTINUES TO GROW AS DOES THEIR THREE SEASON OFFERING OF OUTERWEAR, CASUAL WEAR, LAYERING, BASE LAYERS, AND ACCESSORIES; ALL DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU WARM, DRY, COMFORTABLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, LOOKING LIKE NO ONE ELSE AROUND. WITH A WORLD CLASS STABLE OF ATHLETES AND EVENTS, A VAST PRODUCT LINE AND AMBASSADORS WORLDWIDE, ORAGE REMAINS DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO LIVE A DIVERSE OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE AND POSSESS AN APPRECIATION FOR INDIVIDUALITY AND QUALITY OUTERWARE.
