ORAGE

Orage (orage.com) designs and sells technical outerwear, base-layers and casual apparel for skiing, snowboarding and everyday winter use. Jackets ($250-$700), bibs ($300-$650), insulators ($120-$350) and accessories sit in the mid-to-premium tier. Distribution is mixed: direct-to-consumer e-commerce, a network of specialty ski/board shops across North America, and select European retailers. Founded in 1989 in Montreal, the brand built its reputation on 3-layer stretch shells, waterproof zips and rider-driven fits long before those features were common. Signature pieces include the “Alaska” 3-ply shell, “Bella” women’s insulated jacket and the “Tactic” bib, all backed by a lifetime warranty. Orage also recycles old jackets into insulation through its “Re-Leaf” program, reinforcing its mountain-athlete-meets-sustainability positioning. Core buyers are 18-35-year-old resort and backcountry skiers who want performance gear that transitions to streetwear without logo overload. They value Canadian design heritage, progressive fits and eco-initiatives, and they typically research gear on Reddit and YouTube before purchasing online or from core shops. Orage competes in the crowded technical-freeski segment against larger alpine brands and boutique outerwear labels. It differentiates by staying rider-owned, offering lifetime guarantees at price points 20-30% below flagship competitors, and maintaining limited-run colorways that sell through quickly, keeping the brand visible in lift-lines rather than big-box aisles.