Penguin ski and snowboard clothing was born out of a passion for freeriding

Tristan Winkler is a deep-snow enthusiast through and through. All fired up by powder days, he goes snowboarding in the mountains whenever he can. And that’s exactly what he was doing one day 23 years ago, when he’d just completed an internship in finance. He didn’t yet know what his next career move would be. The only thing he was sure about was that finance wasn’t right for him.

On the ski lift, the friend sitting next to him casually mentioned that while travelling in Vietnam, he’d met a Swiss man who manufactured outdoor clothing there. The man had then asked if they wanted to make ski snowboard clothing together. «Why don’t we do it?» Tristan replied.

This was the chance encounter that launched his career as a company founder and brought the Penguin brand to life. When we meet in Zurich, Tristan tells me that he and his friend later became business partners and designed their first collection together. Penguin employee Pauline Min, whose job title is «Ninja», comes to meet me as well. Having done a years-long stint as a ski instructor in Arosa, she’s familiar with the clothing through her day-to-day work.

Clothing designed to meet your needs

The gear had to be cool, functional and affordable. Free of any unnecessary bells and whistles, it had to be precisely tailored to the needs of ski and snowboard enthusiasts. The two founders did their own market research, which involved using their own experiences and those of their friend group.

Clutching their first jackets and trousers, they went knocking on the doors of small, independent winter sports stores. With immediate success. «Some stores let us hang our stuff on the rack there and then,» Tristan recalls. The timing played right into their hands. «That’d be impossible today – the competition’s much too fierce.»

We now have Penguin products in the Galaxus range. Here are a few items I personally really like. If you’re looking for a review, don’t worry – I’ll be writing one soon.

Ski jackets

CHF589.90

Penguin Shell

Vests

CHF180.–

Penguin Fibreball insulation waistcoat

Hats

CHF60.–

Penguin Knitted cap

One size

1

Ski jackets

CHF589.90

Penguin Shell

Vests

CHF180.–

Penguin Fibreball insulation waistcoat

Hats

CHF60.–

Penguin Knitted cap

One size

1

The then novelty of Penguin’s clothing, which at the turn of the millennium wasn’t widespread, was its layering concept. The company’s young founders were quick to hone in on a combination of base and mid-layers with matching jackets and pants known as shells. This gave customers versatile garments for differing weather conditions. Layering’s now standard for almost all outdoor brands and collections.

Travel helped build their expertise

Despite their initial successes, the big breakthrough didn’t happen overnight. «Project Penguin» started as a side hustle. After a while, Tristan’s business partner left to pursue a different career path.

Tristan, on the other hand, became increasingly fascinated by the business and production methods. He travelled to Vietnam at least once a year for several weeks to understand the intricacies of the craft. «They have an incredible amount of knowledge there,» he says. Despite sometimes having to communicate using hand gestures alone, the local tailors taught him what was working and what wasn’t.

The merino base layers are the only garments produced in Portugal. That particular business relationship came about through a customer who knew someone manufacturing merino underwear in Portugal.

«Of course, I’m always on the lookout for European production centres for our other products too, as that would shorten transportation routes,» says Tristan. So far, that search has been unsuccessful. «Either the quality wasn’t right or it took far too long to make changes to things like the cut.»

Repair and waterproofing service

Despite being in the business for 23 years, Penguin still has a bit of a start-up culture. If a customer wants their chosen garment to have a special feature such as a bib or phone pocket, it can quickly be integrated. These requests are always for functions specific to snow sports. Ski trousers, for example, can have their zips positioned in such a way that they allow immediate access to an avalanche transceiver.

However, the company’s passion for snow and the mountains isn’t just expressed by designing functional clothing. Penguin has built a community of mountain guides, freeriders and team riders, offers tours and stages events such as avalanche training.

Pauline Min’s especially keen on the ladies-only events, which address women’s specific needs and questions, offer training, bring the community together and simply create the opportunity to have fun on a weekend group tour.

The Penguin brand has remained true to its roots. «Powder’s in our DNA,» Tristan says. However, that doesn’t mean only deep-snow skiers wear Penguin clothing. It’s just as suitable for family outings in the snow as it is for the slopes. Tristan says he’s also seeing more and more people in the city wearing the brand’s jackets, hoodies and vests when the weather’s cold.

This is partly down to the colour selection. Penguin’s collections are timeless and not too flashy. For Tristan, this goes hand in hand with the idea of longevity. If you bought a pair of Penguin trousers five years ago, you’ll still be able to find a jacket in a matching colour. One colour, Storm Blue, has been part of the collection since 2017.

In keeping with that philosophy, Penguin also offers a repair service. If, for example, you get caught on a branch and tear a hole in your jacket, you can send it in to be repaired. Penguin also provides a cleaning and waterproofing service. You can even slip outdoor clothing from other brands into the cleaning service delivery bags.

You can also order the delivery bags from Galaxus, and have your garment sent back washed and waterproofed. According to the manufacturer, no potentially harmful perfluorinated or polyfluorinated hydrocarbons (PFCs) are used in the original or subsequent waterproofing processes.

Pencil cases

CHF45.–

Penguin Washing & waterproofing service 3L hardshell jacket or trousers (1 garment)

Pencil cases

CHF45.–

Penguin Washing & waterproofing service 3L hardshell jacket or trousers (1 garment)

If you want to have your jacket and trousers cleaned and waterproofed together, this set’s for you.

Laundry detergent + Fabric care

Penguin Washing & waterproofing service 3L hardshell jacket and trousers (2 garments)

Laundry detergent + Fabric care

Penguin Washing & waterproofing service 3L hardshell jacket and trousers (2 garments)

If you’re interested in seeing what else Penguin has to offer, you can find its other products in our range.