Retail
Denver, USA | Completed 2024

Local Architect: GMShay Architects
Photographer: James Ray Spahn

Halfdays is a Colorado based, female focussed ski and active-wear brand founded by a trio of ambitious, accomplished women including ex-Olympian Kiley McKinnon. The brand aims to disrupt the overly technical, male-dominated outdoor apparel industry by bringing a unique, fashion forward aesthetic to cater to women’s bodies and skiers of every skill level, for any mountain activity, from the slopes to the après. Their first bricks and mortar retail location in Denver, Colorado, reflects the brand’s unmistakeable aesthetic. Pairing performance, technical materials, and quality construction with playful colours, feminine cuts, and contemporary colour blocked aesthetics, the apparel is allowed to stand out—much as it does on the slopes—and connect directly with the consumers.

Against a monolithic, off-white backdrop with pops of the brand’s synonymous butter yellow accent, brand displays introduce soft curves and unexpected textures that riff on quintessential ski resort imagery and nostalgia. The warm palette and tactile appeal of soft, quilted fabrics is juxtaposed with unexpected reflective and metallic accents. Sculpted “snowbanks” form sweeping display bays—reminiscent of the company’s stylized logo—and tubular steel shelves and hanging rods reference the technical design language of ski lifts.

The colour-blocked merchandise naturally orders the space and draws the eye to curated collections and product lines. Understated branding throughout allows the apparel to stand in as the brand identifier in place of aggressive marketing slogans and editorial photography. The space allows customers to interact with and try on the product in a casual and approachable environment that encourages people to have a bit of fun with their ski fashion without sacrificing quality and performance.