Our story
Sno Skins originated as an innovative concept for skiing apparel.
In 1990 a young designer was invited to ski with friends in Beaver Creek and Vail, Colorado. She didn’t ski very well at the time, but decided that she would definitely look good. She took some wonderful stretch velvet fabrics, made some great looking turtlenecks and went on her trip. Her friends and their friends loved and wanted these tops.
At the time, her significant other was a manufacturer of better ladies’ sportswear. When he saw that other people admired these beautiful velvet tops, the idea for Sno Skins was born.
On their next vacation to the Rocky Mountains, the couple decided to make up a small collection of velvet items and take them on their trip. They made appointments with a few key retailers and returned from their vacation with orders in hand. The rest is history!
Janine and Steve Weiss, (our young designer and her significant other, now husband and wife) have been producing Sno Skins since that Rocky Mountain trip in 1993.
Janine Weiss is the creative director of Sno Skins. She graduated from Parsons School of Design at the top of her class in 1985.
After graduation Janine specialized in designing better sportswear, loungewear and active wear collections. She has also taught fashion design and illustration at Parsons School of Design for 18 years.
A wife and mother of two sons, Janine balances her more-than full-time position as Sno Skins designer with raising her family.
In gracious harmony between design and function, Janine creates Sno Skins apparel to include skiwear and sportswear.
Each season Janine researches and develops Sno Skins unique fabrics, modern silhouettes and whimsical details.
Using the finest fabrics, she blends exquisite texture with lush color and vibrant prints as components of the collection.
Presented to retailers as a coordinated collection, each item can stand on its own. Sno Skins is all about that one special garment that makes a statement and can pull a look together.
From it’s beginning in 1993, we’ve researched and developed unique fabrics so that you can have the best. Originally conceived as a ski/après ski company, SnoSkins has evolved over the years, now offering an extensive Fall/Winter sportswear line and a beautiful Spring/Summer collection.
Custom-made patterns inspired by texture, color and print; each collection combines distinctive design with elegant detailing. Novelty fabrics and trims are sourced world-wide and the garments are manufactured in the finest quality American sportswear factories. Luxurious yet easy to care for, the velvets, jacquards, blisters, sheers and other dimensional fabrics are crafted into alluring silhouettes with special attention paid to establishing excellent fit.
