True Colors
Skida Brings Joy , Love , and Compassion to the Winter Apparel Industry
From the early days of her childhood , Skida ’ s founder Corinne Prevot ’ s life has always been
defined by her two most beloved passions : skiing and fabrics . Corinne ’ s lifelong love affair with textiles began in preschool , where she began to hone her prodigious stitchwork skills through a series of increasingly complex hobby projects . At four years old , she was sewing buttons onto cloth . In elementary school , she was creating her own curtains by combining multiple types of fabric together . As her creative repertoire expanded to include inventive items such as homemade fleece pants and handmade wallets , her athletic talents were also rapidly progressing .
Corinne first stepped into a pair of skis at the age of two and began to develop and refine her athletic capabilities during subsequent family expeditions to Burke Mountain . After becoming increasingly enamored with Vermont ski culture over the course of multiple winter vacations , she decided that she wanted to attend Burke Mountain Academy and participate in their ski program . Although she had initially trained as an alpine skier , she made a calculated switch to Nordic skiing during her time at Burke due to her excellent physical endurance .
The aerobic intensity of her newly chosen winter sports discipline required headwear that was both breathable and warm . As Corinne searched far and wide for a stylish winter hat that was suitable for athletic competition , she observed a noticeable dearth of colorful and eye-catching headwear products . In her sophomore year of high school , she made a decision that would change the course of her life forever . She purchased some Lycra ® fabric from a nearby craft shop in Lyndonville and created her first run of winter hats for her teammates at Burke .
Word of Corinne ’ s colorful hats soon spread throughout the Northeastern high school ski circuit like wildfire . According to Skida ’ s Communications Strategist Eliza Nixon , that ’ s when everything started to fall into place . “ Competing skiers from other schools saw Corinne ’ s hats and wanted their own . The buzz just snowballed from there . It was a really organic growth pattern that allowed the business to naturally develop at a sustainable pace .”
After graduating from Burke Mountain Academy , Corinne attended Middlebury College , where she continued to run Skida with the help of her mother while maintaining a rigorous academic course load . While enrolled at Middlebury , Corinne became creatively inspired by the Nepalese tradition of ornamentally-patterned “ Topi ” hats . Eliza reveals that Corinne ’ s interest in Himalayan aesthetics led to the development of one of Skida ’ s most celebrated product lines . “ Our cashmere line came as the direct result of the business relationships that Corinne built with local manufacturers during the time that she spent studying abroad in Nepal . We still source some of the materials that we use for our cashmere product line from those suppliers to this day .”
4 VERMONT MAGAZINE