Roffe Skiwear: Seattle’s Pioneering Ski Apparel Brand

MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.061.03.02

In this promotional image from Roffe, three young models pose in the Seattle ski wear company’s latest designs for children, the “Jr. Ron” overalls, and, from left, the “Chuck,” “Brad”, and “Jack” parkas.

ROFFE one-piece ski suit, 1980s
MOHAI, 2018.45.1

This colorful ski suit was not only functional, but very on trend for the 1980s. To not interrupt the intersecting colors on the top of the suit, the opening snaps are all perfectly color-matched in white and blue.

MOHAI, Gift of Rose Retzloff, 2021.68.1

This ski suit features a stretch body suit with a separate parka. In the 1960s Roffe was the first US manufacturer to make stretch ski pants. While they also made puffy suits like the one shown above, tightly fitted skiwear continued to be a staple for the brand. The donor of this suit said she “felt like a million bucks in it.”

MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 1986.5.11420.2

Manufacturing in Seattle meant that Roffe was an employer for local workers in the garment industry. However, in a 1999 Seattle Times article about the upcoming protests, Roffe was mentioned as one of several companies that had major layoffs in recent years as a direct result of the types of free trade policies that the World Trade Organization (WTO) was promoting.

At Roffe, a team of 130 local sewers and cutters whose jobs were moved to China in 1996. Roffe closed fully in Seattle when Pacific Trail acquired brand in 2001.