After an absence of two decades, the Elho brand of skiwear is marking its return with a 1989 Heritage Collection, in time for sale through its own website for the imminent autumn/winter season. The limited edition consists of 15 items of colorful ski and street apparel, launched by a company founded in Cologne one year ago with a capital of €100,000. Simone Pitow, who managed her own consultancy after serving as German country manager for Ellesse through 2007, is listed as its chief executive. Having secured the worldwide rights to the brand name, a small team of ski and fashion enthusiasts have digitized the cuts of the original 1989 Elho freestyle ski collection, modified the oversize fit, retained the detailing (pleats, decorative stitching, collars, appliqué logos) and had the items manufactured with present-day materials. The centerpiece is the ski overall, which is waterproof, windproof, breathable and available for men and women. If this first collection finds a market, the brand will be “extended step by step,” says the company. The original Elho was founded in 1948 by a Bavarian master taylor, Ludwig Hohenster, who made use of innovative textile engineering to produce elastic ski pants. The brand was an official sponsor of the Winter Olympics in 1956 and 1972. It created a sensation with its freestyle ski collection in 1989. In the meantime, it diversified its range of clothing into hiking, surfing, sailing, tennis, golf and horseback riding.

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