Holden.
Outerwear since 2002.
Contemporary performance apparel — born on the slopes, based in Venice.
Founded 2002 in Portland Oregon by Mikey LeBlanc and Scott Zergebel; relocated to Venice CA in 2012. 107 pieces across down parkas, 2-layer waterproof shells, alpine bibs, technical knitwear, and midlayer systems. Modern proportions. Premium materials. Sustainable principles. $21 to $1,100.
ALT · 2,134 M · MT. HOOD · OR
Holden sets new horizons in luxury, merging pioneering performance fashion with innovative textiles around a sustainable system. Born on the slopes, based in Venice — performance-centric fashion for the seam where city life meets the mountain.
Eight elevation bands.
One technical system.
From sea-level base layers through alpine summit shells. Holden's catalog reads as an elevation index — each category a band where the gear was engineered to live.
Base Layer & Tee
Midlayer Bottoms
Midlayer Tops
Knitwear System
Outerwear Jackets
Alpine Outerwear Pants
Alpine Outerwear Jackets
Headwear & Accessories
Six material systems.
Holden builds across six recurring material families. Each is engineered for a specific elevation band and use case — and most pieces blend two or more systems for layered performance.
Down Insulation
Goose-down fill across the puffer / parka / vest line. The Long Down Puffer ($1,100) and Peak Down Parka ($780) are the flagships. Down weight per garment varies by silhouette.
2-Layer Waterproof
The Sierra 2-Layer Jacket and 2-Layers Powder Bib use a bonded waterproof-breathable shell construction — face fabric laminated to a waterproof membrane, fully taped seams, alpine-rated.
Airwarm System
Holden's proprietary midlayer construction — Airwarm Highneck and Airwarm Bottom in slate gray or canvas. Thermal-trapping knit engineered for above-baselayer warmth.
Merino Wool
Performance merino socks and select knit pieces. Merino's natural moisture-wicking + odor-resistance characteristics for high-output activity.
Padded Wool Sherpa
The Padded Wool Sherpa Shirt Jacket ($600) — heavy wool-blend exterior with sherpa lining, the brand's transitional fall-winter knit-overshirt.
French Terry
Hoodies, sweats, and softer transitional pieces in French terry — the brand's apparel spine that bridges performance and casual.
Twelve looks. One catalog.
Designed for real coordinates.
Holden's gear is engineered against the conditions athletes ride and ski in. These four mountains anchor the brand's design brief — from Pacific-Northwest glacial corn through North-Japan deep powder.
Mt. Hood
ALT · 3,429 MOregon, USA. The mountain Holden was born on — Portland's volcanic peak, year-round glacier-skiing season, the brand's original test site.
Whistler
ALT · 2,182 MBritish Columbia, Canada. The largest ski resort in North America by skiable area — coastal-cement snow, varied alpine. A Holden field-test default.
Niseko
ALT · 1,308 MHokkaido, Japan. Some of the deepest, lightest powder on the planet — the dry-snow benchmark for waterproof / breathable shell engineering.
Dolomites
ALT · 3,343 MSouth Tyrol, Italy. UNESCO-listed alpine range — the visual reference for the brand's Italian-influenced design language and dolomite-grey palette.
VENICE · CA · 2002→
Twenty-two years.
Three cities. One brief.
Holden Outerwear was founded in 2002 in Portland, Oregon by professional snowboarder Mikey LeBlanc with designer Scott Zergebel. The thesis was specific: technical mountain apparel built with tailored fits, neutral colourways, and modern proportions — at a time when most snowboard outerwear was baggy and neon. The brand grew out of street-fashion-meets-mountain instincts.
In 2012 Holden relocated from Portland to Venice, California as the catalogue expanded from snowboard outerwear into four-season performance apparel. Current ownership sits with Patrick Nebiolo; the design language is shaped by the brand's current creative team in Venice with strong Italian-design influences (verified through the brand's editorial photography and product naming).
Holden's tagline today is contemporary performance apparel — modern proportions, premium materials, sustainable principles. The catalogue runs 107 SKUs from a $21 merino performance sock through a $1,100 Long Down Puffer. Olivia Arthur Project is the brand's current named editorial collaboration; Resale Program (powered by Treet) keeps Holden gear in circulation past first ownership.
Olivia Arthur
Project · Perpetual Motion.
Holden's current named editorial collaboration is the Olivia Arthur Project — "Perpetual Motion" — a partnership-led editorial featured on the brand's homepage. Holden's collaboration history is part of the brand's identity: editorial-grade partnerships rather than logo-licensing. The project sits alongside the Resale Program (Treet-powered) as Holden's two named extended-brand programs.
Read on Holden →Three field reads.
Primary-source-cited deep dives — fabric science, manufacturing geography, and the editorial history of technical alpine outerwear.
Waterproof-Breathable Membranes Explained: GORE-TEX, eVent, Pertex Shield, Polartec NeoShell
ePTFE microporous vs PU monolithic, GORE-TEX 1976 patent, hydrostatic head + MVTR + RET test methods, 2L vs 2.5L vs 3L construction, the PFC-free 2024-25 transition.
DESIGN HISTORYPortland's Snowboard Design Decade: Why Tailored Fits Replaced Baggy in 2002–2012
How Portland Oregon (Mt Hood, Nike, Columbia, PNCA) became the geographic incubator for premium technical snowboard outerwear — Holden, Nau, Burton AK, Pendleton Mt Hood.
MATERIAL SCIENCEDown Fill Power, Responsible Down Standard, and What Goes Into a $1,100 Puffer
IDFB Lorch test vs EN ISO 12130, RDS certification, baffle construction (sewn-through vs box vs continuous), the 800-fill premium tier, and synthetic-insulation alternatives.
Field questions.
Things customers actually ask before buying.
Who founded Holden Outerwear, and where?
Holden was founded in 2002 in Portland, Oregon by professional snowboarder Mikey LeBlanc and designer Scott Zergebel. The brand's thesis was tailored mountain apparel with neutral colourways at a time when most snowboard outerwear was loud and baggy. In 2012 Holden relocated to Venice, California as the catalogue expanded into four-season performance apparel. Current ownership: Patrick Nebiolo (verified via published industry coverage).
What's the price range, and what justifies the $1,100 Long Down Puffer?
The Holden catalogue runs from a $21 Merino Performance Sock at the entry to a $1,100 Long Down Puffer at the flagship. The $1,100 piece sits at the intersection of premium goose-down construction, full-length silhouette, and the brand's editorial-fashion positioning — closer to a Moncler / Mackage tier than a sport-functional puffer. The mid-tier ($400–$680) covers the Sierra 2-Layer waterproof shell, the 2-Layer Powder Bib, and the Hooded Down Vest — the technical alpine workhorses.
What's the difference between a 2-layer and 3-layer waterproof shell?
Both are bonded constructions where a face fabric is laminated to a waterproof membrane. 3-layer adds an inner liner laminated to the membrane, making the garment lighter, faster-drying, and tougher under abrasion — the alpine-mountaineering standard. 2-layer leaves the inner side of the membrane unbonded and uses a free-hanging mesh or taffeta liner, which is softer-handed, quieter, more comfortable next to skin. Holden's Sierra 2-Layer Jacket and 2-Layers Powder Bib use the 2-layer construction — appropriate for resort/backcountry skiing and snowboarding, less so for fast-and-light alpine missions.
Is Holden Outerwear sustainable / what's the Resale Program?
Holden publishes a Resale Program on holdenouterwear.treet.co that takes back used Holden gear and resells it under the brand's umbrella — extending the working life of garments and reducing landfill. The brand's stated positioning is that premium materials, modern proportions, and sustainable principles work together rather than against each other. Specific certifications (Bluesign, RDS responsible-down-standard, etc.) are not blanket-claimed across the entire catalogue — verify the relevant cert on each product page.
What about sizing — does Holden run true-to-size or different?
Holden's brand thesis from day one (2002) was tailored fits and modern proportions. That means the catalogue runs closer to the body than typical American-snowboard outerwear (which historically ran intentionally baggy). For technical alpine pieces (Sierra 2-Layer, Powder Bib) where layering matters, size up if you plan to layer a heavy fleece underneath. For midlayer and knitwear, true-to-size or even one down works. Detailed size charts on each product page are the authority.
Is the Olivia Arthur Project a one-off or ongoing?
The Olivia Arthur Project — Perpetual Motion is a current named editorial project featured on the Holden homepage, paired with imagery and a separate landing page. Holden's history of editorial-grade partnerships (rather than logo-licensing collabs) makes this consistent with brand DNA. Whether it extends into multiple seasons is best confirmed directly on holdenouterwear.com — the brand's editorial cycle moves season-to-season.
Born on the slopes.
Based in Venice.
Contemporary performance apparel since 2002. The capsule is open.
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