Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Isakov.
Hi Erin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started skiing almost as soon as I could walk. My father was a ski patroller at Mammoth Mountain in California, so skiing has always been part of my life. After graduating, I moved to New York City to work in fashion—but I spent most weekends driving to Vermont to ski or snowboard. When I began working as a fashion merchandiser for Elie Tahari, I found myself at the intersection of design, materials, and manufacturing, and I thought, why not do for ski wear what Elie Tahari did for women’s workwear? In 2003, my husband and I launched Erin Snow, a ski fashion brand that grew to be carried in top fashion retailers, luxury resorts, and specialty stores across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Recently, I stepped away from clothing and wrote my first book, Après Ski: The Scene, the Style, the Menu. The book is a celebration of all things après-ski, but it is also a love letter to the community, culture, and escapism that skiing brings. I’m endlessly inspired by how the mountains unite people from all walks of life—whether you’re carving first tracks or simply there for cocktails and nachos, skiing brings us all together.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running Erin Snow for nearly twenty-five years meant navigating everything from the financial crisis to snowless seasons, from the pandemic to geopolitical disruptions that upended our supply chain—all while pushing to use the most innovative, sustainable materials available. We had plenty of bumps in the road, but early successes kept us motivated and confident in our path. Despite the challenges of running a family business, we built an incredibly loyal following, partnered with some of the world’s best retailers, earned coverage in major fashion publications, and had celebrities wearing our designs. Those achievements ultimately led to the opportunity to write Après Ski and share my love for the skiing lifestyle with a broader audience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Writing Après Ski is definitely high on my list of what I’m most proud of. But I’m also really proud of building Erin Snow from the ground up with my husband—without outside investors—and running it successfully for more than two decades. It’s something we poured our hearts into, and it shaped so much of who I am today.
How do you think about luck?
Honestly, I don’t think luck played much of a role. I’ve worked incredibly hard every day to create something out of nothing. Erin Snow was always a family business with a tight-knit team, which meant I often did the work of five or six people. When we put in the effort—knocking on the right doors, in the right way—we saw results. When we didn’t, we didn’t. The opportunity to write Après Ski came to me because of Erin Snow and my success there. Of course, we couldn’t control some of the macro challenges along the way, but every competitor simultaneously faced those same conditions. I truly believe we make our own luck through hard work, perseverance, and vision.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/erin-isakov/apr%C3%A8s-ski/9781648293986/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theapresskibook/
