ML - Aspen Peak

Aspen Peak - 2016 - Issue 1 - Summer

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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"EvEry day, wE'rE surroundEd by things that arE gorgEous [but] don't work, and things that rEally work but arE a bit ugly. our quEst is to craft products and storE EnvironmEnts without any ExcusEs on EithEr sidE." —palmer west 134  aspenpeak-magazine.com photography courtesy of aether clockwise from top left: Aether's minimalist interior offers a welcome respite from many of Aspen's cluttered shops; exterior of the new Cooper Avenue store; owners Jonah Smith and Palmer West curate a lifestyle with tools and products that complement the brand's form-meets- function clothing. ultra-mod ski wear atelier aether spins prefab magic on cooper avenue mall. Mountain Modular When LA-based Aether Apparel was looking to make its Aspen debut last December, the city-meets- mountain "quiet tech" ski wear and outdoors clothing brand had days, not weeks, to set up its 2,400-square-foot Cooper Avenue storefront in time for town's bustling holiday season. For most compa- nies, this would have been impossible. But for Aether founders Palmer West and Jonah Smith, both 43— former independent film producers whose credits include the cult classics Requiem for a Dream and Waking Life—their stores, like their products, have the precise form-meets- function simplicity to allow them to pull it off. "From the beginning, we've had extremely modular spaces where we can build everything off-site," says West. To achieve their goal, the duo hired French architect Thierry Gaugain to create custom-made LED-lit oak crates, in which the clothing is displayed, that could be shipped, fully constructed, from the company's headquarters. Add to that a 10-foot steel table that displays a curated collection of lifestyle products—from coffee table books to Gränsfors Bruk axes—and a Ural motorcycle with a sidecar at the entrance, and the result is one of Aspen's most unique retail experiences. "Every day, we're surrounded by things that are gorgeous [but] don't work, and things that really work but that are a bit ugly," says West. "Our quest is to craft products and store environments without any excuses on either side." No excuses from us, either... 414 E. Cooper Ave., 970-429-4773; aetherapparel.com . SPACE Design

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