History
Ninety years of down
Born from a fishing accident, crowned on Himalayan summits, adopted by the Bronx and then by Italian luxury. The puffer jacket has the most improbable résumé in modern menswear and womenswear alike.
Few garments can claim a trajectory this schizophrenic. The puffer is simultaneously survival equipment rated to -40°C, a New York social marker, and a four-figure runway piece. It never had to choose — and that's precisely what makes it fascinating.
1936
Eddie Bauer invents the modern down jacket
After nearly dying of hypothermia on a winter fishing trip in Washington State, Eddie Bauer patents the first quilted jacket filled with goose down. The Skyliner is born. It's ugly, it's bulky, and it saves lives. Literally.
1954
K2 and alpine legitimacy
Italian climbers summit K2 wearing down jackets. The puffer earns its credentials in the world of extreme mountaineering. It's no longer just a warm garment — it's survival equipment.
1952
Moncler is founded in Monestier-de-Clermont
René Ramillon starts Moncler in a small village near Grenoble. Initially a supplier of workwear, the brand pivots to mountaineering. By 1968 Moncler is dressing the French ski team at the Grenoble Olympics. The myth begins.
1966
The North Face opens its doors
Two mountain obsessives open a shop in San Francisco. The North Face will become the symbol of the accessible technical puffer. Their Nuptse, launched in 1992, remains one of the best-selling jackets on earth.
1980s
The puffer conquers the slopes
Ski resorts turn into accidental runways. Puffers are everywhere: neon, oversized, in colours that hurt to look at. It's loud, it's unapologetic, it's the eighties. Ellesse and Fila explode.
1990s
Hip-hop adopts the puffer
From Notorious B.I.G. to Wu-Tang in head-to-toe North Face, the puffer becomes a pillar of urban culture. In New York, wearing a Nuptse is a statement. The jacket leaves the mountain for the pavement — and never fully returns.
2003
Remo Ruffini reinvents Moncler
The Italian entrepreneur buys Moncler and repositions it as a luxury house. Designer collaborations, capsule collections, flagship stores on the Champs-Élysées. The puffer stops being technical gear and becomes a €1,500 object of desire.
2010s
The premium streetwear era
Vetements, Balenciaga and Off-White fold the puffer into their collections. The oversized silhouette goes viral. Supreme x The North Face drops cause genuine riots. Resale explodes. A jacket can be worth more than rent.
2018
The sustainability turn
Patagonia, Save The Duck and Ecoalf push recycled down and responsible synthetic fills. Consumers still want to be warm — just without the guilt. The market adapts and innovation accelerates.
2026
The puffer is everywhere, all the time
No season, no rules. People wear puffers in March, to dinner, to the office. Lightweight versions slip under a blazer. Maxi puffers have become wearable duvets. It's no longer a winter garment — it's a category of its own.
So what now?
The 2026 puffer has nothing left to prove. It has conquered the mountain, the street, the runway and the office. The real question is no longer “is it acceptable to wear this?” but “which of the six families fits the life you actually live?” — and we wrote an entire guide to answer that.