Brazil has an alpine skiing team, too And the outfit will be impeccable
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games will go down in history for several reasons. One of these is that it is very likely that Brazil will win its first medal at the Winter Games. And not in some modern discipline like snowboarding or freestyle, nor in a team sport like curling. No, Brazil could win an Olympic medal in the premier discipline: alpine skiing.
Why Braathen chose to compete for Brazil
All eyes are on Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, a 2000-born skier from Norway who won the Slalom World Cup in 2023 but who has been competing for Brazil since 2024, the birth country of his mother and where he spent part of his childhood. The change of nationality is linked to commercial disputes: given the Norwegian federation's rigidity in managing image rights, Pinheiro Braathen was not free to sign sponsorship contracts with brands (fashion and otherwise) that were competitors of the federation's sponsors. For this reason he decided to temporarily leave the sport only to return to compete for Brazil, whose federation granted him full freedom in commercial matters.
Moncler returns to the Olympics after 60 years
It was precisely this freedom that led one of Pinheiro Braathen's sponsors to sign an agreement with the federation. It is Moncler, of which Pinheiro Braathen is a brand ambassador, which returns to the Olympic Games for the first time after almost sixty years of absence. The brand's last appearance dated back to the Grenoble Games of 1968. Despite being the definitive brand for high-end winter fashion, Moncler had not participated in the Olympic Games until now. Its return is quite grand: it serves as an official sponsor for both the opening and closing ceremonies and provides all snow athletes with technically advanced race suits inspired by Brazilian culture.
Luxury meets performance at Milano Cortina 2026
Moncler's return also fits into a clear and easily recognizable trend: luxury will be at home in Milano Cortina. The ice was broken by Gucci with the Altitude collection dedicated exclusively to winter sports with Jannik Sinner as testimonial. Rossignol instead presented a collection in collaboration with AC Milan to bring the iconic Diavoletto onto the ski slopes. And we're only at the beginning: over the coming weeks, in the run-up to the opening ceremony, we'll see more and more high-fashion brands present collections dedicated exclusively to winter sports. Style and elegance — two cornerstones that sportswear brands like Nike, adidas and lululemon have also included in their collections.
Braathen’s unmistakable style on and off the slopes
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is a skier who stands in stark contrast to the cliché we're used to. Even if you're not a fan, a quick look at his Instagram feed is enough to understand what we're talking about. He isn't the typical house-gym-slope athlete. He has cultivated a passion for interior design and music, as well as a refined taste for high fashion. He moves naturally from classic looks composed of high-end Italian tailoring garments to casual combinations or more elaborate aesthetic solutions such as wide-stripe purple velvet trousers or a pair of futuristic Oakley sunglasses, one of his main sponsors alongside Red Bull. His passion for fashion naturally led him to Milan Fashion Week and in 2024 he also walked the runway for J Lindeberg during Copenhagen Fashion Week. A never-banal style, repeated on the slopes thanks to Moncler's collections which deviate from solid colors by coloring the ski competitions with curvilinear patterns or gradient plays. A character destined to make Olympic history — and to do it with style.
