Winter Wear for Men

Dream
Fashion Arena Outlet
Průmyslová 440/46, Praha 10
Tel.: +420 234 657 277
Mo-Sun: 10:00 – 20:00
www.outletskate.cz

I decided to take the short trip to Štěrboholy’s Fashion Arena Outlet. Purchasing the simple basics for a skiing trip can end up being an expensive experience, especially if you end only using your purchased items once (or once a year). The Fashion outlet is a logical solution, offering past season’s garments and equipment at a cut price. The Fashion Arena is a little out of the way. If you are using public transport, the best route is to take is the metro (Line A) to the end station Depo Hostivař. Outside the metro station, from bus stop E, you’ll find a Fashion Arena shuttle bus (free of charge) which leaves every 30 minutes. It’s a short 4-minute trip but saves you walking along the busy dual carriageway and roundabout!

I decided to focus on the appropriately named Dream store. This spacious shop is packed full of cut-price stock. A very helpful English-speaking member of their staff was more than happy to talk me through the products and brands they offer. For the ladies: the Dutch brand Protest. Protest is a reasonably priced brand with a combination of muted and bright colours in their collections. Their simple garment concept keeps the price points down and makes it one of the cheaper brands on offer at Dream.

Want to shop local and support a CZ brand? Try Exhil, the Czech-based brand with bright colours and all-over prints. Exil is the cheapest brand stocked in store. The designs and colours are a little dated and lacking but the quality is high. This is the brand for the cost-conscious customer with less focus on fashion. Grenade is the most expensive brand available. The brand used to specialise in gloves & goggles but has since broadened into outerwear with a focus on freedom, destruction, self-expression and love of snowboarding! Their designs are bold and garish which is useful for staying visible on the slopes.

The Tornado store is located on Revoluční street, close to Palladium shopping mall. The store is fresh and modern with plenty of stock and brands for the modern piste enthusiast. Tornado have a number of other stores in the city, but I decided on the Revoluční branch for its central location. The prices are slightly higher in Tornado when compared to other stores, but the designs and brands stocked are up to the minute, so you’ll often pay a higher price for the current colours or styles. Unfortunately, the staff working during my multiple visits to the store didn’t speak English and were pretty unwilling to help me with anything. This was a shame as the stock looked great. The Rip Curl sponsored store sells: Sessions, Nikita (ladies-wear), Insight, Hurley, and Animal. Lots of coulourful designs in both clothing and boards plus a good amount of boots and bindings. The only drawback is the language barrier I encountered.

Literally two doors away from Tornado I found the imaginatively named Number One Shop. Number One Shop opened back in December 2008; they specialise in clothing and accessories by the American brand Fox but also stock smaller/lesser known brands such as Forum, Foursquare, and Special Blend. As with Tornado, the store is well laid out with a modern and fresh look. The staff was non-English-speaking and pretty much unwilling to assist when I posed basic questions about the unpriced items on display. On appearance only, Number One Shop would be my favourite, but the lacklustre customer service lets them down severely. As a relative novice I required some basic assistance when making my purchases that the Number One Store staff was both unwilling and unable to provide, which was very disappointing.

Off Dlouha, you’ll find the small & cosy winter wear boutique Plus Minus Color. The compact store stocks a combination of street wear (WeSc, New Balance & Nike SB) and piste attire: Eleven jackets (starting at 3890 CZK – 5550 CZK) and trousers (starting at 2800 CZK – 4550 CZK). Plus Minus Color also has a good selection of goggles from Eassun which start at 450 CZK and go up to 1150 CZK. Plus Minus Color also stocks a range of Unity boards which start at 10000 CZK. The store has a friendly up-market skate shop feeling with a friendly member of staff on hand to inform and advise in English. There seems to constantly be a sale running in-store which is good for those for hunting a bargain. It’s also worth checking their website and/or joining their Facebook group as they occasionally post up special discounts strictly for group members!

Keeping with the Revoluční trend, I found the best of the bunch. Revolution have other stores located around the country, but the Prague branch is apparently the best, famous for stocking a wide range of well- known quality brands. At first look the shop’s ground level is cramped and a little bit pokey, with street wear goods piled high to the ceiling. Don’t be fooled, as you’ll find a staircase leading to the main floor space dedicated to the winter sports equipment and clothing. Revolution stock the same or similar brands as the other stores mentioned in this article, but in high quantities and colour variations. The staff was busy but more than happy to help and assist despite having limited English skills. They were also the only store to offer me free English catalogues and magazines to ‘help me make final buying decisions’. Everybody loves freebies, right?! Bonfire, Grenade, Burton, and LA brand 686 are stocked in abundance. Jackets, trousers, goggles, helmets, gloves, pads, bindings, boards, and boots await from all the main brands. Prices vary dependent on the brand popularity and quality. There’s often a sale rail or two which I would highly recommend rooting through to catch unexpected and often overlooked gems! Revolution is definitely the best store for winter wear. They carry a wide range of items and at a regular price with a friendly and knowledgeable staff which was keen to help and make sure I made the right choices when purchasing items.