Halfdays Builds European Operation in Zurich, Targets Eight-Figure Sales

Halfdays, the Colorado-based women's performance brand, posted $20 million in revenue last year and is now deploying that capital into a built-from-scratch European operation headquartered in Zurich, with logistics based in the Netherlands.

The company raised a $10 million Series A round in the same period, led by the Kellwood Company, with participation from DSG Ventures and model and influencer Taylor Hill. The European buildout represents the first major deployment of that capital into a new region.

Cofounded by former U.S. Olympic freestyle skier Kiley McKinnon, Karelle Gold and Arianna Ferwerda, who serves as chief executive officer, Halfdays has expanded from a specialist skiwear label into a women's performance brand spanning hiking, running and studio apparel.

Who is running the European business?

Halfdays has appointed Chath Weerasinghe, former chief financial and operating officer at Perfect Moment, as general manager of Europe. Weerasinghe spent two decades at Canada Goose before that, where he led direct-to-consumer and business-to-business expansion across Europe, the Middle East and Africa as regional director and vice president of finance and operations.

The company has also established regional sales, finance, operations and marketing functions in Zurich. Ferwerda said the structure was a deliberate choice over the faster distributor route.

"We didn't want to simply appoint a distributor and start shipping product overseas. We wanted to build something from the ground up, led by people who understand the European customer, the culture, and the opportunity within the market," Ferwerda told WWD.

What is the sales target?

Weerasinghe said the move follows several years of organic demand from European customers. He set a concrete goal: eight-figure revenue from Europe within three to five years.

"The European consumer is sophisticated, and skiing is a lifestyle in Europe. We know European skiers are discerning and have strong technical brands to choose from, so it's important that we stay close to customers here and listen to what they want," said Weerasinghe.

"We'd love for Europe to become an eight-figure business over the next three to five years. We're putting a lot into building here, so we have high expectations," he added.

Which channels will serve the market?

Distribution will run through a local European website and a small set of wholesale partners:

• Bongénie, the Swiss department store
• Mountain Air Verbier
• Lorenz Bach
• LuisaViaRoma, the Italian luxury e-commerce platform

"We chose partners who know their local markets and serve customers who connect with the Halfdays community," said Weerasinghe. Stand-alone retail stores remain an ambition, but nothing is in the pipeline yet, he noted.

How does the brand argue technical credibility?

Halfdays positions itself at the intersection of technical performance and fashion, a combination Ferwerda frames as the company's core proposition.

"Halfdays brings together two worlds that have traditionally been treated separately — technical performance and fashion. We believe women should have both, without compromising on either," Ferwerda said.

To reinforce credibility against established European technical brands, Halfdays became the first women's ski brand to work with Gore-Tex earlier this year. Ferwerda called the partnership an important seal of approval. Olympian cofounder McKinnon remains closely involved in product development and testing.

The company is also reducing its dependence on the ski season. Hiking and workout apparel have become growing categories in North America, according to Ferwerda, and the brand plans to build community events around skiing, running and other outdoor activities in Europe as part of the same year-round strategy.

Ski remains central to the identity regardless. "Skiing is where we started and remains a big part of who we are, but our goal is to bring more women to the mountain and outdoors more broadly," Weerasinghe said.

The test ahead: converting organic demand and a $10 million funding cushion into sustained sales against entrenched technical competitors in Europe's mountain sports market.