Kappa will be the first single brand official sponsor of US Ski & Snowboard

The Italian sportswear brand Kappa has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal to outfit the US Ski, Snowboard, and Freeski teams for all Federation of International Skiing events, beginning with the 2022-23 season, and the Olympics, including the 2026 Winter Games that will be hosted by Italy. This will mark the first time that a single technical apparel partner will provide race suits, gear, and outerwear for US Ski & Snowboard.

Athlete nominees for 2022-23 events like halfpipe, slopestyle, big air, and snowboardcross disciplines were announced by US Ski & Snowboard on Friday, although they will likely be without two-time gold medalist snowboarding phenom, Chloe Kim, who stated in April that she will take a break from competitions this season for mental health reasons, but plans to compete in Milano-Cortina 2026.

As the official sponsor, Kappa will collaborate with the athletes and coaches on research and development aspects of the custom and proprietary athletic performance wear for the teams that will involve efforts like wind-tunnel testing, as an example, for the alpine speed suits. The partnership will also include marketing and social media collaborations and branded merchandise that will be made available through US Ski & Snowboard as well as Kappa’s e-commerce site. To expand its footprint in the United States, Kappa will also produce a coordinating fashion retail line that will be unveiled later this Fall.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with such an iconic brand that will enhance our team’s performance and style,” said US Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. “The opportunity to have a single outerwear and race suit provider for all teams will allow us to streamline every aspect of this partnership to reach its fullest potential. In addition, Kappa’s Research and Development will provide US athletes with significant technical advantages as they focus on next season, the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and beyond.”

While Kappa is well known in Europe—particularly among the millions of soccer fans—it has only trickled into America’s cultural zeitgeist through streetwear fashion, especially during the 1990s. The brand, whose logo represents equality between men and women in sports and is featured on the jerseys of soccer stars and Formula 1 drivers, is present in more than 130 countries but looks to gain more name recognition in the US market.

“We’re truly honoured to start this long-term partnership with the US Ski & Snowboard,” said Lorenzo Boglione, Vice President of Sales at Kappa’s parent company, BasicNet SpA. “For Kappa, this is a great opportunity as well as a wonderful comeback to sponsor an American national team, as we did from 1982 to 1988 with the USA Track and Field. We are very proud to dress these incredible athletes. Being together in the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics here in Italy will be amazing.”