If you’ve walked around Big White Ski Resort, you’ve probably seen dozens of Big White toques – the colourful hats with their huge white pom-poms.
Since they hit the shelves back in December 2013, Big White toques have become the most recognizable accessory on the resort, and this week their sales hit a remarkable milestone. This week, the Big White retail team announced that 40 000 Big White toques have officially been sold.
The Big White toque made its debut in December 2013. At the time, Suzy Bennett, Big White’s VP of Retail & Rentals, was searching for the perfect souvenir; something the whole family could take home and enjoy.
“The toque was inspired by a photo from the ’60s showing a racer with an oversized pom on his toque,” said Bennett, “I thought it would be fun to do an oversized piece and we spent almost three months working with our supplier to perfect the size and texture of the pom.”
It was important for Bennett and her team to deliver a top quality product with authentic Canadian style. To achieve this, they decided to work with a supplier based in Montreal, Que.
“We’re a Canadian company and, while we’ve had offers to manufacture the toques offshore at a lesser price, we’ve been happy to keep the toque as a 100 per cent Canadian souvenir,” Bennett said.
The toques are fully fleece-lined and super comfortable. Originally offered in less than 15 colors, the Big White toque has since been produced in over 40 different colors over the past four seasons, meaning everyone can find a toque as unique as them.
After months of designing, and sending samples back and forth, the toque was ready to hit the shelves.
“My original order was for 850 and I thought that was a very scary number, “ said Bennett, but little did anyone know how popular this piece would become.
Big White is overjoyed to see its guests represent the Big White brand all over the world. In fact, the Big White toque has been to the Arctic Circle, Federation Square in Melbourne, a Keith Urban concert in Niagara Falls, the Sochi Winter Olympics, Iceland, Japan and the list goes on and on.