The People Behind the Brand
Our
Story.
Meet the founders of Mountain Weekend Co., a Colorado clothing brand built by two guys whose shared pull to the mountains turned into a premium cut & sew streetwear label.
The Founders
We didn't start out as business partners. We started out as two guys who couldn't stay away from the mountains.
Ryan moved to Denver in 2015 for work, and almost every weekend turned into a trip to the mountains with people he barely knew yet. Somewhere between the drives up I-70, the campfires, and the days spent up there, real friendships started forming, the kind that are still going today. MTNWKND came out of that. Not a business plan, just years of weekends stacking on top of each other, and the memories worth chasing again and again.
Alec's pull to the mountains started even earlier, family trips to the Rockies since age 3, even from Missouri. His dad climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at 70, so it clearly runs deep. When Alec made the move to Colorado himself, he met Ryan and Jess within his first few weeks, same mentality, same lifestyle. MTNWKND was already taking shape, and Alec was sold.
These days, it's Ryan, his wife, and their two Bernese Mountain Dogs, Fionn and Odin, plus Alec, his fiancée, and their two huskies, different homes, same weekends, still finding any excuse to get up into the mountains.
We love the hardcore mountain brands built for people pushing limits out there. But we wanted MTNWKND to be for everyone who loves the mountains and appreciates quality clothes, not just the extreme stuff. That's what Elevated Leisure Club was about. You don't need to be doing anything crazy up here to belong. Just being in the mountains is enough.
Cheers,
Ryan & Alec
Since 2022
What started as a passing thought about building a mountain-inspired brand turned into something real once the logo came together.
After enough people said "that's actually a good idea," what began as a side idea officially became a business.
Friends and family show up and show out, and the response makes it clear this is worth chasing further.
Random people, strangers, not just friends, buying and loving what we made. A milestone month all around, since Ryan and Jess get married too.
Vail, CO. The first real signal our reach was growing beyond the people who already knew us.
Bringing passion, hustle, and real business knowledge to the table, turning a one-person effort into a true partnership.
From Gravity Haus Vail. A sign the brand was ready for shelves beyond our own pop-ups.
With Gravity Haus Vail. Proof the relationships we'd built were turning into something bigger.
How We Make It
We moved to Denver from Chicago, always drawn to premium style brands, and noticed a gap. There's a ton of products out there embodying mountain experiences, but a lot of it comes from wholesale blanks, the same base product dressed up differently. So a lot of what you see out there is copy-paste everywhere else.
We knew if we wanted to actually stand out on quality, we had to build our own product from scratch. The fit, the fabric, the wash, how the graphic gets applied, every piece of it is intentional. That's where the craftsmanship shows up.
It takes longer. We sample everything, we run into problems along the way, and getting a piece right can take a while. But every time we land on the final product, it's worth it, and hearing how it lands with you all makes the whole process worth it.
Keep your MTNWKND gear looking fresh. Wash inside out, cold and gentle. Hang dry or tumble on low. No bleach, no ironing on the print, no dry cleaning. Treat it right and it'll be with you for many mountain weekends to come.
Everything starts with a feeling, then a mood board. We ask: what does the weekend we're designing for actually feel like? That becomes the north star for every decision that follows.
We noticed a gap in mountain streetwear; most of it comes from wholesale blanks, the same base product dressed up differently. So we source and test raw fabric ourselves, choosing weight and wash by hand until it feels lived-in, not off a shelf.
Every piece starts from a flat pattern, not a blank. That's what lets us control fit from scratch, the difference between cut-and-sew mountain streetwear and printed-on-top products.
Drop shoulders, ribbed cuffs and hems, reinforced stitching where it matters; the construction details that make small-batch clothing actually hold up, not just look good in a photo.
We sample, we run into problems, we sample again. A drop can take up to four months because we're not shipping to hit a deadline — we're shipping when the piece is right.
Community
Local Artist Collaborations
One of our favorite parts of building MTNWKND is getting to work with artists in this space. People creating incredible work, building their own following, telling their own story, and giving us the chance to bring their vision into ours. We get to introduce our community to artists we love, and hopefully introduce their audience to what we're building too.
We started leaning into this with Drop 005, Elevated Leisure Club, and the response completely confirmed it was the right move. Tying the story of a drop to the artists behind the designs makes the whole thing feel more real; it's not just a print, it's someone's work, their style, their perspective on our story, seen through their own artistic lens.
Going forward, you'll see some version of this in every drop we do. New artists, new collaborations, new ways of bringing the MTNWKND vision to life.
Giving Back
Five percent of profits, storewide, go straight to organizations doing the real work here, Summit Foundation, Big City Mountaineers, and Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC). Profits from the Mtn Reserve drop specifically support BOEC.
If we're going to build a brand off this lifestyle, we want to actually put something back into it.
Community
Follow us for pop-ups and events, we announce everything on social first. You'll find us at Gravity Haus Vail regularly, plus markets and activities across Breckenridge, Vail, Steamboat, and Denver throughout the year.
Curated by the founders
A few pieces we reach for more than the rest, right now.
I have been wearing this thing nonstop since we got it, even on 80+ degree days just because it's so comfortable. It looks good with everything and I love the collar height.Tan SherpaSnapback
A year in the making for a reason. Another piece that just goes well with anything — it can elevate an outfit or work as a casual hat. In all our markets, I've still never seen this hat look bad on anyone.MW Heritage HatBlue / White
My go-to hoodie since it came out. I love the feel of it whether I'm snowboarding out on the mountain or just relaxing on the couch. Probably the thing most people identify me with when it comes to MTNWKND gear.ELC HoodieGrey
Can you really beat a classic? The color lineup goes with everything, and it's my hat that I can wear dressed up or down. One of the first things I picked up and one of the last I'll put down.MW Signature 5-PanelStrapback
Breckenridge, CO. Est. 2022.
We're a small mountain brand who values craftsmanship and doing things the right way.
We're stoked you're here, and we appreciate all your support.
