by Although she grew up near the beach in sunny Southern California, Chloe Kim was always destined for the top of the mountain. A snowboarding sensation from the moment she hit the slopes, Chloe began competing for the United States internationally as a teenager and, at 17, became the youngest woman to win gold in the halfpipe when she He made his US debut in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Four years later, she Chloe did it again, winning another halfpipe gold medal in Beijing, China, as she rose to superstar status.
With a global audience, Chloe has used her platform to advocate for social causes near and dear to her, inspiring countless fans with her powerful voice and maturing into an icon for young athletes everywhere.
Q: Talk about your partnership with Breitling.
Chloe: I’ve been with Breitling for a few years now and it’s been an amazing partnership and I’m so grateful for that. It’s pretty crazy how they can get their athletes together and put together these teams, and I love it. And of course, love Breitling watches – my family is also very enthusiastic about them. My parents love watches – my father’s first gift to my mother was a watch, and I feel like that has always been very important to us in our family – everyone should have a good watch. So now that I’m with Breitling, my whole family is decked out in Breitling watches going out to dinner! [laughs] A pretty cool sight to see.
What does it mean to you to be in the All-Star Squad?
Ooh, that’s amazing! I am very grateful to have been one of the few selected to be part of the All-Star team. We are a group of like-minded people coming together and getting the privilege of representing a brand like Breitling, which is all about community and the amount of care and attention they put into their athletes. And everyone else that’s on this team as well is so incredible and has had such incredible careers and is inspiring in their own way.
How do your All-Star Squad teammates inspire you?
See how much my All-Star Squad teammates have done for their own sports. Everyone on these rosters has brought a tremendous amount of positivity, whatever they’ve decided to go into. And at some point it goes beyond sports: how are you giving back to your community? And sacrificing something of yourself to give back to this community that has given you so much, that recognition, we really get it from everyone on this team.
What do you want to inspire in other athletes?
Just being yourself without apologizing. It’s so cliché in a way, but it’s also a journey that you have to take to get to that point. It’s not something you just tell yourself and think, It’s okay, great, now I can be myself. That’s been something I’ve been working on for a long time. I started snowboarding in pro-level events at age 13, getting on the podium in them. And there’s really no book or guide that explains how to deal with a lot of things, whether it’s pressure or expectations and all those good things that we athletes have to deal with on a daily basis.
But I think one big thing that helped me fight was being able to be myself and be vulnerable publicly and express things that I’ve struggled with throughout my career. I think that does a lot of good for other athletes and other people in general who are curious to see what a professional athlete endures. Being able to work with a brand like Breitling and having them give us a platform to share our stories even more is very important and it is an honor to be considered worthy of being part of this team.
How would you describe your personal style?
I’m all over the place, you can tell what mood I’m in based on what I’m wearing. That’s why I love fashion so much, because I think it’s the only way to express yourself without using words, and because I’m not a big fan of talking. When I’m just out for lunch or whatever, I could wear anything from sweatshirts, which are literally “don’t talk to me and don’t look at me” vibes. Or I’ll dress up super cute and super girly and then okay, I feel cute, “I’ll probably take some pics later” vibes. And then I have my super baggy street style which I love too, and that’s a “don’t talk to me but definitely look at me” kind of vibe. [laughs]
How do you combine your Breitling watch with an outfit?
Oh, I thought about it a lot. It’s a process, but it’s my favorite part of the day. I feel like the first thing people look at is your face, then your accessories, and then your outfit. It all comes together well, so I have a Breitling in all materials: I have red gold, I have stainless steel, I have a superlight sports watch made of Breitlight®, I have everything. I also have all these different options in a bunch of different sizes, so I can really stick with what I’m looking for.
But then when I have a big event, I have such an amazing styling team that gives me a ton of options and I pick the one I like best. But yeah, I’m still always standing in my closet freaking out because I don’t have anything to wear, even though my closet is completely full of clothes! It’s like a constant dilemma. [laughs]
How did you select your watches?
I am very happy that the Chronomat was the collection selected for the All-Star Squad, because it is actually my favorite family in my large Breitling wardrobe. And it also brings a badassery feel to it too, which is what I need. [laughs] I’m a snowboarder, I go about my life, I need a cool watch that looks cool and is awesome!
So Breitling invited me in, and I remember walking into the store and they were like, “Chloe, look at some watches,” and I was like, “Okay, great!” And they brought me all these watches and I was like, “Wait, I like diamonds.” And they say, “Okay, perfect. Here are some diamonds.” [laughs]
When I first saw the size of the Chronomat B01 42, it was somewhat intimidating. But once I put it on, I’m like“Okay, this is really sick.” And I use it all the time, every time I go anywhere. Super comfortable feeling, you can literally wear them all day and they are beautiful to look at. But I think they did an amazing job selecting that and all the process design and all that. I mean, girls can wear it too. That’s the best part. It’s funny because every time I wear it, guys come up to me and say, “What watch is that?” And I said, “You guys must really like this if you come up to me and ask me!”
What kind of impact do you feel you have had on your sport?
I hope I have had an impact, but I think it would be ridiculous for me to take all the credit. There are so many amazing snowboarders who have continued to push snowboarding and the sport forward and through their efforts bring more attention to the sport. For a long time, I didn’t know the impact I had because I always thought I was just a normal girl who snowboards, which is true. But continually sharing my story and talking about my parents’ story, the immigrant story, the first-generation Asian-American story, those are moments that not a lot of people hear about and a lot of people don’t talk about. and that is much more important than people think.
I remember when I was younger, I didn’t really have that. [Asian-American] athlete to admire. There were people in my industry that I thought were amazing, of course, but as an Asian-American girl, that story, that’s not something I found in my industry or sports in general. But from my perspective, there’s a lot of change going on, and getting more representation is important because, as an Asian-American in snowboarding, that wasn’t a common thing. And now I see more and more people in the mountains, and people saying that they started snowboarding because of me and things like that. Even me going to Met Gala locations and getting magazine covers, stuff which is really cool, makes it cooler because I know I’m going there as a snowboarder, and I bring more awareness to the sport and make people more excited about my sport.
How are you working to preserve winter sports for future snowboarders?
I work with Protect Our Winters, an amazing organization that has done a lot of good. It was a no-brainer for me, because I’m a snowboarder and I think with rising temperatures and unpredictable weather, our sport is essentially in jeopardy. That directly affects our sport, and Protect Our Winters is doing everything we can to combat that, by going to the White House, doing the right thing, being proactive in protecting our winters.
It’s scary to think that climate change could affect our winters, and the thought of my kids or my grandkids not getting to experience snow or real snow is pretty scary. Winter sports are something I have dedicated my whole life to and loved for so many years. The thought of that not even being feasible for my children is very disturbing. But it’s nice to know that Protect our Winters is doing everything it can to prevent that from happening and to allow our winters to continue to return, so we can all have access to snow and all the wonderful things winter has to offer. .
the one with cloe kim Signature Style: Super Chronomat Automatic 38 Origins
“I loved this watch from the moment I saw it. The white strap and dial, and the sparkle of the diamonds are like the reflection of the sun on the snow, so it has a personal connection to me as a snowboarder. As an advocate for sustainability, I believe in the mission of this watch. We all have a responsibility to ask ourselves where our products come from and give preference to brands that go the extra mile to source ethically. I know this effort will set a precedent.”
Read more about the Breitling All-Star Squad:
