There are only a few boutique stores globally that can lay claim to the cache and celebrity draw of Kemo Sabe in Aspen. It is as integral to the fabric of the world’s most celebrated ski resort as the leading hotels and restaurants and it attracts hundreds of adoring visitors every day. Kemo Sabe has a cult following which must give every small shop owner both hope and inspiration. It is a destination in itself.
There is a unique vibe to the place, created by the energy and warmth of the staff, the smell of the leather, the country music and the human traffic moving excitedly back and forth from the bar upstairs. It is more of a Soho House in the mountains than it is a hat and belt retailer. There is an intoxicating glamour to Kemo Sabe and it felt appropriate to film two well-known North American models - Josie Canseco and Kate Bock - at the front of the store one snowy Saturday morning. Both Josie and Kate are established customers of the shop anyway, so nothing felt contrived.