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Within 24 hours of unloading the last moving box in her new Denver digs in February 2017, Emma Rosse was making turns at Winter Park Resort. By the following summer, she was spending weekends hiking fourteeners, meeting friends for after-work climbing sessions, and giving mountain biking a whirl. But it wasn’t just the adventures the rural Virginia transplant was hooked on—it was the before-and-after moments with her pals.
Rosse loved clinking cans after a solid attempt (and a few good falls) on a bouldering problem, playing dice at a backcountry hut, and belting out Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” with her posse on the way to the trailhead. Her like-minded buddies did too, which is why the outdoor industry’s emphasis on intense feats and mountain-top grins for clout felt inauthentic.
Using her own experience pursuing Colorado’s adventurous lifestyle, Rosse set out to do better by creating Golden-headquartered Allover Apparel, which celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. Allover currently focuses on trail-to-town-ready overalls (get it?), plus some brand merch, but plans are in the works to broaden the line in a sustainable manner. “Allover is about these in-between moments of life,” Rosse says. “I wanted to show that outdoor life isn’t just about these crazy dramatic feats. Being outside is what makes up the fabric of our lives. We’re living in it. It’s what we do every day.”
In November 2022, Rosse was working outdoor retail, stocking bright pink ski jackets and fielding customer questions about whether a wool base layer was warmer than a synthetic option. Working the sales floor gave her deeper understanding about the fabrics and cuts best for technical apparel, as well as insight into what outdoor shoppers want in their get-after-it apparel—and what they don’t.
Rosse remembers her female customers often shopping in the men’s section to get a looser-fitting coat or pair of pants in a neutral sage, mustard, or charcoal color scheme. “Women would come up to me—and this happened so many times—and say, ‘Oh my gosh. The women’s outdoor apparel is horrible!’ ” she laughs, noting their complaints about both color and fit. “I learned quickly there was something missing.”
In January 2023, Rosse got serious about filling the gap. She’d been testing a pair of technical overalls, including on a backpacking trip to Conundrum Hot Springs, after a friend wore them on their three-day raft trip through Ruby Horsethief Canyon. The overalls had a cute (though “loud,” Rosse says) pattern, but they were made of waterproof material that didn’t breathe and chafed horribly after hours on the trail. Rosse describes the fit as “reminiscent of a toddler’s playsuit.”
Upon further research into the overall category, she found plenty of sport-specific ski or rafting bibs, plus numerous canvas workwear options, but little in between. “I was like, ‘Interesting. There’s definitely a market here that’s underserved,’ ” Rosse says. “Combining that with industrywide frustration around the fit and color palette, I knew this could be a really great synergy.”
Thanks to her experience in outdoor retail and her own (not to mention her entire friend group’s) preferences, she had clear insight into what Colorado’s famously outdoors-loving population wants in their apparel. The first, she says, for women especially, comes down to color options. “Name the sport, and I’m sure there’s a very humiliating pink ensemble for it,” Rosse says. The second attribute they look for is versatility. “We wear something that’s performance—but then make it lifestyle. Other brands have done [that], but not very well, especially with fit. I was like, ‘I think I can really nail the components that are missing.’ ”
Rosse spent nearly 18 months doing so. She worked with a designer, chose a technical fabric blend of recycled polyester and spandex, and toured factories in Vietnam. The result, available for women and men, is breathable, moisture-wicking, quick-drying, buttery soft, and both stretchy and durable enough for any high-stepping, rock scrambling, or pedaling her customers throw at it.
The overalls’ (the women’s is called the Lookout, the men’s the Argos) low-profile buckles lay flat to prevent discomfort while wearing a backpack, but they don’t release. Instead, a 17-inch side zipper makes entry and egress a cinch—and prevents the dreaded wet-strap conundrum when nature calls. Seven pockets, including zippered ones for valuables and lip balm, provide ample storage room.
In addition to these technical features, Allover’s overalls have a dialed-in fit and earthy colorways. The Lookout tapers from the upper bib to hit at a woman’s natural waist, offers a touch of extra room in the butt and thighs for strong legs, and has a cute crop that’s both in line with current trends and functional for hikers and climbers who don’t want excess fabric near their feet. The Argos has a standard cut with a roomier, movement-friendly torso and a straight leg.
Reflecting on the past year, however, Rosse notes the journey hasn’t exactly been on cruise control. She dealt with crippling doubt and fear during her business ideation phase. Once she had a product in hand (just the initial sample), she had to teach herself how to market the product and manage the pre-order process. After she’d managed to accumulate hundreds of pre-sales, she weathered delayed production schedules, a typhoon, and a hurricane, which pushed back her delivery timeline by two months.
But Rosse successfully mitigated customer backlash, continued to sell the overalls, and even sold out entirely—a great problem, except she wasn’t yet accustomed to the 90-day lead time (or more) needed to re-order. “It’s been a wild first year,” Rosse says, “but we’ve come a long way.”
Now a year in and with a clientele base across Colorado, as well as California, Arizona, Wyoming, and Montana, Rosse is ready to think about responsible growth. Expect a handful of tops, all trail-ready but still suitable for Denver’s urban vibes, to launch toward summer’s end and pants to arrive on the scene next spring. Allover won’t, however, be offering new lines or clothing drops simply because the season changes. “I never want to create clothing—and there’s a lot of brands that do this—just to create,” she says, adding that every piece will be made with technical fabrics that still look casual and stylish enough for everyday wear. “I really want to create clothing that actually fills a real gap in the outdoor space.”
How will she know what products those are? She’ll turn to her friends. She’ll rely on her own needs as an outdoor adventurer. And she’ll listen to her customers. “I live the lifestyle. I live in Colorado, and these are my people who Allover really speaks to,” Rosse says. “I have direct insight into where we are going and what’s needed. What do we want to create? Let’s create it.”
