Urban Techwear

[Inkinsurgent]

so. is nike's white label an attempt to move in on acr/veilance territory, or just a logical nextstep after the gyakusou line's success?

[aso2004]

I honestly can't say what Nike is thinking these days..

They have this great heritage with their ACG line and upscaling that would have been a more logical step as to introducing a new sub label, wouldn't it..

 

And the white label stuff I have seen  was mostly on pix, but for now unimpressed and it looks  nowhere near ACR an Veilance 

[Kasper]

thanks, the jackets look awesome. i'll definitely check it out.

 

 

i think at the temps that montreal dips into during the winter, functionality is the most essential aspect to look at right now. i mean ideally i'm into long black drapey clothes, but a lot of the designers i like generally don't have warmth in mind, more aesthetic. 

 

but really just looking for something very warm, waterproof, and light. i ride my bike a lot so breathability is important also. i'll look into the shells and liners, but i think i'm leaning more towards an insulated jacket.

also from montreal, a buddy of mine has a veilance insulated shell and says it's warm even when it dips below 20. i don't own any insulated piece vrom veilance, but heard really good things about how they perform. i bought a final home jacket to an ex-gf and it was comfortable from like 10 to -30, was the dopest jacket ever, so adaptable and light, yet so warm when you needed it.

that being said, there's maybe 15-20 days a year when it gets so cold that sometimes a hard trade between fashion and function is necessary. pretty much everyone i know owns some sort of puffy coat or really warm parka for those days.

[dougprishpreed]

It's a really tough call, man. I owned it last season and found that I was not fond of how the insulation stops at the waist and, even if you wanted to, you can't really layer underneath due to how it's cut relatively close to the body. If you rock the other winter essentials--toque, scarf/neckwarmer, gloves and insulated boots--I think you'll be fine. Any colder than -20, though, and you'll be happier with a heavier alternative. 

Thanks. That confirms what I was thinking. I actually really like the Rokkvi Neoshell, might look into that too. My top choice would be the Pilot IS but the price is a big deterrent... Speaking of insulated boots, is there anything better looking than Sorel that would be warm enough?

[SuE]

It's a really tough call, man. I owned it last season and found that I was not fond of how the insulation stops at the waist and, even if you wanted to, you can't really layer underneath due to how it's cut relatively close to the body. If you rock the other winter essentials--toque, scarf/neckwarmer, gloves and insulated boots--I think you'll be fine. Any colder than -20, though, and you'll be happier with a heavier alternative. 

 

What base layers were you wearing; cotton, wool... ?

[julianREE]

also from montreal, a buddy of mine has a veilance insulated shell and says it's warm even when it dips below 20. i don't own any insulated piece vrom veilance, but heard really good things about how they perform. i bought a final home jacket to an ex-gf and it was comfortable from like 10 to -30, was the dopest jacket ever, so adaptable and light, yet so warm when you needed it.

that being said, there's maybe 15-20 days a year when it gets so cold that sometimes a hard trade between fashion and function is necessary. pretty much everyone i know owns some sort of puffy coat or really warm parka for those days.

 

thanks for the info. i went with the rokkvi neoshell over the veilance as it was more in my price range, so we'll see how it performs. i'll post an update when it arrives dougprishpreed and let you know how it holds up to the cold.

[shoreman]

Isn't the Neoshell 530 pounds? Wouldn't that put it in Veilance territory as far as pricing goes?

 

Edit: I guess it's a bit less expensive. 

Edited October 31, 2013 by TresUnCool

[SuE]

 
Brands included that techwear aficionados might be interested in: Arc'teryx Veilance, Christopher Raeburn, Y-3, Alberto Guardiani x Wallpaper

[julianREE]

Isn't the Neoshell 530 pounds? Wouldn't that put it in Veilance territory as far as pricing goes?

 

Edit: I guess it's a bit less expensive. 

yeah, i wanted a mid length jacket so the veilance was a little pricey. also norse projects has a tax free discount going out of denmark so it's actually cheaper than the listing on the website. pleasantly surprised at that.

[shoreman]

^ Are there recessed storm cuffs that I'm just not seeing or have passed over in the description?

[SuE]

Just to break up the monotony of gore-tex and other synthetics, the Howies Airman Wool Wadded Ventile Jacket:

 

"Naturally technical, Ventile cotton provides a weatherproof outer while the wool insulation keeps you warm without compromising breathability. 100% natural fabrics that look, and perform better than most man-made fabrics.

This Airman is our 7th generation men's Ventile jacket, designed to be worn out in all weather and last you 10 or 15 years. Maybe 20."

 

 

 

yeah, i wanted a mid length jacket so the veilance was a little pricey. also norse projects has a tax free discount going out of denmark so it's actually cheaper than the listing on the website. pleasantly surprised at that.

 

I hope you won't be unpleasantly surprised when the customs and duties bill shows up from Fedex

[julianREE]

I hope you won't be unpleasantly surprised when the customs and duties bill shows up from Fedex

 

didn't even think of that, knew it was too good to be true. haven't ordered anything overseas in a while so it somehow slipped my mind. nice looking jacket up there!

[wahwho11]

Hopefully no one is opposed to people posting "Found" sales listings... I really wish stuff like this would pop up in my size .

i don't know how i feel about exposing auction-type listings, but BIN listings should be fair game.  if you saw it a long time ago and wanted it. buy it- or drop it. it's not like you're going to inflate the price for the guy wanting it.

[Brainboy]

[drgitlin]

My GT-J29A is wetting out quite badly in places:

 

 

And that's after being tumble dried on high this morning for 30 minutes and a not-particularly heavy rain shower. What DWR treatments have people had the best results with? Was going to go for nikwax but the reviews on REI are not looking amazing.

[Appleseed]

ReviveX is my preferred. For best results use a wash-in tech. cleaner (Nikwax) and then do a double treatment of the spray on, w/ dry cycles per. mfg. instructions.

[drgitlin]

Thanks for the rec.

[readytoignite]

I don't bother with reproofing unless it's compromising the actual performance requirements of the piece. Unless the wetting out is stopping vapor transfer in a way that you notice, why take the risk that the reproofing inhibits the thing you're trying to preserve?

[Appleseed]

why take the risk that the reproofing inhibits the thing you're trying to preserve?

 

Generally an issue with wash-in DWR treatments - never have personally noticed it with the ReviveX. Speaking to any particular membrane / product?

[ienosis]

I was up to date in this thread from the beginning til about 40 pages in. Left for a long while and only just came back finding myself a wonderful 60 pages to catch up on. Really wish there were more discussions in this area. I have a few questions and issues that I'd love to hear discussed that I don't think have been yet:

 

Can someone explain the stigma behind North Face? 
As far as I have seen, their quality matches other outdoor clothing and they have some fashion oriented collaborations with brands that I thought were sufu approved.

Fair enough they don't do 'all black er'thing' but for a outdoor label their branding isn't that interfering, yet they're still receiving a decent amount of flack on here.

 

 

It would also be great to hear opinions and discussion on reflective materials. SI with their reflex fabrics, Nike with their flash tech, other 3m scotchlite implements, how functional they really are and how does it fit into the urban techwear dynamic. Has anyone had any positive or negative experiences with these garments?


Also really enjoying discussion on future tech that can be implemented into clothing. That magzip looks awesome and I can't wait for it to hit the market. I do wonder whether it is designed to be fully one handed. From what I can see, the magnets attract the zip ends together but even then, zips often have enough resistance that prevents such free zip movement [unlike the example shown on their website]. Does that mean it's most probably not water repellent? Anyone have any experience with particularly free flowing zips? I would guess they would have to have smaller teeth, not taped or coated and probably attached to a heavy garment...

 

 

And finally, do you consider the thermochromic ice jackets as urban techwear?

[Inkinsurgent]

Nothing wrong with tnf from a performance standpoint. I have a seven year old tnf momentum jacket that is the most versatile piece of outdoor clothing i've ever owned, period. However, their patterning and colorways generally look garish and outdoorsy, and as soon as you get in their high end range brands like arc'teryx offer better value for money.

[digitalmountain]

I have an allover reflective Nike flash jacket. Got it because of the added visibility for running in fall and winter, and its actually really bright. However, the material doesn't really breathe AT ALL, so for me it's really just for the cold and dark.

Looks pretty cool as well, but it attracts a lot of attention and I wouldn't really wear it aside from running. I sometimes use the reversible side which has less reflective elements.   

[crucialkc]

snagged a TAD Ranger Hoodie last week. Thing is pretty sick. Fit is good, definitely not too baggy or anything. I like the amount of pockets this thing has and the fact that the hood lies flat. I haven't worn it when there was really any substantial wind but I have worn it while it was raining and it definitely didn't soak through. To me, it's not heavyweight by any means but it has kept me warm in 30-40 degree weather thus far and when the sun is out the thing almost gets too hot. Backed.

[Brainboy]

Can someone explain the stigma behind North Face? 

As far as I have seen, their quality matches other outdoor clothing and they have some fashion oriented collaborations with brands that I thought were sufu approved.

Fair enough they don't do 'all black er'thing' but for a outdoor label their branding isn't that interfering, yet they're still receiving a decent amount of flack on here.

 

 

It would also be great to hear opinions and discussion on reflective materials. SI with their reflex fabrics, Nike with their flash tech, other 3m scotchlite implements, how functional they really are and how does it fit into the urban techwear dynamic. Has anyone had any positive or negative experiences with these garments?

 

 

And finally, do you consider the thermochromic ice jackets as urban techwear?

The North Face is probably the most uninteresting, pedestrian and overrated outdoor brand I know. 

There is nothing wrong with their more expensive products (Summit Series) but the ubiquity of the brand and it's popularity amongst youngsters who think of it as a status symbol, all this is really off-putting for me...

 

I see reflective materials as really useful for runners and cyclists, for anything else I'm not sure. Maybe except for the new Stone Island Mesh Reflective jacket, that one is really interesting. 

 

Thermochromic jackets are definitely techwear! And they look pretty fantastic in person.

[scamster]

Nike LunarTerra Arktos

 

 is there anyone who could kindly proxy a pair of these from the states?

 

been searching everywhere across the net and found only one place that has them in stock but will not ship outside of usa. even have a code for 10% off too!

[xdfjdkz]

If anyone is after budget techwear, Levi's commuter line is on sale in stores (possibly online too). The commuter trousers have been improved significantly from the first iteration which I wasn't a huge fan of. They added more stretch, the fit is still 511 aka VERY slim, but feels more forgiving with the new stretch, a lot of the weird flashy details were stripped or colored more subtly and it looks more like a regular pant now. I dont remember the originals having this, but the bottom of the front pocket slits now have an elastic triangle that improves the stretch on the thighs and I'm assuming to prevent pocket flare.

 

Overall not bad and the price was ~$22 after tax. My cheap replacement for the Outlier Climbers.

 

They also had a "herringbone" version of the trouser in a 511 fit, but it was roomier, had more stretch because of the different material (88% cotton, 10% poly, 2% elastane), and looked pretty damn good.

 

---

 

Also stopped by Uniqlo to check out the 4-way jacket. Wasn't all that impressed with it and it had a cheap feel especially the liner and the face of the jacket (black version). However, I'd still consider it a pretty good budget buy if you need a nice warm jacket with a hood and light rain resistance.

 

On sale in stores only, at least only to that extent. $49 on the Levi's site

 

http://us.levi.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=11844101

[ienosis]

The North Face is probably the most uninteresting, pedestrian and overrated outdoor brand I know. 

There is nothing wrong with their more expensive products (Summit Series) but the ubiquity of the brand and it's popularity amongst youngsters who think of it as a status symbol, all this is really off-putting for me...

 

I see reflective materials as really useful for runners and cyclists, for anything else I'm not sure. Maybe except for the new Stone Island Mesh Reflective jacket, that one is really interesting. 

 

Thermochromic jackets are definitely techwear! And they look pretty fantastic in person.

 

Fair points. The problem seems to lie with their aesthetic and popularity then.

 

Personally I don't think the mesh jacket is any more useful than the running and cycling styles. They also did a reflective knit piece a few seasons ago, but I consider that as fabric experimentation for aesthetics, not so much function.

The same goes for thermochromic jackets. They look amazing and really are a great display of SI's technology, but does anyone have any insight to their real purpose beyond a outerwear piece? I don't think it offers any real benefit to the wearer besides add a visual effect. Where do you draw the line between function and aesthetic?

[captainkim]

I'm also super interested in the future of clothing in terms of techwear. Beyond furthering textiles and materials in clothes, I'm so curious to see what other ways even technology could be integrated into clothing itself. I've seen a lot of clothing-esque/tech items that use bluetooth or to connect mobile devices or computers to jackets or sneakers. I wonder if more companies in the near future will start having more integrated items such as Zegna Sport Icon jacket

[Sammy You]

 

been working with reflective fabrics..

[ienosis]

...

 

been working with reflective fabrics..

 

Looks interesting. Have you handled the actual fabric? Can anyone comment on it's durability? 3M scotchlite guidelines suggest a limited amount of washes for its life cycle. Not sure whether that means it falls apart after 75 washes or whether it stops being reflective. Or perhaps other manufacturers have a better fabric? Does Nike use 3M? Anyone know?