It’s cut from GORE-TEX Pro (check), is waterproof to the zippers (check), has a removable inner snow skirt (check), and is made by Tilak (Czech). The Evolution is a hardcore shell designed for winter exposure. Worried that a GORE shell made in the backyard might not hold up? Skeptics, meet the Evolution. The company started out in 1986 when founder Roman Kamler made his first Tilak garments on a home sewing machine, and Tilak has remained family-run to this day. Based in the mountains of the Czech Republic's northeast, Tilak is an outdoor brand specialized in high-performance GORE-TEX jackets. Why: Czechwear is real and its name is Tilak. Maybe, just maybe, there’s room for tech of all kinds. Plus, considering the sticker price and status signaling of an ACRONYM shell, that prep schooler’s ski jacket might have more in common with that #hypebeast’s techwear than many would admit.ĭrake wore a Moncler Maya. A Moncler jacket and a Saint Laurent moto are literally and figuratively cut from a different cloth. But it’s also, unlike many of its contemporaries, rooted in function.
Make no mistake, Moncler is a luxury brand before anything else. Between those two extremes lay the brand’s functional, fashionable dailywear pieces – pieces like the Maya, a $1250 puffer made famous by a certain Aubrey Graham. Moncler Grenoble takes the sophistication of the runway to alpine ski equipment. Moncler Genius brings the craft of star designers like Craig Green and Kei Ninomiya to technical apparel. The brand as it exists today straddles both worlds. Why: With roots tracing back to the ‘50s ski scene, Italy’s Moncler is perhaps the archetype for a luxury outdoors line. As far as tech brands go, its combination of design, performance, and price put it in a league of its own. Veilance is for the thinking and the thoughtful for those who demand more with an inside voice. It might seem a head-scratch to drop serious coin on unbranded performance wear, but the combination of understated styling and pure capability sends a message all its own. While one could theoretically go climbing in the brand’s “Fast and Light” gear, Veilance grabs rack space alongside proper luxury lines everywhere from Barney’s to BEAMS. No bones about it: the Dead Bird’s fashion line is sophisticated, under-the-radar techwear built for daily life. In the world of Veilance, that’s “second place.” Imagine a $1500 GORE-TEX fishtail with a single defining line. Begun in 2009, this upscale offshoot merges mountaineering tech with classic garment shapes to produce “technical menswear.” The materials scream Arc’teryx. Why: Veilance is the sister brand of Vancouver’s own Arc’teryx. If the titanium flask didn’t tip it, high-tech materials and good design don’t intersect at cheap. Outerwear starts around $400 per piece with seasonal standouts hitting right four digits. While Snow Peak may be designed for a life by the campfire, it is still bonafide luxury tech. Discerning details like these adorn every Snow Peak piece: from the DWR Lightweight Jacket’s convertible pockets to the Wanderlust’s ability to pack down into itself. Cut from a military-grade ripstop cotton, what looks like a refined take on the chore coat is actually a fire-resistant utility piece with enough tool hooks for Batman’s belt. Under the surface, however, is a world of cunning design that makes the brand’s pastoral aesthetic borderline impressive.įor example, the Takibi Coverall. Compared to other tech mainstays, Snow Peak might even appear casual. Snow Peak makes upscale techwear filtered through the lens of a campsite. Look for the brand’s distinctive dead bird logo in many a techwear ’fit. With a portfolio that now includes the technical menswear line Veilance and the lifestyle-focused 24 range, Arc’teryx is perhaps the sleekest gear-maker on the market, the Range Rover of techwear. Stylish, expensive, and beastly at the core. Recent product innovations such as slimmer waterproof zippers have continued this tradition. The original Alpha SV Jacket moved the world from baggy, oversized GORE-TEX jackets to today’s slim silhouettes. Past its super-tough rep, Arc’teryx is also famous for its devotion to design. But construction creds don’t secure a place in fashion. Arc’teryx gear is built for outdoor extremes, from fast and light (FL) climbing gear to taped-seam, blizzard-ready severe weather (SV) shells.Īround outdoor climbing routes, an Arc’teryx jacket left unattended is likely to end up with a new owner. Why: Founded by climbers in 1989, Vancouver-based Arc’teryx has spent 30 years building and perfecting hardcore tech apparel.