Part of my obsession with autumn is the fact that you need to own coats, sweaters and all sorts of other gear to protect you from the rain and chill. I’ve never lived anywhere but the Midwest and Northeast where coats are a necessity and a way of life. And for whatever reason, when I shop I tend to repeatedly aim my discretionary-income at two things, coats and bags. So when I first heard about Veilance – the sleek new collection from Vancouver based Arc’teryx that is hitting stores this week – it was clear that come fall I would be up to my old tricks and adding a Veilance jacket to my already stuffed coat closet. The debut range combines everything the folks at Arc’teryx have learned over the years about performance gear and combined that technical know-how with more stylish and classic shapes like the Long Coat and the M-65 inspired Field Jacket pictured below. I love the idea of pairing a Gore-Tex shell with a suit and not having to look like I just got off a ski lift. At the same time you know that you are going to be protected from the the elements and look stealthy doing it.
One thing that is especially nice is the collection’s minimal branding and lack of exterior logos. The Field Jacket pictured below is the stealth bomber of M-65 jackets. I love the minimal styling and the super dark black city-aesthetic of the collection. It is also nice to see that the entire collection will be made in Canada.
Veilance will only be available at select stores for this first season with The Tannery in Boston being the sole U.S. store carrying the collection. Naturally, Beams will carry the line in Japan.
What restraint with branding for a company like Arc’teryx! I half expect the back of the jacket to feature the huge archaeopteryx fossil logo with “ARC’TERYX” embroidered Italian Stallion-style. This is a welcome development; I just hope Arc’teryx never decides to go into urbanwear the way The North Face went the Steeptech….
Pretty nice stuff, but a thousand dollars? Blimey. Reminds me a little of the Italian motorcycle/scooter clothing from Tucano Urbano (http://www.tucanourbano.it/). Mostly cool and classic, but very weatherproof, and with removable armour too just in case somebody in an Alfa Romeo is too busy wolf-whistling a blonde to look where they’re going. And quite a bit less costly than the Veilance range. Ciao!
This isn’t one of those times you have to put a little “full disclosure” tag at the bottom? I may be deeply cynical, slightly drunk, and tremendously well-endowed, but this seems like a pitch.
Nice as it is, this jacket and the others in that line cost 1200 euro– and up. That’s a lot of dachshunds to ask for a stylish Goretex jacket, even if it is Arcteryx
I was a big fan of Arc’teryx when it was all made in Canada and bought a lot of it but this is not a patch on the original Goretex stuff that CP Company used to do. I do not know if it is still true but at the time they were the only people who could garment dye Goretex. I have a couple and they are beautiful.
$175 for a dwr shirt??
Plus their site crashes often.
WANT.
A company with comparable style, quality and durability but with a more eco-friendly business model and more reasonable price tag is NAU. (nau.com). Check out their stuff. It is amazing. Living in the mountains I have a lot of Arcteryx and Patagonia gear and near has the same, if not better at times, durability but comes with a lot more style that allows you to wear there stuff in business and pleasure.
I may hike over to the Tannery simply to check out that field jacket.
amazing!!
Incredible! I’ve visited their HQ and factory in North Van and was very impressed with the entire process.
Just to be straight, Joe Zbar, I’m nothing at all to do with the Tucano people – I just like (and pay full price for) their stuff, so I thought I’d pass it on. It gets pretty soggy in London, and my well-worn TO jacket saves me from having to look like a bedraggled despatch rider when I go to business stuff by motorbike. So, the ‘well-endowed’ thing. Isn’t this one of those times when you have to put a “full disclosure” tag at the bottom?
My first thought on seeing this line was “It looks like what Nau has been doing.” There’s a similar aesthetic and lack of logos. The price for the Veilance line is quite high, especially in comparison to Nau.
Looks beautiful and excited to see more, but awfully reminiscent of Acronym and Outlier. More excited to see what the latter brand has up their sleeves. I’ve purchased many of their wares, and continue to be amazed by what this Brooklyn brand is doing.
Do you mean Nau before they went out of business or Nau now (that was intentional)? In my humble opinion, Arcteryx blows Nau out of the water in every sense, and just as important, the marketing and branding sense.
noiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiz.
I spoke too soon: Nau’s “Changing Room” concept may be very enticing to many……yes, including myself.
I’ve been in the performance apparel business for over 25 years and have looked closely at this collection from Arc’teryx as well as the full collection from Nau and all of the rest of the outdoor players. The design of the Arc’teryx is very forward but the hand of the garment is rubber-like and the price is way out of line, even for this brand. Nau looks better, has a buttery hand, performs equally at way less and the sustainability story rivals Patagonia. Ask anyone who does this for a living and they will tell you. The Japanese will embrace this collection for the design attributes but it will be hard pressed to survive in the U.S.
+1 on bob’s comments. Nau’s performance easily rivals Arc’teryx at a much more approachable price point, and with a far nicer hand. His observations are right in line with mine and the sustainability aspect to Nau is far superior to Arc’teryx. Nau is brand that deserves a closer look from anyone to whom the Veilance collection appeals.
Okay, how many Nau employees or vendors have posted on this thread??
I’m not a Nau employee or vendor, I just like their stuff. I’ve never owned Arc,teryx stuff,
so I can’t compare perfomance, but when it comes to fit, Nau fits me better. From my hiking experience, the performance is on par with what I have from Patagonia.
that’s nifty!
i like the minimalist look of the first one. am a big fan or the red / burgundy detailing on the second one, but the breast pockets and that break at the waist makes the jacket pretty unappealing to me.
for the first one, i dont think enough people can appreciate the minimalist look. it’s not about how crazy a design can be. it’s about we amazing the product will look on you!
Nau has sanctimonious comments on how manufacturing their garments in China is somehow “better” for the environment. Arc’teryx produces almost ALL of their goods at their production site in Vancouver, Canada. Hence the price. That is what cutting edge technology costs real time without slave labor. They have also been recipients of many awards for good reason, Nau has not.
Actually, most Arc’teryx products are now made overseas, but the Veilance line is made in Canada.
Mmm, an £800 blazer with a drape & indoor comfort level (Windstopper, mmm, sweaty) that is simply no rival for trad. fabrics, Oh, and it’s an open necked, vented blazer, so you still need some sort of topcoat if the weather’s of a sort that the fabric affords an advantage in.
This is the most obvious example of the paradox within such a range; it can’t match the aesthetics of the best, equally expensive, conventional alternatives, nor can it cut it as performance wear, being too pretty & inappropriately cut.
I could deal with the long coat though, or maybe I might just get a taxi if it’s raining heavily & so windy that an umbrella isn’t an option…