Difference between revisions of "Guide to Urban Techwear"

Revision as of 09:30, 10 June 2017

We wear clothes to be comfortable, to cover up our shame, and more importantly for our protection. Technical clothing goes one step further, focusing on incorporating functionality, using advanced textiles and construction to promote breathability, stretch, and waterproofness to name the least. Now Urban Techwear, refers to the presentability of such technologies, often choosing function over form, however practical for a commute through the urban sprawl.

As this might sound like a recent breakthrough in the fashion industry, the practice of incorporating functional clothing has been around for ages, seen in many military clothing, hiking and hunting gear, and so as athletic clothing. It's only till recently more and more people are taking interest into technical clothing, more new brand names come to the market to cater our desires, and existing brands make a shift adding functional clothing options to their catalogs.

Construction

To appreciate the art, you need to understand the source and with technical clothing it comes down to its construction. From the choice of fabric which it inherits, its functionality to the construction that wraps it all up. Knowing the depth of choices taken to deliver clothes in something such as a shell will of course help users to make informed decisions between two products and also broadens the horizon of the flexibility of technical clothing that so many tend to be blind to.

Layers

WP/BR (Waterproof/ breathable) fabrics are tasked to: repel and hold its own against moisture, downpour, and allow moisture from within to escape, keeping you dry. This is made possible by shells layers which are three in total, but separated into two main parts.

All layers are composed of the outer layer also known as the face fabric, responsible for being presentable and functional from which it inherent from fabric such as polyester, nylon, cotton-twill, etc. With a durable water repellent (DWR) treated to the outer layer to prevent saturation by water. Creating a high surface tension causing water to “bead”, running off preventing clothes from being damp from long periods of downpour.

The inner layer is composed of two parts, the second layer comprises of a laminated membrane or a coating, and the third layer known as the liner. The membrane is tasked to be breathable and waterproof, through its pores that allow water vapor molecules to escape, but small enough to not let liquids from entering. Coating, made from polyurethane, is capable of being lighter than laminate and significantly cheaper to apply. But falls sort in its breathability, however new methods of application such as microporous coatings and monolithic coatings helps improve in this nature. Simply and lastly, the liner a mesh used for protecting the membrane.

Two-Layer(2L) construction: The laminated or coated membrane is bonded to the outer fabric layer, the liner however receives a fabric liner that separate from the rest. However, they're more durable, heavier and generally more expensive than 2.5L construction.

2.5-Layer(2.5L) Construction: The liner is bonded, unlike 2L, but does not feature it in it's entirety. Patterned along the liner making it less bonded than 3L, which hinders its durability, harder to maintain, but incredibly light and on the same level of waterproof performance and breathability of 2L.

Three-Layer(3L) Construction: These have a complete liner bonded in between the inner and the outer layer, usually with no coatings. 3L construction helps to distribute water vapor and also the most durable.

Waterproof

The protection of water and other fluids that the wearer might encounter is called being waterproof. To be waterproof means to be impervious to water, however with enough downpour water can begin to permeate. This definition is not standardized and changes from different manufacturers standards. Urban Techwear and other technical clothing cannot be truly waterproof. Shells are designed to deal with being active in water and snow which vary in pressure.

There is no standard for testing waterproofness in fabrics. One method of testing is known as the static column test. Measured in millimeters, is determined by the amount of water it can hold by placing a tube with a 1x1 (inches) dimension over fabric, so if a jacket had the rating of 5,000 mm the tube will be able to hold water up to that height before it begins leak.

Breathability

For clothing to be breathable is the act of allowing water to move in and out of your layers. The air warmed by body heat within defuses to an area of cooler air, this allows users to be comfortable while under a layer of a waterproofed fabric.

Breathability is measured by grams (g), although methods for measuring breathability by fabrics also differs from manufacturers and results vary in tests and real world conditions thanks to temperature, humidity and pressure. A method of testing is similar to water, but with vapor and how much it can past through in a square meter from within to outside within 24 hours. So a rating of 5,000 would allow 5,000 grams of water vapor to pass through a period of 24 hours.

Styles

Techwear can be broken down and reshaped into any form you see fit, in this part of the guide we’ll introduce you to the major styles of Techwear, what separates them and an understanding that on how any aesthetic (streetwear, traditionalist, etc) can incorporate a little functionality into their wardrobe.

Outdoors

Starting simple and familiar than working our way up, we’ll start with Outdoor gear. Heavily centered on protecting you from your environment wherever you may be: hiking, camping, snow sports, etc. Outdoors are made reliable, functional, inexpensive because of its abundance, and made stylish for us wear while in our less extreme urban environments. Look towards brand names like Arc’teryx, REI, Patagonia, The North Face, and Columbia for getting outdoor gear.

Athletic

Primarily made for sporting gear, athletic clothing is a easy way to obtain base layers, shells, footwear, made with simple functionality when shopping for the basic brands such as Adidas and Nike. Although kind of iffy in the community whether wearing all athletic gear should even be considered Techwear look at more designer gear like Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3, and divisions of Nike that produce more technical clothing like Nike Gyakusou and ACG.

Military

Sporting the latest of fabric technology, brands that serve military contracts have the benefit to use their field tested innovations and integrate them into techwear. Brands such as Arc'Teryx Leaf, Patagonia, Nike, and Triple Aught Design have the edge to keep new technologies on the market in a distinct military style.

Causal

Produced for day to day use, causal Techwear blends with the normalcy of our current fashion standards while incorporating features that helps the ease of commute and work in a professional environment. Styled very basic, and often business casual, casual Techwear is great for the grey man that keeps to him/herself, below the radar with great looking and highly functional clothing. Casual Techwear should be sought after anyone who’s interested in dressing themselves right.

Tech-Focused

For the enthusiasts, and those with deep pockets who might want to chase after brands that focus on technicality over design. Tech-Focused brands as the name implies, center on fitting as many functions and features into their pieces in a very minimalistic style, such as Stone Island, Arc’teryx Veilance, and Descente Allterrain. Constantly gaining the one up in the by community introducing garments with the latest and greatest in what technology offers.

Fashion-Over

Opposing tech-focused brands, these brands are form first and functionality second. Brands such as North Face Purple Label, Y-3, and White Mountaineering choose to incorporate experimental technologies and construction in new and exciting ways and because of this, their function is never fully guaranteed, at least not on the level of other brands.

Utilitarian

Utilitarian or some brands in this catagory might fall into the communities favorite term "Techninja" which is centered around the futuristic dystopian military outlook. Utilitarian as a whole center themselves around this push for an ever-greater liberation in movements, incorporating various storage options, increasing ease of use, the addition of extra bells and whistles like Acronym’s gravity pocket, and often using the latest materials to come out of the woodworks.

Buying

In this section, we'll go through the pieces of common Techwear clothes you'll come across. Their purpose, what to expect from each garment, and at the core the many parts that make up a technical fit.

Shells

A shell is commonly referred to as simply as just a jacket, and people that call it this wouldn’t be wrong. At the end of this we hope you’ll appreciate the term shell over calling it a jacket. The term shell is used by companies that specialize in technical clothing as it implies a greater layer of protection from the outside. Such features a shell would come with is water resistant, wind proof, heat retention and more. Shells go into two categories, the hardshell and the softshell

The hard-shell is the primary layer, often the most expensive piece to the arsenal. The hardshell provides the most function and durability out of an entire fit, allowing other layers mainly for added insulation to go beneath it. When looking to purchase a hardshell, look for an explicit description of the production functionality, although a hard-shell always home waterproof and breathable functionality this is a general rule that goes into all functional pieces you plan on buying. Brands whom solely provide functional clothing might not explicitly advertise their functions in every piece they produce, companies like Acronym will provide the technology underlying their shells, commonly using “3L”, which in short stands for 3-Layer Gore-Tex®. When this is the case, it's good have knowledge about what the membrane is and how that specific membrane functions.

There's two types of membranes that a shopper needs to understand: Hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes. Hydrophobic, meaning the fear of water. The membrane will let water sit at the surface, opposing to hydrophilic, the love of water allows your garments to breath, pulling the moisture in and out of the membrane.

The softshell, given by its name isn’t as durable as the hard shell, however it does share many qualities. The common tradeoff between the softshell and a hard-shell is ease of use and mobility. The common softshell you might find is usually found athletic brands, such as Nike and Adidas which sport softer fabrics to strengthen breathability, mobility, and often quick to dry with the cost of water and air resistance. Other softshells could be found stand closer to hardshells having similar functions such as: water resistance and wind protection, but in a light weight build.

Mid-Layer

Not essential to one’s wardrobe but a great addition to provide the wearer a layer of insulation beneath their shell and even add means of utility with straps and compartments to carry items when temperatures are too hot to dawn cargo pants and a hard-shell. Fleece is a popular choice for this layer as it serves to be a great material for body regulation, providing the much needed breathability and moisture wicking needed in order to stay comfortable when layering this under ones hardshell. An alternative to fleece is down, which a fine layer of feathers with its natural ability to trap air makes them affordable insulators, and padding that some might come to love. When shopping in for this layer look for hoodies, vests, sweaters, and jackets.

Base

Given by its name, the base layer is the absolute bottom layer in any fit. This would include the average: socks, underwear, undershirts, and shirts. In the functional clothing industry, they often carry attributes that levitate around making the wearer more comfortable, such things like this include: breathability, anti-bacterial, deodorizing, heat retention, stretchable etc.

Merino is the common material in this field, merino wool is wicking and a natural temperature regulator, very durable and long lasting, however buying clothes made of merino could be very expensive. Other brands, such as UNIQLO might use a blend of materials to produce layers that aid in function. Companies that practice such things tend to be much cheaper and don't provide the many functions gained by wearing a layer of merino.

Pants

Pants are a small part of the techwear market, but slowly gaining more momentum. Because of the slow pace of production, options are limited and prices kept very high. Pants have the capacity to serve the same functionality as hard-shells with increase carrying capacity, resistance and proof against wind and water, stretchable and breathable.

When looking to purchase pants on a budget look towards more sporty brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Uniqlo as they provide joggers and some even higher tier pants that house the basics of function.

Footwear

A wide variety of footwear should be available no matter what style one peruses, in techwear footwear could focus on being sporty. Adding spring and height to each step commonly knitted to add room for stretch and breathability. It could also take a more outdoors route with emphasis on protection against the elements such as water resistance and heat retention, made for a more rugged environment and look.

Brands

For a more updated, and ever expanding list of brands check out this Google Doc spreadsheet with country of origin, links to he store, and quick notes to each brand

Care

Washing

Body oil and dirt can begin to ground itself on the face fabric and will cause it to wet out, when instead of having water bead and roll off, it sits hindering its breathability. Before washing consult to your manufacturers for special instructions. Close all zippers and pockets, loosen any elastic and cuffs. Performance cleaners such as Grangers or Nikewax is highly recommended over detergent. Using common detergents is discouraged, but if you must only use liquid that don’t contain brighteners, whiteners, scents, or use softeners, bleach, stain removers, and when rinsing be diligent that all of the detergent is removed as it can ruin your durable water repellent.

Set the machine on a low-warm setting, gentle spin, and be sure it rinse twice to make sure all detergent is removed. For drying eVent discourages the use of ironing as it could cause damage to the fabric, however GORE-TEX allows the use only on a warm setting with no steam, with a towel placed beneath the jacket when ironing. It’s safer to set it in the dryer on a low heat setting in order to reactivate the garments DWR.

Apply Durable Water Repellent (DWR)

It’s important to maintain your shells durable water repellent coat (DWR) in order to keep it from being saturated by water which diminishes the users comfort. When your shell begins to wet out, it could be time to apply new coat of DWR. Applying DWR is simple, but first your shell needs to be prepared. Begin to clean the oil and dirt by consulting your manufacturers cleaning guide, or the basic cleaning guide above. After washing and drying, you should check again if water begins to bead, if not then begin to apply DWR.

There's two ways to apply DWR, spray-on or wash-in. Always consult the instructions on your aftermarket DWR in case of special steps:

Spray-On

• Lay your jacket on a flat surface or on a rack
• Loosen any elastic and cuffs and make sure all zippers are sealed.
• Begin spraying a moderate and even coat
• When done covering all areas on the jackets surface you can either do one of the three things:
  • Tumble dry
  • On a low setting go across your jacket with a clothing iron (Discouraged by eVent)
  • Let it air dry over night

Wash-In

• Clean out any detergent in your washing machine tray in case of residue
• Loosen any elastic and cuffs and make sure all zippers are sealed
• Consult the manufacturer of your aftermarket DWR on the recommend amount and both the DWR and the garment manufacturer on recommend temperature
• As well as consult the DWR manufacture if drying is recommended or not