What is techwear?
Techwear , for me, is a style that is defined as a set of clothes, shoes and accessories with high-performance materials: stretch, waterproof, breathable, etc. and with a very particular aesthetic, largely influenced by futurism. To give you an idea, here is my Gimmick video, in which I decipher techwear looks.
At the origins of techwear
For me, it comes from the late Massimo Osti , who died in 2005
He was an Italian textile engineer passionate about innovation and experimentation
We could do an entire Parlons Clothes on the life of this man and his immense influence.
He has worked a lot to create new dyeing processes, new materials , in short, he is a true textile explorer. And pushed this idea of functionality very far into “civilian” clothing, which is not military, outdoor clothing or work clothing.
It was he who created the Stone Island brand in 1982 , a casual brand , with strong sportswear influences which emphasizes the functionality of clothing and experimentation.
Then, Acronym arrived in 2003 , with its very particular aesthetic, a mixture of military , cyberpunk and futurism, pushing functionality even further, moving towards performance rather than experimentation.
What's crazy is how his vision was already very clear 11 years ago , and he's only refined it over and over again.
The J1A-GT, a founding piece in the history of techwear.
The founding idea of techwear
What drives techwear is this idea of performance. Of course, it is functional, but it must serve performance: clothing that is ever more practical, more comfortable, more functional.
And all of this drives the design of the clothing. And not the reverse. Some somewhat cheap entry-level brands deliberately overload the design, putting straps everywhere, but that betrays a little the original essence of techwear where design follows function.
Why there is techwear and techwear
For me there are two very distinct trends in techwear…
1. Urban techwear
It basically corresponds to a classic urban wardrobe, with shirts, chinos , t-shirts, but with stretchy, breathable materials that dry quickly.
It's a somewhat interesting style, but it remains quite basic and very all-purpose and sometimes perhaps even a little too much.
A little piece here and there is cool and practical, but in full outfit, it risks lacking a little roughness.
Well-known brands in this style: Outlier , Mission Workshop , Western Rise and Seagale , Wolbe in France, or Veilance , if you want the most expensive.
2. Futuristic techwear
This is techwear as we imagine it, of which Acronym is the spearhead. It’s this futuristic aesthetic with pockets everywhere, particular silhouettes that I detailed in my Gimmick .
We must distinguish techwear from outdoor brands . They are indeed technical, but they are still created with the aim of truly hiking, of being in the mountains.
And it shows in the design, with often flashy colors . And the goal of techwear is not to look like a hiker, even if Patagonia is a popular brand in urban contexts.
The rise of techwear
Techwear has benefited enormously from the rise of " athleisure " , also called " activewear" , this style of clothing that is worn every day to find the comfort of sports clothing, including Lululemon and Outdoor Voices are the spearheads. Lululemon understood this well with the launch of L ululemon L ab, its line with more assertive designs.
So obviously, when the codes of professional clothing erode a little and comfort begins to become the cardinal value for choosing clothing... this leaves an immense avenue for techwear
And what's more, it wicks away perspiration, it's more stretchy than cotton, it wrinkles less, etc. , there are real advantages to wearing techwear.
And above all, synthetic fibers cost less than wool or cotton for example.
A word about Uniqlo, even if you know that I am quite mixed on certain aspects of this brand . We cannot deny that it also participated, placing enormous emphasis on the functionality of its products , something rather rare for such a mainstream brand, for what is the prerogative of the outdoors.
How I discovered techwear
So I discovered techwear , like many fans, by coming across a video presenting Acronym products , called Acronymjutsu .
I was dazzled by the very geeky side of these clothes, I had the impression that they were clothes from a science fiction and action film.
Then I bought a cargo ship from Maharishi in 2013, my J1A-GT Acronym jacket in 2014 , I had caught the virus!
So paradoxically, I don't dress that much in techwear , most of the time, I have a BonneGueule style , with chambray shirts, sweatshirts or blazers.
But from time to time I like this little pleasure of having an outfit ready for the apocalypse.
Basic advice
1. Techwear and others
First thing, techwear it's clearly not for everyone.
If you want a style to be accepted by others, seen as an attractive and consensual person, techwear is clearly not what you need. It is a very divisive style and from a social point of view, it can trigger particular reactions.
So if it worries you a little that people think you have a weird style, you need to go for more secure things.
Because it’s style that we still have to assume:
2. What is techwear material ?
I've already been asked which materials are techwear , and which are not. That's not quite the way to approach the subject. It’s as if I were saying that cotton is more of a casual chic material than workwear.
And as for technical fabrics, since they all basically come from outdoor or military, there aren't really fabrics specific to techwear. What we need to look at is techwear brands.
The essential pieces of techwear
1. The waterproof jacket
You need a waterproof jacket, at least rain resistant. It 's the iconic piece of techwear , where it all began. Outerwear is really where techwear can fully express itself .
Obviously, the legendary piece is the J1A-GT from Acronym , which is quietly celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Besides Acronym , Poutnik by Tilak , Enfin Leve and Veilanc e are references.
If you have the courage to dive into ebay and grailed , look at the Nike ACG Alpine , this jacket is just incredible in terms of functionality, it could easily have been in an Acronym collection . Besides, it was Errolson who drew it.
Nike ACG continues to make things in Gore-Tex, but it's more distinctive outdoor , and less urban, I like less.
Now I'm looking more at their ISPA range , which has a pretty fun experimental side.
My opinion is that you shouldn't necessarily rush into Gore-Tex. Ventile type materials like S totz E taproof are really good too. It's less waterproof, but it's definitely much more breathable.
This is why I started to love ventiles so much and wanted to make them into a jacket with our Jirobi .
Before, I absolutely swore by a waterproof membrane, but with experience, I assure you that 100% Etaproof cotton is what I prefer to wear every day.
And underneath your rain jacket, what to wear?
2. The mid layer
And yes you need an insulating room when it's cold. I love the M etamorphosis from Nike ACG , released at the same time as the Alpine , you can still find it second hand.
I really like the A tom LT and the A tom AR from Arcteryx too
Mission Workshop also has some great insulated jackets , but they're a bit expensive. Or even Veilance with the Mionn Is. That 's with synthetic insulation.
There is also the “polar” option, like the Dinitz still from Veilance. In its extreme version, this is what Vollebak does with their Ice Age Fleece , which is a Polartec fleece on steroids.
I also love Power Stretch from Polartec , it's a material that I discovered when designing our travel tech bomber a long time ago , and for me it's the ultimate fleece material in terms of warmth and durability.
Houdini Sportswear and Arcteryx use it in relatively sober designs, but here we flirt dangerously with the hiker look. That said, it is a piece that has a lot of use and which opens up a lot of possibilities in terms of layering. It is even used as a base layer to wear next to the skin by certain brands because it is so comfortable.
3. Base layers
And on the skin, what to wear? It 's complicated in techwear! Clothing to wear indoors is limited.
At Veilance , there are three t-shirts dueling, possibly with a shirt. At Acronym and Enfin Levé too, but the prices are completely skyrocketing, even if the D ryskin of the Enfin leva shirt is fantastic to wear.
So often, techwear fans wear technical tees, and sweatshirts over them or overshirts. That's all !
But that's why the vast majority of photos of techwear outfits on Insta are posted with outerwear
4. Pants
So the pants, the more I think about them, the more for me they are a piece at least as interesting as outerwear in a techwear outfit, if not more.
While in a classic style, pants are often minimized, in techwear , they are a piece that considerably influences the overall comfort of an outfit, given that they are often very stretchy and breathable materials.
And visually, for me it is the piece that most influences a techwear silhouette. In terms of cuts, you have unique things that shake up the codes, like the famous cargo bag, loose at the thigh and very tight at the ankle. And in this little game, Acronym did very well, by imposing truly unique cuts.
There is certainly the P10 , these legendary pants which really hit me when I saw them a few years ago. And there was the P30 , these very curious harem pants , ultra comfortable, very divisive among non- techwear people , but which had a lot of success in techwear.
It's supposed to allow a very wide range of movement and closes with a double belt system and it has pockets absolutely everywhere.
These pants worked so well that there were several variations by modifying the cut, such as the P31 , the P35 or the P37
So I reassure you, no need to spend €800 on pants to have a techwear style.
Still at the high end, Veilance and Vollebak who have great pants, but they're still expensive.
Finally Levé offers some very cool things in Schoeller and Etaproof , the same materials used on the A cronym , but we stay with prices around €400 for a piece.
The Ameztu from Enfin Leve , well on its way to becoming an iconic piece.
And more affordable I really like:
- Maharishi , especially their custom pants that I wore a lot
- Lululelemon L ab which is for me the best option to have a techwear design without breaking the bank
Now that we have almost the entire outfit, there is one last thing missing: the shoes!
5. Shoes
So in techwear , it's really the easiest, as the offer is plentiful and varied. On the other hand, given that these are very large global brands, the manufacturing is very often Asian.
The most high-end are the S alomon in collaboration with the designer Boris B idjan S aber i , but I find that they are a little expensive. And otherwise, techwear fans go to Nike, either for the collabs with Acronym , or in the ACG or ISPA ranges , there are really spoiled for choice.
I also like the shoes worn on the Veilance shoots , namely the Konseal .
Adidas' Terrex range also offers some nice models for traveling.
As for colors, given that Errolson likes neon on the feet, he imposed that on techwear where now it's very common to see black techwear outfits with a touch of neon on the feet.
What I like about techwear
For me, the whole point of techwear is this space of feeling of total freedom against the weather, the constraints of freedom of movement. What a pleasure to be able to run up the stairs without fear of cracking your crotch or to go out to do your shopping in complete peace in the pouring rain.
It's still a style that makes everyday life easier, you're comfortable all the time, with pockets everywhere.
I think that Nike illustrated this idea of the urban ninja well in their ACG video campaign.
In visual terms, it's quite pleasant to have a style with real rough edges.
For the trip, it's great to have very comfortable clothes, with pockets everywhere for the passport and headphones, pants in which you can spend ten hours without feeling tight at the waist, and a high in who manages the air conditioning.
And precisely, speaking of travel for me , techwear is a style that very strongly evokes adventure and exploration for me.
It is not for nothing that Vollebak defines itself as a brand of the future of “ adventure ”. gear ”. It 's not for nothing that Acronym made a collaboration with the video game Death Stranding , which is the greatest ode to techwear I've ever seen.
And that's why it's great, because I know that whatever situation I find myself in, I'm not going to be limited by my clothes. That's part of the magic of techwear.
Image from a Nike ACG campaign.
What I don't like about techwear
The real problem with techwear : it is really not an environmentally friendly style, almost only made of synthetic fabrics. And I have never really seen a techwear brand focus its communication on environmental protection.
In terms of manufacturing locations, the high end is made in Europe , but as soon as it is entry level like at Nike , everything comes from Asia. I know that in Asia there are excellent quality workshops, but while the Uighur scandal is shaking the textile world, how can we have guarantees on working conditions?
So it's still a slightly guilty pleasure to buy techwear, you have to do it with your soul and conscience.
