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.
The origins of techwear
For me it comes from the late Massimo Osti , who died in 2005.
He was an Italian textile engineer with a passion for innovation and experimentation.
We could write an entire Let's Talk Clothes about this man's life and his immense influence.
He worked hard to create new dyeing processes, new materials , in short, he is a true textile explorer. And he pushed this idea of functionality very far to “civilian” clothing, which is not military clothing, outdoor clothing or work clothing .
He was the one who created the Stone Island brand in 1982 , a casual brand with strong sportswear influences that emphasizes the functionality of clothing and experimentation.
Then came Acronym in 2003 , with its own unique aesthetic, a mix of military , cyberpunk and futurism, pushing functionality even further, moving more towards performance than experimentation.
The crazy thing is that his vision was already very clear 11 years ago , and he just refined it again and 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. Sure, it's functional, but it has to be in the service of performance: a garment that's ever more practical, more comfortable, more functional.
And all this drives the design of the garment. And not the other way around. Some entry-level brands that are a bit cheap deliberately overload the design, by putting straps everywhere, but it betrays a bit the original essence of techwear where design follows function.
Why there is techwear and techwear
For me there are two very distinct currents 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 generic 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 is 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 really 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 trendy brand in urban contexts.
The rise of techwear
Techwear has benefited enormously from the rise of " athleisure " , also known as " activewear " , this style of clothing worn daily to find the comfort of sportswear, 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 inevitably, when the codes of professional clothing erode a little and comfort begins to become the cardinal value for choosing clothing... this leaves a huge avenue for techwear
And what's more, it wicks away perspiration, it's stretchier 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 have mixed feelings about certain aspects of this brand . It cannot be denied that it has also contributed to this, by putting a lot of emphasis on the functionality of its products , something rather rare for such a mainstream brand, for what is the preserve of the outdoors.
How I discovered techwear
So , like many fans, I discovered techwear by coming across a video presentation of 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 bug!
So paradoxically, I don't dress so much in techwear , most of the time, I have a BonneGueule style , with chambray shirts, sweatshirts or blazers.
But every now and then I like the little pleasure of having an outfit ready. for the apocalypse.
Basic tips
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, it is clearly not techwear that you need. It is a very divisive style and from a social point of view, it can trigger particular reactions.
So if you're a little nervous that people will think you have a weird style, you need to go for safer things.
Because it's a style that you still have to assume:
2. What is a techwear material ?
I've been asked before which materials are techwear and which aren't. That's not quite the way to approach it. It's like saying cotton is more of a smart casual material than a workwear material.
And regarding technical fabrics, since they all come from the outdoors or the military, there are no specific fabrics for techwear. What you need to look at is more on the techwear brands side.
Techwear essentials
1. The waterproof jacket
You need a waterproof jacket, at least rainproof. It is the emblematic 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 approaching its 20th anniversary.
Besides Acronym , Poutnik by Tilak , Finally Leve and Veilanc e are references.
If you have the courage to delve into ebay and grailed , check out the Nike ACG Alpine , this jacket is just incredible in terms of features, it could have easily been in an Acronym collection . Besides, it was Errolson who designed it.
Nike ACG continues to make Gore-Tex stuff, but it's more distinctive outdoor , and less urban, I like it less.
Now I'm looking more at their ISPA range , which has a pretty fun experimental side.
My opinion is that you don't necessarily have to rush to Gore-Tex. Ventile-type materials like Stotz Etaproof are really good too. It's less waterproof, but it's really much more breathable.
This is why I started to love the ventile so much and wanted to make it into a jacket with our Jirobi .
Before, I absolutely swore by a waterproof membrane, but with experience, I assure you that a 100% cotton Etaproof is what I prefer to wear on a daily basis.
And underneath your rain jacket, what should you wear?
2. The mid layer
And yes, you need an insulating piece when it's cold. I love the Metamorphosis from Nike ACG , released at the same time as the Alpine , by the way, 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 cool insulated jackets , but they're a bit pricey. Or Veilance with the Mionn Is. That 's with synthetic insulation.
There is also the “fleece” 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 Polartec Power Stretch , it's a material 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 uses and opens up a lot of possibilities in terms of layering. It is even used as a base layer to be worn next to the skin by some brands because it is so comfortable.
3. Base layers
And next to the skin, what to wear? It 's complicated in techwear! The clothes to wear inside are limited.
At Veilance , there are three T-shirts that duel, with possibly a shirt. At Acronym and Enfin Levé too , but the prices are totally skyrocketing, even if the Dryskin of the Enfin Levé shirt is fantastic to wear.
So often, techwear fans wear technical tees, and sweatshirts over them or overshirts. That's it!
But that's why the vast majority of techwear outfit photos on Instagram are posted with outerwear.
4. The pants
So the pants, the more I think about it, the more for me it's 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, since they are often very stretchy and breathable materials.
And visually, for me, it's 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 pants that are loose at the thigh and very tight at the ankle. And in this little game, Acronym has done very well, by imposing truly unique cuts.
There is certainly the P10 , these legendary pants that really blew my mind when I saw them a few years ago. And there was the P30 , these very curious sarouel pants , ultra comfortable, very divisive among non- techwear , but which had a lot of success in techwear.
It's supposed to allow for 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 they were released in several variations by modifying the cut, such as the P31 , the P35 or the P37.
So rest assured, you don't need to spend €800 on pants to get a techwear style.
Still in the high end, Veilance and Vollebak who have some 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 remain at prices around €400 for a piece.
The Ameztu by Enfin Leve , well on its way to becoming an iconic piece.
And what’s more affordable, I really like:
- Maharishi , especially their custom pants which I wore a lot
- Lululemon 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 abundant and varied. On the other hand, since these are very big global brands, the manufacturing is very often Asian.
The most high-end is the Salomon in collaboration with the designer Boris Bidjan Saberi , but I find it a little expensive. And otherwise, techwear fans go to Nike, either for the collabs with Acronym , or in the ACG or ISPA ranges , there is really plenty of choice.
I also like the shoes worn on the Veilance shootings , namely the Konseal .
Adidas' Terrex range also offers some nice models for backpacking.
On the color side, since Errolson likes neon on the feet, he imposed that on techwear where now it is 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 peace in the pouring rain.
It's still a style that makes everyday life easier, you're always comfortable, with pockets everywhere.
I think Nike did a good job of illustrating this idea of the urban ninja in their ACG video campaign.
Visually, it's quite nice to have a style that has some real rough edges.
For travel, it's great to have comfortable clothes, with pockets everywhere for your passport and headphones, pants in which you can spend ten hours without feeling tight at the waist, and a top in which you can control the air conditioning.
And precisely, speaking of travel, for me techwear is a style that strongly evokes adventure and exploration.
It is not for nothing that Vollebak defines itself as a brand of the future of “ adventure ” gear ”. It is not for nothing that Acronym has collaborated with the video game Death Stranding , which is the biggest ode to techwear I've ever seen.
And that's what makes it cool, because I know that whatever situation I'm going to 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 's really not an environmentally friendly style, almost entirely made of synthetic fabrics. And I've 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's entry-level like 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 bit of a guilty pleasure to buy techwear, you have to do it with all your heart and conscience.
