Space-age adventure gear: the must-haves for 21st century explorers
Harder, better, faster, stronger – the Daft Punk anthem sums up the items created by garment pioneer Vollebak. Founded five years ago by twins Nick and Steve Tidball, both athletes and former ad men, the label is known for fusing Willy Wonka-ish innovation with scientific smarts. Utilising materials such as carbon fibre and copper, it is beloved by early adopters for what Steve calls ‘the most fascinating environments on and off our planet’.
In partnership with Swiss textile pro Schoeller, Vollebak was the first to apply ceramic particles normally used on jet-engine blades to an ultra-tough T-shirt. Another top, made from eucalyptus and algae ink is next-level eco – it biodegrades in eight to 12 weeks. Products are rigorously tested, often by the label’s customer base, ‘the people shaping and predicting the future – rocket scientists, explorers and visionary billionaires’, says Steve. The graphene jacket, which acts like a radiator when worn, was put through its paces in Nepal.
Deep Sleep Cocoon suit made to mimic a woodlouse in transformation
Vollebak / Sun Lee
The brothers see human arrival on Mars as ‘a when not an if’ and aim to fabricate the wardrobe for the first travellers to the Red Planet. After creating the Deep Sleep Cocoon, a self-contained micro-habitat/suit in 2019, they rented a billboard outside California’s SpaceX HQ that read, ‘Our jacket is ready. How is your rocket going?’ As for what’s next, they’re researching anti-gravity attire and developing kit for the ultra-intense climates – floods, freak snowstorms – 21st-century explorers may face.
