Arc’teryx now makes office clothes.

at only $1000 a jacket, and $200 for a shirt I can hold off, even though I think they look sharp.

Yeah, I saw that too. Doesn't really surprise me. It'll probably all end up in a clearance bin somewhere.

$175 for a Merino wool T-shirt…

arc'teryx got nothing on perry ellis or CK

Yeah I've been following their Veilance line, I can appreciate the idea, applying the knowledge and materials that go into making technical apparel to what they call "urban" clothes. Sport coats and dress pants are generally made out of uncomfortable and not very durable fabrics, I'm sure a lot of us have sport coats that barely let us move our arms…. What I don't appreciate is the extraordinary price of these clothes. I don't know if they "get" the fashion industry contrary to popular belief something being extremely expensive doesn't automatically make it desirable, which isn't to say this line isn't good stuff but for me it's not $800 dollars good. Maybe it will end up in the bargain bin, but I hope the idea doesn't. Hopefully others are inspired and we start to see some of the great materials discussed on this forum brought more into the "mainstream"

It seems like Arc'teryx is slowly going the way of North Face. Since Jeremy Guard sold the company to Salomon I haven't seen nearly as much innovation. Their bigger focus seems to be on expanding their line to sell more high volume products (ie. hoodies, tee shirts, hats….now work clothing) and on lowering costs (ie. shifting production to China).

I've been following this for some time now. I find it to be a strange move for Arc'teryx. Not that I don't appreciate change… just seems to me they should stick to what they are good at. First and foremost, they should have never moved production out of Canada.

… maybe they're thinking SUL blazer, dress shirt & tie for the trail? I mean, a blazer is just like a wind shirt, dress shirt is kinda like a base layer, perhaps a tie is just the new kind of bandana? Weird.

I like the idea of a SUL suit. What better way to attract sponsorship than to look sexy 500 miles into the middle of nowhere? I'm imagining Andrew Skurka's pics from his upcoming GAYL trip in Alaska….here's Andrew in his 3 piece tuxedo on the top of a mountain no one has ever climbed before.

The catch is the tie…I just can't think of a purpose for one of these darn things.

the only thing a tie is good for is tinder

Maybe Andrew could add SUL makeovers to his products & services??? What about a version of "What Not To Wear" to help traditional backpackers go UL???

Doing the GayLoop in the Veilance line is definitely something I'd pay attention too!

I've gone backpacking in a suit before, but it was Halloween.

I had seen this stuff a few months ago ant thought it was ridiculous. It's aimed at commuters with a lot of disposable income. At the prices they charge, I wouldn't want to use the gear in the field, I'd be too worried about damaging it. Plus, I can find plenty of stuff that performs better.

But I like the idea of clothing that is multi-purpose, that can be worn on the trail and in town. But there are better and cheaper options for that. Nau has a softshell blazer. It makes a great travel jacket, since it can cover a large range of situations (except for heavy rain). I still don't think I'd use it on a multi-day hike though, just day trips.

And if you really want nice looking softshell pants, Outlier.cc has stuff that's suitable for office wear.

If I wanted to, I could pair the Nau jacket with softshell pants and a wool oxford style shirt and look nice for hiking. As for a tie, perhaps a travel towel could be folded and cut to wear as a tie.

Seems Salomon is taking Arc'teryx in the same direction the now defunct Speigel catalog took Eddie Bauer. Just like Dana Designs when they were bought out. All innovation goes down the drain. Look at Land's End when Sears bought them out. No more unique fabrics and designs.

Corporate mediocrity happens when accountants rule and innovators and designers are sidelined. GM is the biggest example of this idiocy. And to think, these frikkin' CEOs get huge salaries whether they succeed or not. More American idiocy, just like offshoring our jobs.

END OF RANT.

More profit and greater profit margin.
Sigh.

*Sigh* Another great outdoor gear garment manufacturer has jumped the shark.

It's only a matter of time before they're making/marketing performance outerwear for couch potatoes…

I have to agree with Nick that the idea is sound- the fabrics, attention to detail, micro-seams, and athletic cuts all could be used to make wonderful business-style clothing. Their Stealth jacket is a good example…

The prices are high IMO, but I'd much rather see Arcteryx go this route than deeper into mass production of lower quality textiles that become more and more street-oriented (TNF is the prime example). They, of course, may do that as well…

As for a lack of innovation- they did start out as a harness company, and very recently came out with their Warp line of harnesses that are very impressive. So long as products of this type keep coming, they can make whatever else they desire and I'll be pleased.

Michael, good point on this extension of their brand being better than following North Face's model. TNF really does make a ton of crappy quality stuff nowadays.

Eric,
It's only kinda-sorta an American thing. It's a capitalist globalization thing. Arcteryrx is under the Salomon umbrella which used to be owned by Addidas and is now owned by Amer Sports (based in Finland).

"I have to agree with Nick that the idea is sound- the fabrics, attention to detail, micro-seams, and athletic cuts all could be used to make wonderful business-style clothing."

This doesn't sound like anything new or innovative to me. Wouldn't virtually all high end designers argue they currently use most/all of these tactics to create high end clothing (except maybe micro seams). Do $1000 sport jackets currently on the market not offer attention to detail? athletic cuts? or high end fabrics?

I don't see anything trailblazing about their $225 cotton long sleeve tee shirt that's probably made in China. The only difference between this and North Face is that Arcteryx realizes they can charge consumers a lot more.

http://veilance.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?Mens/Long-Sleeve-Tee

EDIT: My bad, Veilance is manufactured in Vancouver, Canada.

Still aint got nothing on my Salvatore Ferragamo collection

yup $250,000 croc coat

"I don't see anything trailblazing about their $225 cotton long sleeve tee shirt"

Oh Dan don't exaggerate. It's a bargain at only $200 USD. Wow, this would be funny if it was April.

There is nothing innovative (from the perspective of the outdoor end-user) about the fashion line… I was referring to the new harnesses and simply stating that the inclusion of street/urban/fashion wear does not exclude innovative outdoor designs. Or at least it does not have to.

Small does not always equal innovative (Wild Things IMO makes good gear but they are hardly cutting-edge) and large does not equate to stagnation. For example, welded baffles and non-stitch seams require expensive machines that only large companies can afford, which is why Feathered Freinds said (in a Cascade Climbers thread) they would not be able to integrate that kind of innovation.

It is a travesty what happend to Dana Design, and TNF is the primary example of "selling out". Some think that Arcteryx has already gone down that path, and this fashion line simply illustrates that trend. Perhaps…but, I don't care, so long as the gear they do make offers something competiters do not. The Warp harnesses did that (though BD has answered the challange to a degree).

BTW, I'd grab their Merino Sweater if it was priced a good $150 lower… so my issue is the insane cost… after all, how can they charge $175 for a wool T-shirt when so many others do so at half the cost?
And maybe here is the point of the detractors- is Arcteryx trying to brand itself as a high-fashion label and thus out of the price range of the mainstream outdoor user? If so, the lamentations are in order.

I'll stick to my D&G suits and Gucci shirts

As several have noted, this is a regular progression in the life cycle of of many outdoor clothing companies. Even REI has suffered from this sort of thing.

Small companies have incredible flexibility and can focus on niche markets like UL hiking. Once there is a corporate "machine" that must be fed large amounts of capital and designs are approved by committees, it all spirals out of control. Rather than being directed by a CEO/founder with a vision, all sorts of specialists are hired and bureaucratic self-preservation behavior takes hold. When a company goes public, profit is the only goal and the stockholders WILL be satisfied or they will take their capital elsewhere.

In this case, if I were an Adidas-Salomon stockholder, I would take someone out behind the woodshed for a good talk.