Your correspondent is a big fan of custom clothing. Be it a bespoke suit or a pair of Nike ID Air Maxes, having a direct hand in the creation of your gear and knowing that the end product is unique to you alone is a dope feeling.
I’m also a big fan of the earth. It’s a great planet, the only one we have, and I’m a staunch proponent of taking care of it in any way possible.
Imagine my delight upon hearing that the venerable Ralph Lauren has managed to combine these two passions with their new Custom Packable Jacket, just launched today. In short, online customization + recycled materials + on-demand manufacturing = a personalized piece of outerwear cut and sewn to order with no excess product inventory and massively reduced waste. Good for your closet, good for the planet. Win-win.
It bears noting that this isn’t RL’s first foray into on-demand custom gear. Beginning with customizable versions of the iconic Polo Shirt, their “CYO” (create your own) program has over time expanded to include everything from sweaters to fleece to oxford shirts.
The Custom Packable Jacket, however, marks the first time that Ralph Lauren (or any major fashion house, for that matter) has applied the process to outerwear, and they picked the perfect style to do it with. The packable puffer is available in three styles (hooded, mock neck and vest), all crafted from recycled nylon and poly fabrics and insulated with Primaloft Thermoplume, a down alternative made entirely from recycled plastic bottles (good for the earth). It also packs down into a handy stuff sack (good for traveling the earth) that comes with your initials on it, a nice touch.
Plus designing the jacket is just plain fun — tinkering with the colors on various elements (body, sleeves, logo, etc.) via the online tool, I soon realized that there are a lot of possibilities. In the case of the hooded version, some rough calculating (plus a call to a friend who studied robotics at MIT when I realized that my rough calculating was probably not optimal) yielded a stunning 30,720 possible variations. Here’s mine, please don’t steal it:
Once you’ve landed on your ideal combo, you can also customize the label with a name or message, which made me realize that the Custom Packable Jacket would be an excellent gift this holiday season for that clotheshorse who seems to have everything.
So do yourself a solid, do them a solid, do the earth a solid and check it out.
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