Why Are People Still Talking About Arc’teryx?
You’ve no doubt seen or heard the name around by now — after all, they are one of Canada’s leading premium performance outerwear brands. The firm was founded in 1989 (originally named Rock Solid and rebranded as Arc’teryx in 1991), starting off as a specialized gear company for mountaineering and climbing. Fast forward some 33 years, and while the brand still holds true to that ethos, its outerwear has found a significant following on the streets of Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and other major metropolitan centres around the world.
To quote the brand’s own origin story, Arc’teryx is built on the principle of obsessive, precise design and production. As someone who has worn the brand’s gear for a number of years, off and on, I can honestly say that statement is anything but marketing fluff. When examining pieces from the brand’s current offering — the Cerium Hoody, for example, it’s the little details that hammer everything home. The position and depth of pockets, the height of its collar, the length and cut of the jacket base that snugs up enough to keep wind from blowing up your back (without the use of an inner skirt or drawstring). Having spent time looking at countless racks of outerwear over the years it immediately brings up memories of all the times where a winter jacket would hit the mark of “it’s not perfect but I guess it’ll do”.
Both craftsmanship and field testing are a big part of the sell with Arc’teryx, and frankly it shows through in the execution. Granted, we’d expect no less when in this price bracket, but it’s comforting to know that this isn’t an unfortunate case of paying for the label. As the company has grown, only a portion of the manufacturing of its garments is taking place in Canada, but the move to Asian manufacturing is one that is found throughout the outerwear space with very few exceptions.
We all know a heavy dose of winter is heading our way promptly. At the time of publishing, about a foot of snow is expected across the Greater Toronto Area in the next 24 hours. If you haven’t had the chance to suit up for the icy blast that’s heading our way, we’d be quick to recommend you check this brand out.