The World’s Fanciest Fabric Maker Is Secretly a Sick Hiking Brand
Loro Piana isn’t only a century-old textile mill weaving sumptuous wool for Savile Row tailors, nor is it only a maker of the finest logo-free luxury clothing enjoyed by the stealthy and wealthy. It’s also the brand behind the $225 plastic frisbee. Oh, yeah, and a seriously stylish outdoor brand.
The proof of Loro Piana’s outdoorsy know-how lies partly in its famously high-end cloth. Beyond tailors, Loro Piana fabrics are used on HAVEN’s waterproof suiting and unexpectedly elegant climbing pants. But Loro Piana is plenty capable of turning out its own stylish trek gear.
Storm System is Loro Piana’s proprietary answer to GORE-TEX, a hydrophilic membrane that provides its artisanal materials with waterproofing and wind resistance without sacrificing breathability. Meanwhile, Clima System is created with graphene, the thinnest material in the world, and feels more like GORE-TEX WINDSTOPPER in the sense that it’s only water-resistant but extra breathable (Clima System distributes heat eight times faster than Storm System, says Loro Piana).
With bespoke fabrications like these, Loro Piana is creating its own opulent ilk of hiking gear.
The Italian label’s Defender Bomber Jacket, for instance, is made from New Zealand superfine Merino wool (the type of stuff normally used for top-of-the-line tailoring) but thanks to a combination of the Storm and Clima System membranes, it’s a fully waterproof outdoor jacket complete with neat details like a removable windproof waist panel and zipped air vents for optional extra airflow.
Loro Piana’s latest collection also includes a packable ripstop bomber jacket with heat-taped seams and a breathable mesh lining, a reversible lightweight bomber in a windproof microfibre fabric, and a sporty silk vest supported by Loro Piana’s Storm System. Then, beyond outerwear, you have the “pioneer backpack” also offered in a techy microfibre fabric, padded ski gloves, and even a Wind Storm System microfibre sleeping bag. It doesn’t get much more outdoorsy than that.
And there's no forgetting the Loro Piana x ROA hiking boots that dropped a couple of years ago.
This obviously isn’t exactly cutting-edge high-performance mountain gear, but it is proper outdoorsman clobber that’ll perform on a trail. It’s more akin to Arc’teryx’s luxury Veilance line in that it's clean and considered everydaywear that’s surprisingly rugged and waterproof.
If you think Loro Piana only does "quiet luxury" clothes, then think again. It's also perfected the art of "quiet outdoor" hiking gear.
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