National Geographic Aims for Techwear Dominance With Debut "Urban Tech" Capsule
A surprisingly expansive capsule of functional garments.
National Geographic is no stranger to garment design, having partnered in the past with Element and The North Face for thoughtful graphic and upcycled T-shirts, respectively. However, the 130-year-old company — the National Geographic Society was founded way back in 1888 — is only now globally introducing its first complete range of adventure-ready wearables, almost entirely designed with conscious craft in mind.
Licensed to Corem, a branch of Hong Kong-based Omnibrand Group, Nat Geo’s first menswear collection rolled out throughout Europe last year. Encompassing staples — including polo shirts and mountain parkas — the designs are far more technologically savvy than the occasional Nat Geo items released as one-offs in the past. New Nat Geo goods are both style-conscious and environmentally-friendly, boasting packable shapes, trim cuts and recycled textiles.
Seasonal essentials, like the hooded field jacket, Pack Tech jacket and Re-Developed jacket, are all crafted with ample pocket storage and plentiful adjustable detailing, including zippers and pull tabs. Most of the Nat Geo branding is minimized, though the latter jacket sports a sizeable National Geographic logo inside. Ethicality comes into play with items like the filled jackets that replace goose down with lining recycled entirely from plastic PET bottles, as well as the Adventurer jacket, which incorporates “sustainable cotton” and reduced-impact garment-dying. Similarly, the branded hoodies and tees are crafted from the same cotton, finished with reflective logos for heightened visibility.
Expect the new National Geographic product to hit Corem’s site in the coming weeks, with a wider rollout planned later this year. Proceeds garnered from sales of the goods will partially benefit the charitable interests of the National Geographic Society.
Plenty of other functional garments have emerged recently, including The North Face’s new “Seven Summits” offering.
