Now that cooler temps have their grip on most of us, the time has come to break out the winter gear and make sure everything is present and accounted for.
Should your down jacket be worse for wear or you’re looking to stand out from the traditionally puffed-up masses, Copenhagen-based Norse Projects just released two stellar down jackets, the Rokkvi 4.0 and the Asger, in an intriguing fabric: waterproof wool.
Isn’t wool naturally waterproof? No, it’s water resistant, and the process of removing it from the sheep strips it of the natural fatty lanolin that acts as a water repellent. But surely waterproofing high-grade wool diminishes, if not destroys, the quality, right? Undoubtedly … if you’re dousing it in a can of some drugstore chemical. But not when Loro Piana gets involved.
The 90-year-old Italian wool and cashmere authorities behind some of our favorite suits, Loro Piana provides the essential fabric for these coats: their proprietary Storm System Waterproof Wool. As the listing states, it’s an “Italian woven, 100% New Zealand wool, combined with a feather-light, microporous membrane and a durable water repellent coating for a luxurious, highly waterproof fabric.” It’s a process that took 20 years to perfect, and works on fabrics as precious as Baby Cashmere.
But there’s nothing babyish about the Norse Projects outerwear, well, except for the fact that they’ll keep you as warm as a womb, insulated with goose down that complies with the Responsible Down Standard certification. The Rokkvi 4.0 parka goes for $1,450 and the Asger short down jacket for $1,250, and both come in utility khaki or dark navy.
Not in need of a new coat but like the fabric? You can get it in a cap, too.
All images via Norse Projects
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