Arcteryx
Arcteryx - official spelling is "Arc'teryx" - is an outdoor apparel and sporting goods company founded in 1989 in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The brand's current name, however, was first introduced in 1992 to reflect the company's vision of offering "evolutionary" innovations in outdoor apparel. The brand name is chosen as a reference to Archaeopteryx - the primeval bird. The logo represents this earliest bird - in the form of the "Berlin specimen", the most complete skeleton of the original bird found.
An innovative technology helps to achieve a breakthrough
Founder Dave Lane has built up a brand in around 30 years of company history that actually lives its products. Not far from the headquarters in Vancoucer are ski resorts and climbing areas that provide the incentive to develop innovative clothing for skiers, climbers, hikers and outdoor fans, as well as hunters. Arcteryx uses, among other things, an innovative construction process, the Vapour™ technology: multi-dimensional foam is processed in rapid alternation between high temperatures and cooling, in order to best reshape human contours.
As a company that pursues the "trial and error" approach, the thermoformed 3D construction method was gradually perfected - initially on the carrying systems of the backpacks. The "baking" of the materials resulted in extremely soft curves on the shoulder and hip belts, which were particularly comfortable and yet light. This allowed the company to slim down the previous backpacks and adapt them better to the shape of the body. This process was the real breakthrough for Arcteryx and continues to make sure that designers and developers leave the usual patterns of thinking behind and continue to develop innovations that improve the outdoor experience.
Innovation - the basis of Arcteryx products
The innovative solutions and processing techniques such as the Vapour™ technology belong to the basis of the success of Arcteryx products. Two other innovations of the company are the Beta SL lamination and the Alpha SV WaterTight™ zippers, which have mainly improved the outerwear.
Lamination
Lamination allows Arcteryx to produce a multi-layer material, which improves the properties of the composite material over several different materials. Lamination also allows the materials to be seamlessly bonded together. This has several advantages over sewn material layers: Less excess fabric, less weight, clean surface finishes and greater garment stability. Last but not least, Arcteryx uses this process to optimise its own production. The lamination method is not only used for outdoor jackets, but also, for example, for weatherproof panniers made of coated ACT™ material.
Alpha SV WaterTight™ zip fasteners
Arcteryx is similarly innovative with the Alpha SV WaterTight™ zippers, which are simple and quiet, highly functional and above all waterproof. Until now, zippers were considered to be the weak point of hard shell jackets, which are actually considered to be particularly weatherproof and keep both rain and wind at bay. With the Alpha SV WaterTight™ zippers, Arcteryx has managed to divert moisture and wind away from the classic entry points. The company has achieved this thanks to ten years of research and development without sewn-on flaps or excess material. The innovative design with its simple appearance has meanwhile become the industry standard for hard shell jackets and other outdoor clothing.
Designs for more freedom of movement
Curiosity and passion for outdoor activities drive the company, designers and developers to develop new solutions. The aim is to optimize existing products such as backpacks and jackets and to reduce weak points. These include, among other things, excess material that restricts the wearer's freedom of movement during the various movements on ski, hiking and climbing tours. Arcteryx develops garments that are ergonomic, functional and do not restrict the wearer's space by constantly trying them out and exchanging know-how.
To achieve this goal, Arcteryx takes a lot of time in development. The researchers themselves are encouraged to test and improve their products under real conditions. At the same time, they seek exchanges with athletes and professionals so that the products meet the highest performance standards and are tailor-made for every purpose.
Assortment, products and applications
Arcteryx is an outfitter for the entire outdoor sector - whether women's or men's fashion, skiing, climbing, backpacking or hiking, summer or winter. Starting with the first layer of functional underwear, the company's range of products can be fitted out all the way up to the top layer. Even shoes and accessories such as caps, knee protectors and belts can be found at Arcteryx. There is also a range of equipment for hiking, trekking and climbing. First and foremost these are backpacks, climbing harnesses and the like.
A special service for the (still inexperienced) customer is the designation of the products that Arcteryx carries out depending on the intended use. Thus Arcteryx has different lines for climbing (Alpha), expedition (Theta), for different activities (Beta). In addition, the Arcteryx naming scheme includes names such as Covert, Phase, Atom and Hyllus. They stand for certain functions of clothing. Thus, all Atom products are lined with water-repellent synthetic fabrics and are suitable for an insulating middle layer of clothing. Fission, on the other hand, features an upper layer of lined, windproof and waterproof material - similar to Kappa products.
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This scheme makes it easy for the customer to select the right product for his project - without having to laboriously familiarize himself with the materials science. Arcteryx also provides similar information on the optimal onion look (several layers of clothing on top of each other) and on the choice between hardshell or softshell. The customer is really well informed when choosing his outdoor clothing and equipment.