Supermarine Soft Core Parka

Additional Information

Story

The Supermarine Soft Core Parka is a full on rematerialization of an overlooked military classic, the ECWCS Gen 1 Parka. From the high visibility "cobra hood" to the unconventional armzip venting and the massive secret map pockets, we love most everything about those Gen 1 "Extended Cold Weather Clothing System" parkas. Everything, except the materials. So we left the form largely untouched and upgraded nearly every material.

The exterior Supermarine Cotton makes for a beautiful, densely woven, windproof and water resistant yet breathable shell. Inside, a calibrated mix of knit and woven superfine merinos make the liner naturally soft, dry and odor resistant. We replaced the Velcro with a Japanese "Block Tapey" that is quieter, cleaner, less destructive to other fabrics, and simply more fun to use. Then we added 120gsm Primaloft Infinity insulation to make this a heavyweight cold weather performer.

Fabric

Outlier Soft Core Technology is a three layer system designed to produce optimal balanced insulation. The inner layer is a combination of knit merino (superfine 18.9 micron, 200 gram) and woven merino (s120 17.5 micron, 200 gram) for a beautifully soft feel and merino's incredible moisture and odor management properties. The mid layer is a 120 gram Primaloft Infinity insulation. The outer layer can vary but in this particular case, we used a yarn dyed Supermarine® Cotton from Switzerland. It's quiet, highly water and wind repellant and incredibly breathable.


The secret to the future, they say, is hidden in the past. Supermarine® Cotton is a 21st century edit to a nearly forgotten World War II fabric. You can think of it as the pinnacle of cotton technology, extremely breathable, highly water resistant and completely windproof. 100% Cotton fibers woven together in a complex weave that swells up and seals when exposed to water. The result is a beautiful cloth that we think is the best rainy day fabric around.

For decades it's been obscured from the public, kept alive mainly by demand from a few Air Force units, Antarctic explorers and funnily enough, bird watchers; all who have different understandings of its unique properties. Supermarine® Cotton stays comfortable under pressure and there is none of that sweaty/clammy feeling you get with GoreTex and other synthetic "waterproof-breathable" fabrics. The dense weave combined with the premium fiber results in a fabric that is simultaneously tough and supple and it breaks in beautifully.

Historically this fabric is an updated version of a fabric the British invented in World War II to keep their pilots alive in the North Sea if they happened to get shot down. It was later used by the British Navy, in Antarctic exploration and by Edmond Hillary during the first ascent of Mount Everest. It was even used to make firehoses and eventually found its way into high-end hiking gear. Since it requires a very dense weave of the most expensive cotton fibers on the market, it never quite broke through into the mainstream and with the advent of GoreTex it faded from the general marketplace. Bird watchers still sought it out since it's significantly quieter than the loud synthetic fabrics that took over, while Antarctic teams prized it for its amazing windproof quality. The main customer of the past few decades however has been various Air Forces who understood just how superior a fabric it is, and are willing to pay for it.

We source this version of Supermarine® Cotton from Switzerland and it differs from the historical British version in two important ways, it is lighter and it is treated with a premium durable water resistance (DWR) that is not wax-based. The water resistance in the historical formulation comes from two factors, the denseness of the weave and the fact that cotton fibers swell up when exposed to moisture. Adding the DWR treatment into the mix results in a significantly superior rain repellant and breathable fabric that far outclasses both the synthetic "waterproof-breathable" fabrics of the world and the heavy, clammy Barbour-style waxed cotton. It looks better, wears better and is dramatically more comfortable.

Details

Supermarine Soft Core Parka

Face: Supermarine Cotton (100% cotton, made in Switzerland)

Insulation: Primaloft Infinity 120 gram (100% polyester, made in Taiwan)

Lining: 100% Superfine 18.9 micron merino wool, made in New Zealand and 100% 17.5 micron woven s120 merino made in Thailand

Soft Core construction

Highly breathable

Windproof and highly water resistant

Two-way front zip

High visibility hood

Two large secret chest map pockets

Sleeve pocket

Japanese "Block Tapey" closure systems

Arm zip vents

Hanging loop

Fits true to size

Spot clean or dry clean only

Made in New York City

Sizing

Fits true to size.

Please refer to the table below for garment's exact measurements.

Garment measurements in inches, measured flat

Size	XS	S	M	L	XL
Length high shoulder to bottom	29.75	30.38	31	31.63	32.25
Chest 1" below armhole	22	23	24	25	26
Sleeve length CENTER BACK TO CUFF	35.5	36	36.5	37	37.5

Body measurements in inches

Size	XS	S	M	L	XL
Chest	34	36	38	40	42

Colors

Navy

Anthracite