A Cult European Company's Fire, Wind, And Water-Proof '100 Year' Adventure Clothing Is Designed For Mars

When humans end up on Mars, they'll be dressed in style. Or, at least they will be according to cult European athleisure company, Vollebak. The British experimental clothing company, launched by twin brothers in 2015, sells clothing designed to survive a trip to space. With an ethos of making futuristic clothes, the apparel may look like other hoodies and jackets, but the secret is in the materials, many of which have NASA roots and are prepared for all kinds of weather. And an influencer's Instagram page. 

The brand initially came out of the brothers' own needs for clothing that could keep up with some of the most extreme climates on earth. The idea for the brand came about while running through desert climates, where the two recognized the need for specialized fabrics. On their website, the company says that the idea came to the founders while "running through the Amazon, Alps, and Namib desert. While surviving heatstroke, broken bones, bullet ants, hallucinations, angry snakes, tarantulas, and falling asleep while running..." An epiphany came as they pondered how their current clothes could be better suited for the harsh conditions. From there, they expanded to consider the last frontier. 

Vollebak's cheapest item, its t-shirts, sell for $125 to $175. The more expensive shirts, made with graphene, boast the lightest fabric the company has ever produced. Their original purpose was to keep runners as cool as possible. Clothing ranges from $125 to $3,995, the most expensive item being a jacket made from a material NASA uses to insulate their spacecraft. There's no doubt you'd look pretty good walking into one of the "finest space museums in the world," though. 

Extreme temperature is one thing, but to survive in space, your jacket has to be made of tough stuff. Vollebak utilizes materials like metals, electromagnetic shielding, spacesuit insulator, graphene, and Dyneema (a material fifteen times stronger than steel) to produce a fire-, wind-, and waterproof garment fit for its "100 Year" line. Their Shielding Jacket, which will sell for $3,295, is made with EMC shielding technology originally developed by NASA for Mars rover missions. It's the kind of material you want to have in climates like Death Valley, which you want to avoid visiting in the summer for your safety.

According to the Shielding Jacket listing, NASA's shielding tent, the material of which makes up its body, was originally designed to "completely block out external electromagnetic radiation." The Shielding Jacket is supposed to block electromagnetic radiation, divert infrared rays, and kill bacteria. The goal is to block "radio waves and microwaves... which includes WiFi, Bluetooth, Ku-band satellites, and radar systems." This is probably not an issue for the average consumer, but it'll certainly protect from the sun and maybe block a few unwanted phone calls.

Other materials are designed to be extremely lightweight and either keep heat in or keep the body cool in extreme weather climates. One line of jackets by the brand is made with aerogel, a material NASA uses to line and insulate their spacesuits. The material was built by the same team working to protect the next Mars Rover. The company has not heard from Elon Musk, who has publicly stated his hope to colonize Mars, but NASA did reach out to the brothers about giving a talk. So in a hundred years, shiny athleisure may be in vogue beyond Earth. And not just at the world's largest immersive space experience.