Vollebak is known for using innovative materials to create its clothing, like jackets made with metal or glass, but with its latest release, the Martian Aerogel Jacket, the London-based brand is pushing its own boundaries even further – literally – in what it calls "the single most advanced piece of clothing on Earth."
Originally launched in a 'Mercury' colorway last year, Vollebak is reintroducing its sell-out Martian Aerogel Jacket in two new colors, 'Rover Orange' and 'Stealth Black', as well as bringing back the original in limited quantities. The Martian Aerogel Jacket has been built to withstand both the harshest conditions on Earth and extraterrestrial extremes, and is made with materials that NASA has used on active service spacecraft.
One of these is aerogel, an ultralight synthetic insulator that isn't typically used in clothing; it's three times denser than air with nanopores that are 10,000 times thinner than human hair, making it almost impossible for cold air to pass through. NASA has used aerogel in several operational applications, including on its Mars rover vehicles, the Stardust spacecraft, and in spacesuits for its astronauts.
But, with the Martian Aerogel Jacket, Vollebak has gone a step further: it's using an entirely new type of aerogel it claims has never been used in clothing before, one that was developed by the same American team currently making the aerogel shield for NASA's next Mars rover. Vollebak says this new type of aerogel is the "first in the world that’s flexible, durable, and waterproof", making it perfect for cold weather clothing and meaning the Martian Aerogel Jacket can be "totally compressed or soaked in water and still carry on insulating down at -20°C (-4°F)". Vollebak has combined this innovative new material with one of the most widely used forms of insulation, foam, with the aerogel making up 20-percent of the final mix.
Protecting the jacket's core is an outer shell constructed with the same material NASA has used in its hypersonic space parachutes. To be clear: yes, we're talking about the very same fabric NASA used to make the parachute that guided the Perseverance rover safely onto the surface of Mars in 2021; and yes, Vollebak acquired the excess, unused fabric that NASA did not use for its jacket, partnering with British textiles manufacturer Heathcoat who produced it. Think about this: we're talking about a material that can withstand the physical stress of a spacecraft's parachute being deployed as it travels at a speed of 12,500mph, and not just withstand this, but help to drop its speed down to 200mph within seconds for a safe landing. Such physical and environmental stress would obliterate most, if not all, of the fabrics commonly used in clothing.
The Martian Aerogel Jacket weighs just 700 grams and features two zipped pockets on the chest, two side pockets, a two-way zipper with an oversized pull cord, and an adjustable peaked hood. It also has taped seams and, to aid breathability, micropores were created by laser drilling.
It is available to pre-order via Vollebak in Rover Orange, Stealth Black and Mercury, priced at £2495 GBP / €2845 EUR / $2995 USD.
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