Waterfallproof Jacket

The Waterfallproof Jacket is designed to combat the megastorms of the future, where crazily intense rainfall becomes the norm. Highly waterproof, windproof and breathable, it’s constructed with an advanced 3 layer Swiss material from Schoeller, with an intelligent membrane that opens and closes in the heat, and self-drying nanotechnology borrowed from plants. Building the material alone requires a total of 28 separate construction processes.

The outside of the Waterfallproof Jacket mimics one of nature’s most brilliant pieces of engineering – the lotus leaf. Over millions of years the lotus leaf has adapted to life constantly surrounded by water. Although the surface of each leaf looks completely flat, it’s covered with a complex landscape of microscopic bumps which helps it stay clean and dry.

The issue with creating something crazily waterproof is breathability. The more water can’t come through one way, the harder it is to let it come out the other. A rubber wetsuit for instance would never let any rain through, but if you tried to go for a run in one you might pass out as it won’t let heat or sweat escape efficiently. So the middle layer of the jacket uses Schoeller’s c_change® membrane. Instead of remaining static, the membrane can open and close to respond to different weather conditions as they happen, while remaining permanently waterproof and windproof.

This c_change® membrane mimics natural structures like flowers and pinecones, opening and closing in response to changes in temperature, humidity and sweat. It’s designed to keep you at a consistent temperature by combining really high breathability with heat retention. While it can open up like a series of microscopic vents to let heat escape, in the cold it closes itself like a protective barrier to stop heat leaving. So as soon as the temperature drops, or you stop moving, the membrane contracts to insulate you and retain heat close to the body.

As the air temperature rises, the membrane opens up so that excess sweat and heat can escape through the jacket. But while the membrane’s polymer structure opens up to become extremely permeable to water vapour leaving the body, it remains completely waterproof on the outside. It means that even if you held a jacket under a downpour in extreme heat, the jacket will only ever let the water through one way, while still letting heat pass through it.

Every detail of the jacket is built for extreme waterproofness. Layered below the watertight chest pocket you’ll find two side pockets fitted with water resistant zippers. All the seams are fully sealed, and we’ve engineered out seams at the shoulders to eliminate the chance of water finding its way in. And we’ve reinforced typical failure points with giant bartacks which have been bonded then stitched for strength.

The jacket will stretch with you whatever you’re doing. But instead of relying on elastane, we use an advanced weaving process which creates mechanical stretch to achieve the same effect, while articulated sleeves follow the natural shape of your arm to help you move freely in any direction.