With the temperature a little more palatable during British summertime, outdoor activity increases and our focus shifts to brands who can enhance that experience. Clothing is our bread and butter, but increasingly we find ourselves casting our gaze across a wider horizon. In doing so we recently came across Arksen.
Arksen describes itself as an adventure company, which intrigues us enough to want to know more. Known ostensibly for their off-road vehicles, they focus on creating products built to explore the most spectaular and remote destinations on land and sea. It naturally follows then, that they should want those in charge of such vessels to be suitably attired, too. This gives rise to their inaugural range of clothing.
Arksen Labs has been founded to bring the world some of the DNA that has established the brand as a leader in adventure products, but via clothing. This involves no small measure of boundary-pushing, using innovative and progressive fabrics such as Schoeller, Pertex, Polartec and Majotech.
As their first range establishes their ability to create exceptional clothing, Arksen Labs brings us a capsule that contains all you will ever need. Designed to be styled through your own personal sartorial eye, or layered up in entirety, it’s a compelling offering, especially for an inaugural season.
Naturally needing to know more, we got in touch with founder Jasper Smith to ask him some more specific questions.
How did the brand come into existence? Was it the classic case of wanting something that didn’t exist, therefore creating it? Or something else?
The idea for Arksen came from an adventure to western Greenlandwestern Greenland in 2016 with my eldest son Stormy. It was important for us to embark on something together – a rite of passage for him, and a fast descent into middle age for me. Greenland seemed like the right place to go, to see the power of the natural world and to witness first-hand the catastrophic impact of climate change. Standing in front of the mighty Jacobshavn Glacier, seeing a huge river flowing from it, it was impossible not to be struck by the immediate imperative to act and it brought home the travesty that we have not acted on climate change with any urgency since James Hansen made his congressional plea in 1981. Can you believe that we have known about climate change for well over 40 years and done so little?
Two thoughts came to mind; the first being that life is short, and so do something with what’s left of it that you are passionate about, the second was the realisation that every business must be a catalyst for change. Arksen was born out of both of those needs, and joined together by a commitment from Stormy and I to make the most iconic and sustainable adventure products available.
However, for Arksen, adventure and conservation are not limited specifically to the ocean. This is why we created Arksen Overland, which exists to enable the most sustainable, responsible, and engaging overland exploration possible, built on the stories of people such as overland adventure pioneer John Weston and events like the Camel Trophy where the romance of adventure always shines bright. We are also developing Arksen Home, which brings adventure home in highly innovative, sustainable, and modular off-grid cabins, created with the same Arksen design aesthetic as our other products. Complimented by Arksen Labs performance clothing which is versatile enough to take you from the mountain to the ocean, our products can facilitate any outdoor adventure whether that be on land or sea.
What do you hope to achieve with Arksen in the short term? Do you have any special projects planned?
Through our products, experiences and content, we hope to serve as an inspiration to a new generation of explorer, establishing Arksen as the ultimate planet-first adventure brand, that can facilitate the most epic of adventures in the utmost safety, comfort and luxury. On the horizon we have the launch of Arksen Labs AW23 which features products such as the expedition parka and a foul weather sailing jacket, connecting to our core competencies of outdoor and marine.
What activities does Arksen have in mind for the wearer when it designs clothing?
Whenever we conceive a new piece of clothing for our collection we always consider the end use and put functionality first, second and third! The Arksen consumer places a high value on living an adventurous lifestyle but not necessarily focused on one specific activity, so we try and make clothing that is primarily functional, and secondly, versatile. They may sail and hike in the Summer, Ski in the winter, and live a busy urban life in-between so our design decisions are based on this holistic perspective rather than having a specific activities in mind all the time. A great example of this is our Obex 3L jacket that is a fantastic all-rounder and jacket we are very proud of.
Tell us more about the fabrics you use and why they’re important?
Every great product starts with a great fabric and working with some of the best fabrics in the world is what sets us apart from other clothing brands. There’s no doubt our clothing ticks the box aesthetically, but at the end of the day it absolutely needs to perform to a high level simply because our customers lifestyle’s demand it.
We are also very mindful of the textile industries responsibility to the environment so we only work with fabric that has the highest sustainable credentials whether it’s recycled, recyclable, organic or super durable so as to last longer, and we only work with partners that share our values – no exceptions! For example within the collection we have Schoeller C-Change membranes – a really innovative dynamic waterproof membrane that opens and closes depending on the climate. We work with Re:down – a high-performance recycled down so as to help reduce our environmental impact in our winter collections. Similarly we have partnered with Majocchi, a high-end Italian fabric supplier to use their water-zero fabrics – as the name suggests – this is an innovative dyeing process where no water is used which once again reduces our environmental impact when producing the raw materials that make our jackets . Quite simply, every fabric, trim and component is the most sustainable option we can find.
Do you test your clothing and if so, to what extent?
Absolutely, we have a dedicated team of adventurers and explorers who test all of our products before we launch them. They use and abuse our products in extreme conditions – whether in corrosive salt water at sea or in sub-zero conditions in the mountains. This feedback is invaluable and helps us fine-tune specific details you cannot foresee or duplicate in a design studio so we know when it hits our website it’s the best it can possible be.
What do you hope to achieve with Arksen in the short term? Do you have any special projects planned?
Through our products, experiences and content, we hope to serve as an inspiration to a new generation of explorer, establishing Arksen as the ultimate planet-first adventure brand, that can facilitate the most epic of adventures in the utmost safety, comfort and luxury. On the horizon we have the launch of Arksen Labs AW23 which features products such as the expedition parka and a foul weather sailing jacket, connecting to our core competencies of outdoor and marine.
And the long term, what’s the overall goal?
At Arksen our is aim to create the world’s ultimate adventure company and in doing so inspire a new generation of explorer, sailor, adventurer and scientist; motivating them to go further, for longer and in support of projects that empower global audiences to better understand, protect and nurture the world’s resources.
Find out more about Arksen Labs here
