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Most people are aware that Arc’teryx crafts some of the most elite outdoor garments on the market. What you may not know is that their sister brand, Veilance, takes the same high-performance focus and applies it to more streamlined silhouettes for urban environments. With its high-fashion nameplate and prohibitively expensive price tag, Veilance packs Everest-ready tech into minimalist mainstays for the luxury market. It’s understated, exceptionally technical, and crafted with the utmost attention to detail. In fewer words: it’s Arc’teryx, elevated.
The origins of Veilance precede Arc’teryx’s explosive growth on the streetwear scene. Founded by the Vancouver brand in 2009, about 20 years after the launch of Arc’teryx proper, Veilance was equal parts a reaction to the expanded vision of new leadership that took helm in 2005 and the trending tide of athleisure (their Vancouver neighbor Lululemon had just gone public in 2007). The label quickly struck a chord with fashion-oriented urban consumers who were willing to buy into the system that Veilance was proposing: a modular wardrobe of minimal silhouettes made from highly technical and weatherproof fabrics.
The current fashion moment is much different than the one Veilance launched into. Performance wear has entered the style zeitgeist with consumers flocking to brands that specialize in outerwear and advanced materials––think Gore-tex shells, Vibram soles, and Polartec fleeces. And just as you don’t need to have worked as a coal miner to appreciate the durability and utilitarian style of denim jeans, you also don’t need to be summiting a peak to appreciate the advanced technical construction of climate controlling jackets.
Designing with a budget in mind is not in the brand’s DNA ––that much is obvious. Instead, they design with the highest quality materials and best innovations first, then price accordingly. So if you’re considering making the investment, read along as we explore all that is great about Arc’teryx Veilance and our recommendations for some of its most iconic pieces.
How Veilance Designs Products
Central to the Veilance design ethos over the past few years has been creative director Taka Kasuga, who recognized even before the rise of the outerwear-as-everyday-wear movement that all ‘performance’ really meant was providing personal freedom to be comfortable in whatever you were doing. If someone has two similar articles of clothing, but one performs better, they’ll choose the latter every time. Kasuga had this realization while working under Junya Watanabe at Comme Des Garcons, but wouldn’t be able to fully craft a label behind this insight until he took over as creative director at Veilance in 2018.
Infamous in Arc’teryx lore is “Acr’One,” the nickname given to the Arc’teryx manufacturing facility southeast of Vancouver that crafts some of the brand’s most advanced products––among them, Veilance outerwear. A mere 30 minutes separates the Veilance design studio from the factory, giving the team unprecedented control over how a prototype is turned into a fully realized product. The close knit system of design, development, and distribution is one of the reasons why Veilance gear comes with an exorbitant price tag. The pieces are nearly manufactured at the source. The other reason, of course, is the materials.
The design process usually begins with advanced material development, about three years prior to launch. That’s because everything from the materials to the tooling is developed in house. If the purpose of a product is hindered by an existing material, the Veilance team will go to work to construct a new suitable one. The first time you try on a Veilance piece, you’ll immediately notice how unique the fabrics are. Materiality is the lifeblood of the brand, helping it realize its ultimate goal of providing comfort without constraint by environments and circumstances. You may not need your blazer to be uniquely windproof and water-resistant, but then again you may not need your car to go 0-60 in two seconds. Sometimes, it’s just nice to know you can.
The Veilance assortment is kept intentionally refined. The first menswear collection launched in 2009 and consisted of just 15 pieces: four jackets, three pants, two button-ups, and a few short and long sleeve tops. In 2021, Veilance introduced their first women's line that included a rain shell jacket, a technical blazer, a performance blouse, and a wide short. While the collections today have certainly expanded from where they began, every garment remains a distinctly Arc’teryx take on a staple wardrobe piece. Veilance isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; they’re just trying to make the wheel run smoothly in harsh conditions. And they know all the performance features in the world won’t make a difference if you can’t visualize the product fitting into your daily rotation.
Without further ado, let’s get into the products that showcase the best Veilance has to offer.
The Best of Veilance
After weeks of testing a wide assortment of Veilance products, in addition to getting a walkthrough of the brand’s most recent collection in their back-of-store exhibit at the Arc’teryx SoHo storefront in New York City, these are the Veilance products that we believe are worth the hefty investment for a lifetime of wear.
Jackets
It’s no surprise that outdoor jackets, which put Arc’teryx on the map, is also the signature focus for Veilance. The brand divides the category into two lines: shell jackets and insulated jackets. Shell jackets are usually either Gore-Tex lined for complete water and wind resistance, or constructed from a unique four-way stretch softshell material that is abrasion resistant and water repellant. Insulated jackets, designed for winter’s harshest days, provide significantly more warmth and protection with Coreloft synthetic fill or premium European goose down for natural insulation. Performance is something you never need to worry about across the Arc’teryx family. Just pick your use case and style––then rest easy knowing you’re in good hands.
Here are our three favorite jackets from the brand that’s known for crafting the industry’s best.
Perhaps the most versatile jacket in the Veilance line, the Mionn Lightweight Jacket is a lightly insulated jacket that provides exceptional warmth as a midlayer or standalone piece. Its refined silhouette, with Coreloft™ fibrefill underneath a woven softshell for wind and weather resistance, makes it endlessly adaptable for a cold Spring morning or an evening out. The low profile collar is a small detail that amplifies its elegance and definition. This is the jacket you’ll always grab when heading out the door.
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Soft, stretchy, and effortlessly elegant, the Isogon MX Jacket will make you rethink everything you thought a jacket could be. Whether there’s a small chance of rain, heavy wind, or fluctuating temperatures, the Isogon MX has you covered for transitional seasons and unpredictable weather. The four-way stretch softshell offers incredible mobility, while the adjustable StormHood provides comprehensive coverage without impacting vision. There’s also a laundry list of hidden details that are hard to appreciate until you’ve actually tried the jacket on: hand pockets with hidden zippers, two internal zipped pockets, articulated sleeves with stretch woven panels at the cuffs, an adjustable hem drawcord, and a fully taped seam construction for an exceptionally clean look. Not a single detail has been overlooked, so much so that you’ll be left wondering how you ever settled for anything less.
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The Diode Bomber Jacket is a perfect example of a Veilance take on a modern classic. Crafted for transitional weather protection in milder temperatures, the Diode Jacket is light enough to wear on its own during the summer, and versatile enough to wear on top of a mid-layer during spring/fall months. Its modern, streamlined design is made clean through discrete pocketing and taped seams. And of course, since its Veilance, its stretchy outer softshell has been treated for water repellency despite being highly breathable. In short, it’s a weatherproof bomber. Need I say more?
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Shirts
Many consumers only think about outerwear brands during colder months, when there’s a need for a warm down jacket or rain shell. But Veilance views the warmer temperatures as an equally compelling time for technical expertise in what you put on. Using a combination of natural fibers for next-to-skin comfort and engineered materials for enhanced properties of performance, Veilance has built up a strong assortment of short and long tops for warmer months.
Here are our top picks for summer days:
Whether your wardrobe is full of collars or absent of a single one, the Metron Shirt is a polo everyone should be able to get behind. Crafted from a recycled polyester jersey, it’s unbelievably soft, airy, and minimal for a cleaned up look that’s elevated but not superfluous. It has a bonded collar and hem with ‘ultrasonic seaming’ to offer not just a smooth feel but also a smooth look (no seams are, of course, a staple of Veilance garments). Wearing this shirt feels like you’re keeping a secret: others may think you’ve put it on to look nice, but truthfully you’ve just put it on because it feels so darn good to wear.
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Veilance uses the term “summerweight” to define the Demlo Shirt, a term I had never heard before but perfectly encapsulates this oversized button-down. With a clean city aesthetic, the Demlo is made from a nylon ripstop that is remarkably light and cool for easy summer wear. Its DWR (durable water repellent) treatment also protects it from mist and moisture because, you know, summer days can be unpredictable. Wear it to the beach just as easily as you’d wear it out in the town. This is peak summer Veilance.
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The Frame Shirt is as versatile as it gets. Ultra-fine Merino wool that some have described as the softest material they’ve ever worn brings natural comfort, odor resistance, and moisture management to this wardrobe essential. Micro-serged seams create an ultra-streamlined profile that’s perfect for daily city wear or treks out on the trail. Wear the Frame on its own during warmer months, or use it as a base layer during colder days to get the most out of its natural properties.
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Bottoms
Veilance makes bottoms that combine the comfort of athleisure with the technical performance of outerwear, all while maintaining an exceptionally clean and sophisticated look. Most of their pants have a slightly relaxed fit by design, making them suitable for a range of activities and environments. While denim jeans and wool slacks will always have a time and a place, once you get used to wearing Veilance bottoms you’ll be hard pressed to want to step out in anything else. What’s more, each popular pants style has been converted to a shorts design as well––a few of which we’ll highlight below.
The Spere LT Pant is, without a doubt, my most frequently worn piece from Veilance. Lightweight enough to sport during the summer with protective elements that enable easy wear during harsher conditions, the Spere LT Pant is an unrivaled pair of bottoms that you can truly ‘do it all’ in. They're constructed with a polyester softshell that’s durable, air permeable, and DWR coated to repel moisture. There are a couple pairs of pants in my wardrobe that haven’t gotten any wear since I received the Spere LTs, which goes to show how the ‘fewer, but better’ principle of buying clothes can justify an investment in the brand.
You can also find the Spere LT design applied to shorts here.
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These casual, ultra-comfortable track pants come with lots of stretch and endless versatility. An elastic waistband and ankle-cut fit give them a slightly more athletic look and feel than the Sphere LT, while Veilance’s ‘Composite Mapping Technology’ ensures there’s as much (or as little) fabric as possible in certain places around the garment for effective protection and performance. Additionally, unlike most track pants that come in a pretty limited color assortment, Veilance offers a stunning palette of ‘Soil’ (beige) and ‘Forage’ (green) to bring muted neutrals to the track (or gym, office, etc.).
You can also find the Secant Comp design applied to shorts here.
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The Argand Short is Veilance’s definitive take on a summer essential. Lightweight, breathable, and crafted from recycled TerraTex™ nylon (the same material as the Sphere LT Pant), these are summer shorts that you can take anywhere. The beauty is in the details: a water-repellent finish that helps shed moisture, an invisible zip pocket for secure and concealed storage, and a smooth laminated waistband for maximum comfort and freedom of movement. These are anything but your ordinary nylon summer shorts. Pair it with the Metron Polo Shirt for a Veilance summer uniform.
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A Final Word
In my opinion, Veilance embodies the endstate of where the gorpcore trend eventually leads to. Most performance wear still sticks out in non-performance settings. For now, that’s cool. But like most streetwear trends, it’ll eventually fizzle out into the ‘next big thing.’ At that point, we’ll be left wondering why technical apparel can’t simply be made more discreet, so as to not signal we’re engaging in an old fad but instead simply trying to get the most out of our clothing and its materials. Not only did Veialnce understand this earlier than anyone––they’ve also been delivering on it for over a decade.
