Helly Hansen is taking a survival suit originally made for extreme cold water conditions and putting it on the streets. The brand’s second collection from its HH-118389225 archival collection takes inspiration from the late-’90s E-352 offshore survival suit, which was both flame retardant and watertight. Cues from that immensely durable article of clothing now appear on a range of coats, pants, and tees more suited for the obstacles faced by us regular folks not risking our lives in the ocean.
The dirty deets —
Technology in this new collection includes 3-layer shells, ultrasonic taped seams, 3M reflective detailing, and Primaloft Silver insulation. Ultrasonic taped seams sound particularly excessive, which is awesome and makes me think I need it. Text hits of “Arctic Survival” and “Offshore” are placed on the apparel, presumably to remind you much tougher jobs exist in the world.
The closest you can go to a full survival suit is with the Arctic Survival parka, which features a fully encompassing hood and utility pouches on the left sleeve. Considering the world is quite literally burning and the ocean is on the verge of flooding major cities, we may as well start dressing like it. I don’t think Helly Hansen is artsy enough to explicitly draw that connection, but who among us can escape these crises from creeping into our subconscious?
How to gear up —
The HH-118389225 collection is set to release in September, so keep an eye out then at select retailers. Until then you’ll have to make do with other sartorial expressions of our impending doom.
