- Fitness tracker brand Whoop has launched a new range of high-fashion athleisure
- Project Terrain is a "technical garment system" designed by A-COLD-WALL founder Samuel Ross MBE
- Layer 1 of the collection features men's and women's baselayers and outerwear, with Any-Wear Pods in the shorts to store your device off-wrist
Fitness tracker Whoop is launching its own apparel range with a difference — a high-fashion capsule collection rather than the usual merch, created in collaboration with a noted fashion designer.
Project Terrain is a 'technical garment system' according to Whoop, and the first wave (or 'Layer 1') of the collection is a selection of shorts, baselayers, and running jackets for men and women, designed by A-COLD-WALL founder Samuel Ross, MBE, with his SR_A label.
The garments have innovations like reflective patches for running visibility, sleeve windows for runners to view their watches, and Any-Wear Pods for wearers to clip their Whoops off-body. But they're all, to a piece, expensive athleisurewear with a slick-black look, as you can see in some of the promo shots.
“Over the years, I’ve had a deep love for Whoop and their excellency in design, and with Project Terrain, I wanted to hone in on the mutual feeling you get when you meet another Whoop user,” writes Ross in the collection's press release.
“I wanted to make sure we were creating pieces that were intentional with their visibility of Whoop and created a new identity of what it means to be wearing Whoop. In the end, it becomes its own visual language of hardware with a beautiful design that is rooted in high-performance first.”
The collection also arrives with two new Whoop bands for the 5.0 and Whoop MG.
When I learned Whoop was making its first forays from fitness tracker into lifestyle brand, taking on the likes of Nike and Lululemon, I expected this sort of thing. Whoop, as a premium product, can often be seen on the wrists of members of high-end gyms like Equinox and Barry's, and it's pitching its first collection to this audience.
From calling each wave of the collection a 'Layer' to insisting this isn't a merch line but a 'wearable system built for exploration', the capsule collection blends a good bit of impenetrable high-fashion with the techie jargon you'd expect from the likes of Nike's premium marathon running shoe range.
However, there are a few neat innovations here, such as built-in pods for your Whoop to slide into for easy off-body tracking, but there's a lot of disconnect or lack of consideration for other technical aspects.
For example, we've got reflective patches on the jackets and shorts for running in low-light conditions, but the whole collection is jet-black, making it a bit of a risky pick if you're aiming to be seen. Most nightwear for running is anything but black. You've also got windows on your running jacket's wrist, but Whoop doesn't even have a screen, making this design feature a bit redundant. However, it would work very well with the best running watches.
These disconnects prevent the value of the collection from reaching the heights of a comprehensive 'wearable system' and bring it back down to 'expensive athleisure', especially at premium prices. But the simple barrier of being expensive never stopped the likes of Lululemon, Nike, and Gym+Coffee. You can view the collection here.
