In the U.S., a handful of outdoor companies reign supreme: Patagonia, The North Face, Mountain Hardwear. In South Korea, however, one brand owns the market — BLACKYAK. The brand’s design philosophies are decidedly forward-thinking. BLACKYAK launched its second global collection and its first big push into the U.S. market at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market this past year and impressed our editors along with the rest of the media.
Instead of crafting another three-layer hardshell, or a standard cookie-cutter insulated puffy jacket, BLACKYAK takes a different approach. The brand’s jackets often use multiple material technologies in concert to create one unified piece. The perfect example is the hybrid jacket. It features a host of different materials and technologies, including traceable goose down, PrimaLoft Gold, Polartec Alpha, Cordura Ripstop, Cordura Four-Way Stretch and Polartec Grid. On paper, that sounds like a disaster, but in practice, each material works in concert to create the ultimate winter mid layer. The same can be said for each of BLACKYAK’s pieces. It’d be wise to pick up a few jackets now — before they sell out for the winter.
