High tech extreme sportswear comes in calming pink
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Vollebak's range use space suit material, color and tech to enhance extreme sports performance.
Innovative clothing is often used to protect the wearer’s body while they are partaking in adventure sports. We have already seen an airbag equipped ski suit and a flat pack head protector that fits inside any hat. Now, Flemish designers Nick and Steve Tidball have developed a pair of jackets for their Vollebak range, which use material, color and design to enhance the wearer’s athletic prep-time and protect them during adventure sports.
The Baker Miller Pink hoodie is designed to be worn before sport or exercise. The jacket encases the wearer in a pink hue, which was found to calm the mind and relax the muscles of prisoners during experiments in the 1980s. When worn in preparation for adventure sports, it can help the wearer relax in harsh conditions. Other features include a mesh visor that helps the wearer slow their breathing, deep sling pockets that encourage a posture that lowers oxygen consumption, a pink noise soundtrack and thermal insulation.
The Condition Black is named after a military term for the mental state during life and death situations. Designed to give the wearer added protection during extreme sports, the inner part of the jacket is constructed from military grade materials with excellent elasticity, breathability and insulation. The outer shell is made from ceraspace — a highly resistant material used in space suits, which can survive falls of 120kmph down any surface. The jacket also comes with an inbuilt training program that uses light and sound to enhance the wearer’s sensory perception. To access it, they simply pull down the attached visor, encasing themselves in the jacket.
Both products are currently on sale via the Vollebak website. The Baker Miller Pink hoodie costs GBP 220, while the Condition Black jacket costs GBP 750. What other ways could colour and sensory stimulations be incorporated into clothing to help the wearer deal with a stressful situation?