Nov 12

Nov 12 Holden Jackson Down Coat (2020)

Holden Jackson Down Jacket (2020)

Type: Insulation / Use: Lifestyle / Face: Cotton-Nylon / Insulation: Down

Technologies: Waterproof membrane, 750-fill down

One of my favorite parts of this moment in “outdoors streetwear” is how neither outdoors nor streetwear appears to understand “outdoors streetwear.”

The outdoors industry would say it’s doing a fine job meeting new interest. Every brand makes a lifestyle collection. Some of them are good. A lot of them aren’t.

The streetwear side would say it’s bringing an edge to technical clothing for recreation. Every major brand makes a fleece and a hardshell. Some of them are worthwhile. A lot of them aren’t.

In the middle of this swirl of “trail to town sneakerboots” and “cropped sherpa hoodies” are a few brands who just get it. Not “get it” as in “understand outdoors streetwear.” Just say that phrase out loud. What?

The “it” they get is the context of this moment.

The outdoors isn’t in fashion because millions threw off the yoke of modernity and decided to live examined lives. It’s sportswear by another beat. A higher practice of sportswear, sure, but it’s fleece midlayers and overbuilt sneakers all the same. Comfort-first branded casualwear is the uniform of our times. Every few years, the design inspo changes, and right now, outdoors is in.

The brands that recognize this - The North Face, Salomon, Hoka, even Nike - are designing accordingly and winning by design. It’s hard to see the successes of the others in the same light.

Founded in 2002, Holden Outerwear was one of the O.G. “cooler snow kit” brands. At a time when everything was crazy prints and #gnar shreds, Holden took an understated approach. Performance was still uncompromising. But silhouettes were slimmer, lines cleaner. It was technical outerwear for lives that spent time on the snow. You could see it as “stylish snowboarding gear.” But it was more like stylish gear for snowboarders.

Just a few years after streetwear-outdoors-inspo-album darling Stussy launched a seasonal “Stussy by Holden” collection, the brand went dark.

As you might imagine from these recent photos and “(2020)” date tag, Holden is back.

This jacket, the Jackson, is not part of the brand’s Winter Sports collection. It’s a lifestyle piece through and through. But coming from a brand that also makes proper alpine kit, it is spectacular in a way few outdoors brands - let alone American brands - are capable of.

So let’s talk about it.

To be blunt, the Jackson is a really nice milsurp down jacket. What makes it so nice is what it’s made of and how it’s made.

So, yeah, it’s made of plants, dinosaurs, and some dead farm animals.

The face of the Jackson is an Italian-milled cotton/nylon that’s been distressed to look like a relic. It’s papery without being rigid - present enough to be trusted, but neither starchy nor crass. This supple shell is coated with what the brand calls “eco-friendlier DWR,” what’s likely the standard C6 treatment. Behind it is a stuffing of 750-fill down kept in place by a silky onion-style quilting. Above it, a genuine shearling collar adds a touch of luxury.

Comfort is exceptional between 25° and 50° F, but be warned about taking it out in rain. There are no fancy membranes providing extra protection: if there’s heavy precip, it’s you, “water-resistance,” and a cute ‘lil collar strap.

These low tech materials come alive thanks to what is, literally and figuratively, an inspired design.

The Jackson is a mash-up between the N-1 deck coat and an MA-1 bomber. Iconic features from the two (the N-1’s collar and button front; the MA-1’s cuffs and pocket shape) are cut and pasted over an expanded shape. Some new takes join them, notably, the hidden zip slash pockets. Sleeves are rounded out. There’s a generous hem. The overall silhouette isn’t just boxy - it’s A-framed, with a downy plumpness that’s Yves Salomon playful.

Ya know, typical lifestyle outdoors piece.

What I like most about the Jackson is its novelty. This is a dailywear down piece that is rooted in reference yet manages to feel unlike anything before it. It is absolutely, unrepentantly fresh. Better yet, it’s coming from an unexpected place. Between a visvim Cubist recut and a Real McCoys homage piece is this: a casual jacket from a California snow brand. That’s not enough to sway love in itself. But who doesn’t like surprises?

After this much wasted ink, the unsurprising part is that the Jackson wears well. It is exceedingly easy to style. Worn open over a neutral top will look beyond grand, but really, this is a hard one to fuck up. The shape and materials are just that good. My favorite look with it was a Shia-in-Fury tribute ft. an olive corduroy shirt, triple-cuffed black Dickies, and black Obra slip-ons. If you’re more the Hiro Protagonist type, try it with a black turtleneck and looser fit cargos.

To reiterate: this is a hard one to fuck up. Precisely because Holden got so much right.

My excitement over Holden’s vision and execution aside, there were a few annoyances that prevent me from carving its marble bust alongside all-time favorites like the Tilak Raptor MiG and Goldwin Hooded Spur.

For one, I had some nagging issues with the main zip. It’s a Swiss RiRi double zipper with a cool skeletonized look. It just didn’t always, you know, zip the first try.

On another note, the elasticized inner cuffs just felt out of place detail on a piece this premium. I understand their use for keeping out the cold, but I could’ve done with a more analog way of battening down hatches. This is a $750 jacket. Details in the form of clever hardware go a long ways.

The fact that my only critiques are truly the little things speak to just how great of a coat this is. The Jackson is a lifestyle piece from an outdoors brand that, despite being made from outdoors materials, doesn’t look overtly outdoorsy. And that’s a great thing.

Unless your horoscope is organiclab, your interest in the “outdoors streetwear” crossover is likely more about bringing aesthetic inspiration and materials storytelling into your current wardrobe than a genuine desire to dress like you live in a mountain town. In other words, a different flavor of sportswear.

Holden is striking the balance between outdoors technical wear and what people are wearing today in a way that’s both of times and distinctly its own. The Japanese and Scandi influences are obvious here - but is WTAPS making alpine kit? Is Norse making things that aren’t neutral colors?

While this specific piece isn’t perfect, it’s a damn nice thing that’s functional enough and undeniably wearable. I really like it and plan to wear it whenever a full-length parka would be overkill - say, on the 40° overcast days that define Anthropocene NYC winters.

I might even wear it on the streets. Perhaps, streets outdoors.