Feb 20

Feb 20 Mission Workshop The Rhite (2019)

Alex Rakestraw

Lifestyle, Parka, Review

Mission Workshop Advanced Projects The Rhite (2019)

A hoody that left no expense spared.

Mission Workshop The Rhite (2019)

Type: Parka / Use: Lifestyle / Face: Nylon / Insulation: Synthetic

Technologies: PrimaLoft Gold Hi-Loft with CrossCore, MecTex stretch nylon, 37.5 lining

Price: $780.00

Alright, folks. We want a good, clean review, so let’s set some ground rules.

For one, no puns on rightness. Puns invoking religious rites or the ballet “The Rites of Spring” will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

For two, no jokes about missions. Functional fashion edges too tacticool as is - and besides, it’s low-hanging fruit.

And finally – yes, yes, “rules in threes,” very funny – price can only be mentioned once.

That’s all! Have at it! Now, enjoy the sport.

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Holy fucking shit why does a luxury Atom LT costs $800.

Now let’s get to it.

The Mission Workshop The Rhite is the latest in the brand’s Advanced Projects series, a line of doubly-definite halo products that are more concept than clothing. AP garments are menswear archetypes, renovated carte blanche. A wool topcoat becomes a c_change barrier. The MA-1 gets spaceflight tech. Techy details like coated zips hint at the changes, but from a distance, they’re staple pieces with a glossless shine – boring clothing with excitement just inside.

Mission’s whole line leans towards the “greyman” side of techwear, but with Advanced Projects, this practice becomes principle. Case in point: The Rhite is perhaps the most overtly technical AP piece, and yet, it’s also the lowest profile.

Which might make one wonder: why spen- bzzzz.

Ok! Yeesh. Got it. No more price talk.

So that overt tech.

The Rhite is Mission’s AP take on the hooded puffy, a performance piece that - thanks to the crossover appeal of jackets like the Arc’teryx Atom and Patagonia Nano-Air – has entered the realm of casualwear. Unlike other Advanced Projects, the reference piece here is technical, creating a bizarre sort of backpressure in the brand’s typical gut-it-then-upgrade flow. There’s no retrofuturism here. With the Rhite, Mission went for the best of the present.

The face of the Rhite is a 4-way stretch nylon made especially for Mission by Mectex, an Italian textile developer known for its part in developing the record-smashing LZR Racer swimsuit (aka, the now-banned bodysuit that blew up the Beijing Olympics). Here, that nylon face is laminated to a Mectex-developed windproof waterproof membrane, with all seams of the shell then taped. Like Schoeller, Mectex is known for its uber high-quality fabric solutions – synthetics that blend function, hand-feel, and breathability like none other. They also charge a fortune for them.

Just beyond that membrane lies a serving of Primaloft’s Gold Hi-Loft with Cross Core, a synthetic insulation chosen for its down-like performance. “Cross Core” is what Primaloft calls “aerogel,” a NASA-developed material that’s among the highest warmth-to-weight insulators in the world. If that sounds like canned heat, don’t worry - a 37.5 technology “moisture management” lining between you and the Primaloft actively manages breathability inside the jacket. This, as one might expect, is not cheap.

All of that tech comes wrapped in a slick, unbranded package, with subtle details (minimized snap cuffs; tonal coated zips) the only landmarks on an otherwise deserted shell. No logos. Few adjustments. An Instagrammer’s dream. I find it universally wearable – almost too much so. With chinos and a sweater, it’s upscale at a glance. With a hoodie and cargos, it’s vaguely technical and cut for style. Unless I’m #dressing #out for a fashion event, I can rock The Rhite with anything, 7 months out of 12.

Overall, the Rhite is a low-res, high-fidelity rendering of one of menswear’s most contemporary silhouettes – an impressively versatile piece that you feel like you’ve seen before but can’t take your eyes off of. Mission spared no expense on the tech or its packaging. And if you love it, by golly, you should buy it.

But holy fucking shit eight bill- bzzzzz.

I KNOW.

I’ll be the first to own that I like nice things. I’ve spent ludicrous sums on coats, but each time I have, it’s because there was something only that piece could offer. After wearing The Rhite for a few months, I just couldn’t find one.

It is super, super nice. Stretchy. Breathable. Warm. Stylish. But so is the Atom LT ($279). And so is the Nano-Air ($299). Hell, so is the Kappa ($400), and – if you’re in the luxury mood - the Mionn IS ($650). The Rhite may beat them at some edge cases. But that’s not what lifestyle pieces are for.

Here’s the test with this one.

Look at the Rhite.

If you fall in love, buy it and don’t look back. If not, wonder aloud about what could have been while rocking up to three Atom LT jackets consecutively. I’ve been caught in rain and snow with a variety of hooded synthetic puffys and have just never felt like I needed a stretch-membrane or climate regulation tech to soothe the experience.

Then again, that’s the point of the finer things. They’re not about needs. If you love it, indulge.