A history of problem solving.
Over 50 years ago, we invented what is still considered to be the world’s best waterproof-breathable material. Like many inventions, the development of GORE-TEX—made by expanding PTFE into a microporous membrane (ePTFE)—was the result of hard work, a little bit of luck, and accomplished in an R&D lab.
From the very beginning we’ve been creating and launching innovations like GORE-TEX fabric with a sole question in mind: How can we improve lives? Each of our more than 5,500 patents started with a moment of scientific curiosity, and that simple, probing question. Genevieve Gore, who VIEV is named after, fostered a culture of invention and individual spirit. She and her husband Bill empowered employees (known as “associates”) to realize their full potential, leading to decades of breakthrough inventions.
Gore technologies have enabled explorers to break barriers as well, from alpinists summiting mountaintops to Apollo 11 astronauts barreling toward the moon. Today, GORE-TEX garments outfit entire workforces—from city commuters to firefighters—and people dedicated to service, like first responders and those in the line of duty. Gore medical devices and surgical mesh help improve the lives of patients around the world. And Gore Space Cables are trusted to perform unfailingly in Earth orbits and deep space, ensuring critical communications back to our blue planet.
How can we improve lives?
So now we’re asking ourselves this question: how can we use our deep knowledge and material science expertise to solve some of today’s problems? When we look around us we see people wanting to have more time and have less stuff. We also see a change in the way people move through days. We see a shift away from a contrived compartmentalization of activities—work, rest and play—and toward a more fluid and intertwined way of spending time.
So, if the things we value and the way we move through the world are changing, how can we enable and support this considered, purposeful, adaptable lifestyle? We started by putting ourselves in the shoes of diverse and interesting people of all ages and backgrounds who want to move seamlessly through their day. Someone who starts their day by delivering a creative presentation, then ends it with a bike commute home. Or a student that works in the field collecting specimens then reports back to a lab to log data.
Our first solutions for this type of adaptable lifestyle is an offering of several waterproof/breathable jackets for every day. We think they simplify life and make it better by enabling a way to have less stuff, lead an independent life and have more time to focus on the activities at hand.
Designing jackets for an adaptable lifestyle.
When we started designing these jackets, of course we looked at the full range of uses and activities of the person wearing it, but we also looked at the conditions. Free from the constraints of a single-purpose or specific-condition jacket design approach, we let nature be our muse: Conditions in nature are always changing. Taking that a step further, nature—everything from evolution to the expanding universe—is the ultimate role model for adaptability thinking because really, the only constant is change. And yet nature endures. Lightbulb moment.
The steps that took us from early concepts to final products involved everyone from athletes to scientists to material specialists to designers: a hive mentality approach. For the jacket material, we applied a scientific yet human-centered design approach, which essentially defines the end result. Our material and comfort scientists came up with the best version of ePTFE materials we could think of for an adaptable lifestyle that requires comfort at the heart. We landed on the use of 3-layer waterproof/breathable protection in a lightweight package: GORE-TEX Active Technology, GORE-TEX Pro technology.
The jackets are simple, minimalist, functional and aesthetically suited for year-round, everyday wear. The designers chose colors that are intentionally neutral and inspired by nature, like sand dunes and dark skies. Integrated, unobtrusive trim materials—like quiet zippers and stretch elastic cuffs—work without broadcasting a techy aesthetic.
The built-in hood is unobtrusive yet deploys without fuss, a protected full-length zipper buffers wind and water without the distracting trim colors. Smart features blend in, like easy-entry and generously sized flap pockets that protect from rain and have handwarmers behind, vents under the arms that breathe even better when you’re active, and angled cuffs that protect the back of your hands when bicycling, but without the bulk of excess fabric when you’re not.
Built to endure
The ultimate aim was to create a jacket that gives you that “I get it” feeling whenever you encounter an enduring design, like a Japanese landscape watercolor or a Shaker chair. It just works, whether it’s aesthetic or functional or both. It’s pleasing to look at, maybe even inspiring, hanging there in your hallway and beckoning you to go work or play. That feeling is meant to endure so that you’ll want to hang onto your jacket for a lifetime, ending the need for constant “upgrades” when seasons pivot, fashion trends shift or you add competitive rowing to your quiver of new favorite activities. The idea is that you own one jacket instead of ten.
The idea of a jacket being adaptable and enduring may seem like opposite sides of a coin, but it’s an alchemy that’s been proven to work throughout history.