We're on a mission to craft the perfect jacket—one that pushes boundaries like the explorers and inventors who came before us. Our goal is to create a jacket that's casual enough for a night out, yet built for high-adventure. Warm but sleek, stylish yet functional, durable yet lightweight.
Just as cars operate in both the Sahara and Alaska, we believe a jacket can be just as versatile. Our goal is to create an all-in-one jacket that eliminates the need for a closet full of outerwear.
We are adventurers not sewers. But we are becoming master craftsman and learning from the ground up. Learning every detail—every material, pocket, seam, and stitch. This jacket isn’t just for adventurers; it’s being made by one. Tested daily in the harshest conditions, each prototype teaches us more about materials, durability, and design.
The first prototype for the Sevier project is a vest. It might seem odd to start with a vest when the goal is a jacket, but a vest is essentially a sleeveless jacket and represents the core of jacket design. Sleeves will come later. This was also my first attempt at sewing. After buying a sewing machine, I got a quick 30-minute lesson from my seamstress mother before diving in.
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I created a vest using low-cost fleece. The zipper reinforcements and trimmings was using a lycra/polyester fabric. There were three large pockets. Two size pockets and one chest pocket. All three pockets have zippers. The vest has a front zipper and a collar.
I learned a lot about sewing through this process, making many common mistakes as a novice. It’s challenging to keep stitching consistent, work with stretchy fabrics, align pockets, and ensure proper fitting. I also discovered that fleece is unsuitable as an outer fabric. While it feels warm, it’s too porous and soft, lacking wind resistance, water resistance, and not fashionable.
The second prototype focused on the basics of jacket design: layers. I stuck with the vest concept before moving on to sleeved jackets, and it turned out surprisingly well. It’s a design I could actually wear around town—and I did, through an entire Rocky Mountain winter. Things are progressing smoothly.
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I created a vest with three distinct layers: a high-quality fleece inner layer, polyester batting in the middle, and a very light, fine polyester outer layer. This model didn’t include any pockets.
It is much more fashionable than Sevier 1. It was fitted. It was stylish enough to wear in public without others noticing the imperfections. I also did not use an elastic fabric to reinforce zippers.
My sewing skills have greatly improved since Sevier 1, though I still struggle with keeping stitches straight and consistent. I’ve learned how crucial folds are in sewing. During testing, I discovered the importance of the outer layer—too thick and it becomes unnecessarily heavy, too thin and it's prone to tearing, as I experienced with a small tear in my prototype.
I also realized how critical a warm inner layer is. Many jacket brands have sacrificed warmth for compactness, resulting in jackets that are too cold. Being warm right when you put the jacket on is key, and fleece lining achieves that.
Two weaknesses of a warm vest are the seams and the exposed arms. The more seams, the colder the jacket. It’s clear now that I need to add sleeves to fully test the design’s effectiveness.