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LAYERS is a deep dive into the relationship between performance apparel, the multibillion-dollar outdoor industry, and the culture at large.
Join host Colin True as he knits together stories told by industry veterans and outside observers alike, spinning yarns about the community we love and the fabrics we love to wear. All from a perspective uniquely Polartec.
We investigate the Rise of Dressing Down, or how performance apparel helped usher in the casualization of how we dress. We’ll discover how the modern outdoor industry got its start based on the participation of ‘poseurs,’ how subcultures fueled mainstream popularity, how comfort is helping drive the authentic inclusion of new enthusiasts into the larger outdoor community.
Episode 1: Praise Be to the Poseur
The term poseur has historically carried a negative connotation when it comes to the core Outdoor enthusiast. But what if we told you that it was the poseurs that created the way forward for many of the advances we now have to help get us outside? Part history lesson, part trail run, episode 1 starts our journey to better understanding how outdoor industry trends helped sportswear to become our daily driver.
Episode 2: Aloha, Athleisure!
The 20th century saw the combined forces of trends and technology accelerate from a slow crawl to a manic sprint. Episode 2 takes a look at how media exposed outdoor subcultures to the mainstream while growing an ‘extreme’ desire for authentic apparel. And how this movement would morph performance and comfort into one of America’s most significant exports of the last Century: Athleisure.
Episode 3: Outdoors are for Everyone
It’s been over 40 years since the Rise of Dressing Down began to change what we wear in the Outdoors. And like life, the only constant over this time has been change. Episode 3 of LAYERS examines how safety and technical fabrics turned comfort into a performance feature, encouraged new groups of people to enjoy nature, and redefined the Outdoors as anything that takes place outside.
Listen on Apple Podcast
Artwork by Charli Beck
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