British brand ThruDark is a newcomer to the outdoor apparel market but it’s already making inroads. Founded in 2018 by two former special forces colleagues, ThruDark is based on the constant quest for the best clothing and equipment. And they’re well-placed to succeed, as co-founder Louis Tinsley says “… we’ve endured some of the world’s most arduous environments in extremely demanding circumstances”.
The brand ethos is all about making the best: manufacturing excellence (Italy, Portugal); premium textiles. Enter the ThruDark and Polartec collaboration. Polartec prides itself on its armory of fabrics, tirelessly tested to give the wearer a host of attributes. From Alpha with its on-the-go-warmth (initially developed for the US Special Forces), to NeoShell, the world’s most breathable waterproof fabric.
Inventors of fleece in the 80s, it was Polartec’s Thermal Pro fleece fabric that attracted the attention of the ThruDark team. For essential warmth in mid to low temperatures Polartec® Thermal Pro® Shearling is a great choice. Thermal Pro is Polartec’s most visibly exciting range of fabrics. It’s able to take on different guises yet continues to deliver an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio. Typically, traditional shearling fabrics offer bulky warmth, not so in the ThruDark Mantra jacket which uses from Polartec Thermal Pro. This fabric is traditionally knit and napped, and the sheared finish gives timeless style. Technically, Thermal Pro Shearling offers the wearer, comfort, breathability, pill-resistance and of course, a high level of warmth – without the weight - thanks to the many air pockets in this fabric.
For women, ThruDark has designed the Phalanx Fleece. This product (available for men) uses Polartec High Loft™. This sumptuous, deep pile fabric is luxury to its very core. Comprising a patented, high loft structure, this material is ultra-soft and highly compressible. The extended polyester yarns create large air pockets retaining more warmth yet keeping the insulation lightweight. In fact, High Loft™ has the greatest warmth-to-weight ratio of all Polartec® fleece fabric technologies.
As co- founder, Anthony ‘Staz’ Stazicker says, “We are fortunate that we are afforded unique skillsets that allow us to continue to trial and develop our equipment personally and through our network of Special Operations Forces contacts across the globe. We feel we have both the credibility and passion to push this to the next level.”
