Fleece vests: From weekend to workwear

When Patagonia flooded the fleece vest market in 1981, the target demographic included backpackers and rock climbers—these days, the garment is as likely to be found on the back of a day trader. [Fleece vests]( [are]( [everywhere](. Though the activewear-as-business-casual trend is getting a lot of play in finance circles, Silicon Valley isn’t lacking in fleece aficionados. And neither is Silicon Valley. In fact, HBO’s hit comedy may be at least partly responsible for revealing how ubiquitous the look has become: as [WSJ reports]( costume designer Christina Mongini has outfitted fictional COO Jared Dunn in core-warming Patagonia in almost every scene. How and why did the cozy vest become the uniform of the tech bro? 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Sponsored by [Quartz Obsession] Fleece vests October 11, 2018 You must zip it --------------------------------------------------------------- When Patagonia flooded the fleece vest market in 1981, the target demographic included backpackers and rock climbers—these days, the garment is as likely to be found on the back of a day trader. [Fleece vests]( [are]( [everywhere](. Though the activewear-as-business-casual trend is getting a lot of play in finance circles, Silicon Valley isn’t lacking in fleece aficionados. And neither is Silicon Valley. In fact, HBO’s hit comedy may be at least partly responsible for revealing how ubiquitous the look has become: as [WSJ reports]( costume designer Christina Mongini has outfitted fictional COO Jared Dunn in core-warming Patagonia in almost every scene. How and why did the cozy vest become the uniform of the tech bro? 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Reuters/Kham By the digits [$1,500:]( Price on eBay for an authentic, pre-worn SAC Capital-branded fleece vest [$10,000:]( Average monthly revenue of the Uniqlo-branded vest vending machine at San Francisco International Airport [80%:]( Proportion of people who don’t wear outdoor gear for its intended purpose [700%:]( Increase in fleece vest sales on Moosejaw.com over the last three years [$76.5 million:]( Fleece vest sales in 2018 [$10 million:]( Patagonia’s Black Friday revenue in 2016 [$10 million:]( Revenue Patagonia donated to charity after Black Friday 2016 [30 million+:]( Snuggies sold to date Origin Story The invention of synthetic fleece --------------------------------------------------------------- Like many American innovations, faux fleece has post-war origins. Massachusetts-based Malden Mills Industries had been a thriving company since debuting a line of wool sweaters and bathing suits in 1906. Its early success resulted in a contract with the US government to produce military uniforms during WWII, but by the time the war ended, Gizmodo [reports]( the textile industry had changed. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, and Spandex were dominating the market, and Malden Mills needed to follow suit if it was going to survive. Wool had served the company well in the past, so it set out to make a plastic version, which they got by spinning plastics into yarn to produce a fabric with tiny loops. When the fabric was brushed, the loops puffed up, creating the soft, fluffy fabric beloved by so many. The innovation made Malden Mills the US synthetic fleece producer, supplying [virtually all outdoor supply companies]( including Patagonia, with cozy fabrics. A warm fuzzy feeling extends through the company’s history—after a fire swept through the factory in 1995, CEO Aaron Feuerstein was urged to take [$300 million]( in insurance money and close the company. Instead, Feuerstein, the third generation to run the family business, chose to rebuild the factory in the same town, paying 3,000 employees a full salary for 60 days while the facilities were finished. Sponsored by Mercedes Benz USA What does automotive design with a Boost look like? --------------------------------------------------------------- The new 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS combines progressive design with an all-new inline-6 turbocharged engine with EQ Boost. With the very latest in automotive intelligence and safety technology, it sets new industry standards.[Start your Mercedes-Benz journey here >]( Giphy Million-Dollar Question How did this trend get started? --------------------------------------------------------------- To be honest, we don’t know. Neither does Patagonia, and they’re kind of getting tired of being asked about it. When Esquire [contacted]( the company earlier this year to inquire about how they acquired so many executive enthusiasts, Patagonia responded with a “rather terse” email. The company maintains that it has never courted that demographic, and have always specifically focused on “environmentalists and laborers who work in the elements.” Even if Patagonia isn’t talking, there are several insider theories as to how tech and finance professionals became so invested in the vest: Casual Friday every day One anonymous stock trader traces the trend’s origins back to the 2008 recession. As salaries decreased, [he says]( so did dress code restrictions. “The payouts regressed, so just like every industry that has payment difficulties, they find other ways to satisfy employees and dress is one of the easiest ones.” Practically perfect Another theory places the trend’s roots in practicality—trading floors are often kept [very chilly]( and the fleece vests allowed traders to stay toasty but still able to move around comfortably, as opposed to a suit jacket. Swag gone awry It’s possible that government regulations are responsible for the sleeveless trend. There’s a [low cap]( the amount of money brokerages can spend on gifts to traders, which means they often end up with tchotchkes no one actually wants. But a few years ago, someone hit on the idea of giving low-cost, branded promotional vests instead, a gift that satisfies the cap limit while serving an actual purpose. Other brokerages quickly declared the idea genius, and a trend was born. Outdoorsy types Finally, the vest is a way for tech and finance types to give a glimpse of who they are outside of work—or at least who they want to us to think they are. [Christina Mongini tells WSJ]( the attire gives the appearance that “You can hop on your bike and throw your vest on and head over to Santa Cruz on your lunch break if you wanted to.” Quotable “Infamously homely yet unforgettable.” —Patagonia’s [description]( of its first synthetic fleece AP Photo/NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Pop quiz The environmental waste created by the synthetic microfibers shed by 100,000 fleece Patagonia garments is the equivalent of releasing how many plastic bags into the ocean? 11,900110100,6001,500,000 Correct. The finding comes from a study the brand itself conducted. Patagonia says it hopes to create an industry standard for fiber release from fabrics. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Reuters/Michaela Rehle Fun fact! Patagonia’s synthetic fleece, patented in 1981, is called [Synchilla]( in, synthetic chinchilla. Giphy Factcheck! Did Mary really have a little lamb? --------------------------------------------------------------- A broker or trader probably wouldn’t be caught dead wearing “fleece as white as snow,” but Mary’s little lamb rocked it. As is often the case with centuries-old nursery rhymes, this tale has roots in reality. According to the New England Historical Society and [the Smithsonian]( the rhyme was written after young Mary Sawyer of Sterling, Massachusetts, reared a lamb whose mother had rejected it. The lamb was devoted to Mary—and when it followed her to school one day, she tucked it into a basket and let it sleep at her feet. The teacher discovered Mary’s secret when the lamb started bleating; Mary escorted the lamb outside. Amused by the incident, Mary’s classmate John Roulstone wrote a poem about the event and gave it to her. Years later, poet Sarah Josepha Hale added a few more stanzas, and Mary Sawyer and her lamb went down in history. Another fun fact! Time magazine [named]( synthetic fleece one of the 20th century’s greatest inventions. take me down this 🐰 hole![Screen Shot 2018-10-11 at 08.37.36] Whether you epitomize the fleece vest trend or find yourself entirely unimpressed with it, it’s not hard to see the humor in its prevalence. - [midtownuniform]( — the Instagram account that started it all. - [Group of White Men in Patagonia Vests Confused for VCC Fund; Raise 500 Million]( - [I Wore a Fleece Vest to Work to See if I Felt Like a Tech Bro]( Giphy Poll Your thoughts on the fleece vest? [Click here to vote]( I rock it all the time.I’m not invested either way.I’ll leave that look to Chad, Brad, and Thad. 💬let's talk! 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