A century from now, human beings will still obsess over how to prolong their existences through the constant consumption of superfoods, the persistent purchase of anti-aging products and the unflagging use of exercise equipment. No matter how fervent their attempts will be, however, all consumers will still be destined to shuffle off their mortal coils, but how will their garments hold up as buyers make their finite journeys? If Vollebak, “an 18-month-old start up taking on the outdoor industry,” has its way, end-users who buy their 100 Year Hoodie will have an opportunity to initiate a hand-me-down cycle that could last for generations.
The London entity, under the direction of twins Nick and Steve Tidball, is hawking the centennially dubbed item as “the most indestructible hoodie you’ve ever worn.” At $295, the invention should also come equipped to cook meals and do laundry, but all jabs aside, the brothers are hoping their brainchild will represent the epitome of durability and longevity.
“After talking to a series of advanced testing facilities early on in the project, we found that this idea was so far outside normal parameters that testing would be much more subjective than objective,” Steve Tidball said of the 100-percent Kevlar fiber offering, which Vollebak put through extensive testing in order to boast of its unique nature. “There is no machine you can put this in to see if it’ll last 100 years in every different scenario and come out with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ So the idea of 100 years is a moonshot. Our aim has been to take the best possible materials available today that have stood the test of time and therefore have the highest possible chance of outliving you.”
The end of that sentiment provides a nice entry into a discussion of clothes and wardrobes. Simply put, we often grow tired of our attire due to the rising and falling of trends and the weakening of fabrics. While it might not sound feasible (or even hygienic) to retain such items as underwear or socks for years, the siblings want retaining ties to a well-designed hoodie to be a cinch for shoppers and are thus relying on materials that are components of aircraft carriers, body armor and spacesuits.
While the two have envisioned a considerable lifetime for the newfangled goodie, they have been quite upfront with the admission that the article will, like its wearers, indeed age. In fact, while all those aforementioned boons at the beginning of this piece can mask the aging process in humans, the Tidballs have made glimpsing the maturation of the hoodie quite apparent, as exposure to sunlight will lighten the dark gray fibers, resulting in “an aged and lived-in look within days.”
“If there’s a tougher hoodie out there, our 100 Year Hoodie is ready to beat the crap out of it and steal its crown,” Vollebak’s website proclaims of the costly innovation, which can survive at extreme temperatures ranging from 572 degrees Fahrenheit to -378 degrees Fahrenheit and whose reliance on sun-dyeing will even make it look different from one day to the next.
That aspect of its composition is a particular point of pride for the Tidballs, but the whole concept sounds intriguing. Pop culture, especially music (thanks to such songs as Queen’s “Who Wants To Live Forever” and Five for Fighting’s “100 Years”), has long addressed the rewards and perils of living a long life. Vokkebak has taken that topic to a new level, essentially stating that no matter how arduous their journeys are, the 100 Year Hoodie will be an old buddy that can rival Fido or Fluffy for end-users’ affection.
