SOLOVAIR // 27-31 THRUDARK

ONE THING DONE WELL SOLOVAIR URBAN HIKER BOOT

WORDS BY JAI MCINTOSH

The world of outerwear is vast. Filled with a plethora of products that range from elite mountain wear to hybrid lifestyle options for the casual explorer. Whatever adventure you’re looking to undertake, it is essential to get your choice of footwear on point.

After a lengthy discussion at EJ HQ, the team landed on the conclusion that the Solovair Urban Hiker Boot is the standout lifestyle boot built for urban exploration. Solovair are steeped in heritage, with roots developed back in the early 1880s and a love of domestic production that has maintained to this day.

Available in two colourways, the Black Greasy and the Gaucho Crazy Horse - amazing names, we know - Solovair have crafted a durable yet stylish boot made entirely in Britain. The Black Greasy comprises a black greasy leather upper with a leather and synthetic lining complimented by a soft suspension classic sole. The Gaucho Crazy Horse differs slightly with a brown waxy leather upper, coupled with a slightly distressed look with the same classic sole as the Black Greasy.

Both boots are Goodyear welted and designed based on Solovair’s classic 5400 modelling. One of the unique aspects of these boots is that, due to the creation process and materials used, there is an individuality and personality to each pair.

Solovair have created a pair of durable urban boots with a lasting aesthetic that ensures both quality and style remain throughout their cycle of use. With nearly 150 years of experience and quality craftsmanship, Solovair’s Urban Hiker Boots will not let you down.

ESSENTIAL INTRODUCTIONS THRUDARK

WORDS JAI MCINTOSH

THRUDARK

As outerwear continues to evolve, the need for clothing to be able to function within the most extreme environments at all times is now a necessity. It has always been understood that clothing and equipment is the first line of defence. Louis Tinsley and Staz, former Special Forces now Co-Founders of ThruDark, are making it their mission to push clothing to the absolute limit. I sat down with the both of them in their Thrudark freight container to dig beneath the surface of one of the world’s toughest clothing brands.

JAI Before we introduce the brand, I wanted to ask, to what extent has the idea and reality of exploration played a part in your lives both personally and professionally?

LT For me, exploration is looking to see what is on the horizon. If you spend all your time looking at your feet you’re not going to be able to see as much. We have always had our eyes on the horizon.

ST On an individual level, exploring my personal development and growth as well as being in the outdoors pushing myself physically and mentally is something I love. Professionally, pre-ThruDark, we were within the Special Forces, physically exploring different areas, different climates, pushing ourselves to the limit and beyond. This mentality has helped us with Thrudark as we apply this mentality with everything we do.

JAI Who are ThruDark?

LT We are an aspirational high performance outerwear brand. Staz and I are very lead-from-the-front. We wanted to inspire other people to get outside and to do things out of the ordinary. Not only that, but to do it to the best level they possibly can and beyond. It is that relentless pursuit of excellence which is something bred into you in the Special Forces, always looking to improve on the day before.

JAI Louis has previously stated “As UK Special Forces Operators, we were equipped with the highest specification kit and clothing for the operation at hand. That said, we were always critical of the way it performed and we are at the forefront of developing it to meet our demands”. What criticisms did you have with the kit and clothing you had and how are ThruDark amending these issues?

LT In the Special Forces you get the best possible kit. The budget is huge so whatever the lads want, they tend to get it, the Special Forces require that. The best brands we used such as Arc'teryx and others were great but they were not built for the highest level military environments. They were often outdoor jackets with a colour changed and placed in our military environment which meant few brands could provide a product with the durability to stand up to the test and task at hand. Staz and I are hypercritical of every brand; we are always trying to pull things apart and make things better.

ST The very first time Louis and I met back in 2006, we both joined the 40 Commando Royal Marines; we both joined the Bravo Company, and luckily enough, within that company it was us, Ant Middleton, and others still actively serving. Straight away we went out on mountain training exercises; this is a notorious practise within the Royal Marines. It is pretty fucking grim. You’re up to Scotland for two weeks, the military takes the fun out of things, huge backpacks, grim conditions, and the clothing we had was okay, not Special Forces level, but it was fit for purpose.

I was already thinking about how we can make our kit better. Lads were cutting the tops off Arctic socks and stitching them to the wristlets of the jacket for extra layers and protection, adding wire in the hood for greater stability and protection. All these little tricks that we started at the beginning of our career continue until you end up tinkering with all of your gear. I saw this move up another level when I went on the Royal Marine sniper course which just turns you into a fucking massive kit pest. When you’re put in a highly demanding position, you find quite quickly the lads would become quite ingenious in making their kit fit for purpose, so we knew we had to take it to the highest level possible. These experiences birthed ThruDark.

JAI It states on the ThruDark website “We ruthlessly test and critique all products ourselves making no compromise on performance. That’ll do, will never do”. What does the process of garment testing involve?

LT When we started the company we were doing everything. We wanted to learn more about the step-by-step production and post-production process as every stage was crucially important. Due to us being so involved for so long, we were and are now able to critique every aspect of the design and production process which is uncommon in other brands who shift a product between various departments. That is why our kit is so good because of our experiences and involvement. Out of all the kit I have ever had, I have broken pretty much all of it because we push our kit to the furthest extent. We do this to work out how to stop this happening, which makes our clothing better.

ST To caveat that, it comes back to the credibility aspect. What gives us the right to critique and ruthlessly test our own clothing? Well, we have been in the fucking craziest places all over the world and we know exactly what is needed. If the kit does not perform right, we fucking bin it off. We are constantly evolving, looking for new materials, zips, new pulls, everything. Some of the things we get initially we love but after testing for years, we find that other materials work much better.

We go on expeditions with ThruDark to test things consistently but things circle back to the quote there, ‘That’ll do will never do’, this is what we stick to. We would rather have ten outstanding, ruthlessly tested products, over a larger but slightly lower quality product range.

JAI ThruDark incorporates Dyneema, Pertex Quantum Pro, C-Change, Coldblack, and The Cohæsive™ System clothing technologies all to enhance performance. Where do the ideas to utilise these clothing technologies come from and to what extent do you believe this attention to detail separates you from the competition?

LT It is really difficult to get a foot in this arena of outerwear, especially when you start out being the little dogs. From the offset, Staz and I said we don’t give a fuck about the margins, stopped worrying

about the finances and focused on getting the gear right, that was fundamental. If materials are expensive, it is what it is. We start at the top and stay there.

ST It starts and finishes with a quality product that in itself will sell. We are obsessed with materials, technologies, always looking to innovate. We are always looking to improve, we joke by calling ourselves "fabric pullers" because we are just obsessed with getting things to the highest level.

LT Pretty much all of the top range clothing in this field uses these fabrics, but we just use them in different ways, different places, and in greater quantities. We would always be told we are crazy using super expensive material as a jacket liner for example, but we don’t scrimp on anything. It has to be the best.

ST In the early days, we were economical in terms of using fabric to make sure we are not wasteful. We like to be economical and clever about fabric selection and making sure that, whatever we decide to use, it is utilised in the best way.

JAI Which product was the first to instil in you the belief that the clothing you make is of the highest quality and popularity?

LT Staz and I still joke about this to this day. We released our first Arctic Parka in the middle of summer. It was built like a tank and had gone through over ten different design stages as we kept pushing it back to ensure it was of the very highest quality. Poor timing to release it perhaps, but for us that was the start of everything we do now.

ST That was the very first thing we did and I completely agree with Louis. We planned to launch in December but we had to get it right. For me, the best thing we have made is the summit suit. If you look at where we are as a business, we are still in our infancy in the grand scheme of things. We don’t often stop and pat ourselves on the back but a few years ago we had two summit suits standing on top of the world on the summit of Everest. For us it was like, fucking hell, we can create clothing that looks good, is functional, and can take you to the top of the world.

JAI Everyone is talking about Nims Purja’s incredible 14 Peaks film, but how significant was Nims achievement for ThruDark?

ST We work very closely with Nims developing a suit fit for purpose. Not only a suit that can hit one 8000m peak, he needed a suit to crank out 14 peaks in 7 months, which is unheard of. We needed to look at the durability, incorporating all of those materials above in certain places to make it the very best it can be.

LT When you look at what Nims has done, it is inconceivable. If you know anything about mountaineering, the mind boggles. He could have done it in different kit because he is simply outstanding. For us, it was the case of making his life less painful whilst he was undertaking this task. The last thing you want to worry about when you’re on the side of the world’s biggest mountains is poor kit. You need confidence in your kit to focus on the task at hand. We didnt help him climb the mountain, but having bomb-proof kit allowed him to just focus on the task.

ST I think him having the capacity to come down to ThruDark, put pen to paper, and design with us - which no other company was doing - before anyone knew who Nims was, really built that connection between us and him. We also had the same thing with Hari Budha Magar, a double above the knee amputee, who was being rejected by bigger companies alongside Nims. These projects meant something to us; if we have the capability and capacity to help someone, we should definitely do that.

We made bespoke suits for both individuals' needs, Hari first and then Nims. The time and the resources were crazy, but we had to do it. From a factory point of view, we had to stop production to focus on these bespoke summit suits.

JAI Nims Purja, Jason Fox, Mingma David Sherpa, Hari Budha Magar, Dylan Hartley, and Victoria Pendleton are all brand ambassadors. What characteristics and achievements do you look at when deciding who can become a brand ambassador?

ST We have a great network of people, and they all offer something incredible. Foxy had a huge social platform which was a real boost to us in the start. Leaving the cloak and dagger world of the Special Forces and learning how to use Instagram was a steep learning curve. We have supported these people and they, in turn, support us.

There are a lot of parallels between elite sports stars and military people as you attach so much of your identity to the thing you do. When you leave, you feel lost and you have to build things up and realise you have to utilise your skills and transfer them into new professions. That is how we are able to build mutual respect between athletes and military people.

LT I think reputation goes a long way. The careers that we had and these guys have had holds some sway with people and it, in a nice way, breeds respect. Due to this, you are able to build a network of like minded people who believe in the brand with us. All of these people have endeavoured through adversity with the same drive and expectation as us. All of our ambassadors have this.

JAI How do you ensure that, as a brand, you're constantly exploring and pushing the limits of clothing as you move into the future?

LT It is just the fire in the belly. The reason Staz and I are the way we are, the relentless pursuit of excellence, is just what we are about. We know we can always improve.

ST We hold ourselves accountable and we are honest. You don’t get to the top of the Special Forces without wanting to consistently improve and be the best you can be. We are incredibly passionate, we love what we do and we want to make sure we are always moving forward in the right direction.

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