Sierra Designs Vintage Range

The 60/40 parka is an iconic piece of outdoor clothing, having been pioneered by several mountaineering brands in the 1970s. Donned famously by the supercool Robert De Niro in The Deer Hunter, these parkas have inspired numerous contemporary jackets. Yet despite their huge influence it remains remarkably difficult to get your hands on one of them.

Perhaps the greatest of all of the brands who produced these parkas back in the day is Sierra Designs, a label which has been producing clothing as far back as 1965. While their popularity has faded stateside they are huge in Japan where fantastic parkas are still being produced and lapped up by the style obsessed Japanese. These parkas are impossible to buy outside of Japan so either have to be imported (at a very expensive cost) or a vintage number can be found on eBay from time to time.

Sounds difficult, you say?

It is.

Perhaps it isn't very surprising that these 60/40 parkas (interestingly actually 58% cotton and 42% nylon but rounded for convenience) are no longer being produced. All things considered the likes of Sierra Designs, Woolrich and REI are not fashion labels. They specialise in and cater to an outdoors market which wants the best and most functional materials to be used in their jackets. 60/40, while no doubt fantastic at the time, is no longer the best out there because like everything else materials evolved. There are better mixes out there for doing the job.

However very few (if indeed any) of the new jackets released by these brands to the North American and European markets actually look anywhere near as good as 60/40 parkas released in their heyday. It is because of this that, having been in contact with someone working at Sierra Designs, I was delighted to hear that Sierra Designs are going to be unveiling a new 'Vintage' range of clothing in which a 60/40 parka will feature. I was assured that the quality and style of the new jackets will not be compromised on and so I look forward to seeing this range when it is released. Fingers crossed that they will look as good as the originals and that I will be able to get my hands on an iconic piece of outerwear.