For those of you curious to see what becomes of the MINI Motion line of products, it looks like we now have our answer (from MINI USA Press):
>Who waits to seize the moment? Urban adventurists make their own moments happen and need stylish, functional apparel that can keep the pace. Designed by Yves Behar of fuseproject in collaboration with DDC lab NY and MINI USA, the new MINI Motion apparel line combines cutting edge new materials with contemporary functional needs.
>Drawing inspiration from both MINI’s fun yet functional design and life in and outside the car, MINI USA introduces its second MINI Motion collection ranging from apparel with hi-tech features to accessories and luggage designed to create a seamless connection to life in constant motion.
>The Unisex Wax Jacket, Climate Control Jacket and the Hypa T are a mix of urban chic and rugged versatility. Each piece is manufactured using a patented technology to produce unique fabrics with thermal, moisture-wicking properties geared for today’s on-the-go lifestyle.
>In addition to hi-tech fabrics, each piece in the MINI Motion collection features an inner pocket that holds an iPod, MP3 player or a cell phone so adventurers can remain connected and entertained every step of the way. Each garment also features a pass-through for MP3 or cell phone headset wires.
>This combination of stealth built-in functional features and style keeps travelers comfortably in motion- whether on foot, behind the wheel, in the air, or on the subway.
>MINI Motion is the signature collection of products introduced in 2003. Created from the energy and heritage of the distinctive MINI brand, MINI Motion defines the concept of ‘urban connected travel,’ featuring products that integrate the simple, everyday needs of travel inside and outside the car.
>Here are the latest additions to the second MINI Motion collection:
>Unisex Wax Jacket ($298) – With soft cotton inside and coated polyurethane on the outside, this jacket is the perfect marriage of natural and manmade materials. The fabric’s special coating gives it a “memory” that holds creases, giving the garment its distinctive lived-in appearance. The Unisex Wax Jacket is waterproof and features zippers along forearms and sides of the body to provide added flexibility and air flow when the adventure heats up.
>Climate Control Jacket (Men’s: $240; Ladies’: $235) – With a material that is neither knit nor woven, the jacket’s fabric is made from millions of polyethylene micro fibers that are exploded randomly, then specially reassembled to produce a super-resilient material, with a unique appearance and feel. The fabric’s unconventional structure allows it to breathe and wick moisture and is so resistant to compression that its thermal properties remain high even under stress. Random shading and subtle color changes have been engineered into the fabric giving it a unique distinctive look.
>Hypa T (Men’s Pullover $170; Ladies’ Zip-up $170; Ladies’ V-Neck $90) – The Hypa T combines specially treated high-density polyethylene fibers (more traditionally known as Tyvek®) with the same patented technology used for the Climate Control Jacket. Hypa T’s incredible stretch level and recovery, its advanced moisture wicking properties and its strategically placed venting eyelets is the perfect garment to help make long journeys more comfortable.
>Additional offerings to the second MINI Motion collection will debut in early 2006 and include the functional three-piece luggage set featuring a weekend bag, horizontal and vertical lap top cases created with a sleek, compact design for easy transport, but with ample space for the avid adventurer’s MINI Motion gear. A revamped MINI Motion watch will incorporate new details along with familiar features including the unique open wristband design that stays on the wrist without a fastener and the innovative LCD display allowing for horizontal or vertical viewing of the time, ideal for life in constant motion.
MINI USA Press
As soon as humanly possible, we’ll have the whole line available on our site (www.outmotoring.com) in the Driver Gear section. As an avid design enthusiast and Industrial Designer I can’t wait to see this stuff in person.
I’m still trying to locate a pair of mens size 9 shoes.
Thanks Aaron – looking forward to it!
Hi Gabe,
Sounds fascinating! Do you have pictures?
Is it just me or does the Hypa T look like a straight jacket? …yet another reason to have AT.
Can you say…………..C-H-E-R-N-O-B-L-E. I’d have to see this stuff in person to really comment, again with the miniscule MINI branding, not saying it needs to scream MINI logo’s Gabe but gimme a break, yeah I know he’s some major designer but……., offhand I’d give most of it a BRONX CHEER!
But as always……TEHO.
Seems a bit pricey for these items to me…
Uh, yah. $90 for a t-shirt?! I’m betting these people are the same ones dropping 1.2Gs for a Bluetooth kit.
<blockquote>Uh, yah. $90 for a t-shirt?! I’m betting these people are the same ones dropping 1.2Gs for a Bluetooth kit.</blockquote>
I don’t think these products are really aimed at the people who come to the dealer for an oil change and decided to buy a shirt. These items will typically be offered in boutiques that have little or nothing to do with the MINI brand. That’s why they’re so attractive to certain people. They were created by an excellent designer, and launched under one of the most recongnizable brands, yet they stand on their own as products. They don’t have any need scream MINI unlike the standard Motoring Gear collection.
Umm, you have got to be kidding.
Great products, until you see the prices. They must be made of gold, no wait, petroleum!
I am astonished what the charge for a t-shirt, for Pete’s sake, let alone the jacket. I hope NONE of you actually buys any of these items.
Send them a message—”Your items are too expensive”!!! Join me.
“The fabric’s special coating gives it a “memory†that holds creases” and “specially treated high-density polyethylene fibers”
Translation: wrinkly TYVEK jacket. Do these trendy people know that people usually use this stuff to wrap a house during construction? I’m going to Home Depot to get some material to make a jacket, it will have the TYVEK logo real big on the back.
But hey… TEHO…
pricy? are you kidding? have you bought a jacket recently, a good one? $300 is NOT a lot for a jacket, regardless who designed it or what brand it carries.
Got the car. Don’t need the apparel.
You can go buy a windproof, waterproof Gore-Tex fleece jacket for $150, at any number of locations, without having to search hard.
Double that price for a MINI boutique jacket? No way.
You CAN buy a better jacket for much less money…
I suppose if you can afford it, its always worth it 🙂 I’ve heard lots of friend say “for the money you paid for the MINI, you could have bought this this or that”, I guess its the same with these clothing.
I have the MINI, I think thats good enough 🙂 Nice looking clothes though!
i just searched North Face & Patagonia and the median price for outerwear is north of $250; Kenneth Cole, J. Crew, & Banana Republic, well above that.
Matt, if you’re looking for Christmas gifts I’ll take a <a href="http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=NA&model=ASL7" rel="nofollow">North Face STH Jacket</a> in Zinc grey and XL please. Or I could definitely see myself in that grey jacket at the top of that page. But email me first… I think I can get you a deal on that one 😉
😀
Two words for ya, Matt: [Old Navy](<a href="http://www.oldnavy.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.oldnavy.com/</a>). 😉
What is that… like my six year old Navy Pea Coat?
hey! i wear a Pea Coat, granted it’s a vintage 60yr old official US Navy issue, but c’mon, there’s nothing wrong with a Pea Coat! 🙂
blalor – two words for you: Chinese sweatshop.
lol, yea made in china , but cloth made in Italy!
-alpinamike
Take your pick, petsounds. Cheap sweatshop-produced goods, or expensive sweatshop-produced goods. The North Face, the Gap, Old Navy, Nike; they’re all [exploiting workers](<a href="http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:x22T2PgLGZEJ:mondediplo.com/2005/08/06bangladesh+%22old+navy%22+%22north+face%22+worker+exploitation&hl=en&client=safari" rel="nofollow ugc">http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:x22T2PgLGZEJ:mondediplo.com/2005/08/06bangladesh+%22old+navy%22+%22north+face%22+worker+exploitation&hl=en&client=safari</a>).
My point was that you can dress for less, not that one company is less exploitative than another. Maybe for ’06 I’ll try to take a little more interest in the world around me.
<blockquote>Matt, if you’re looking for Christmas gifts I’ll take a North Face STH Jacket in Zinc grey and XL please. Or I could definitely see myself in that grey jacket at the top of that page. But email me first… I think I can get you a deal on that one ;-)text</blockquote>
Yeah, Matt I’ll take the same in XXL, but the sleeves will still be an inch short.
Oh, and the color or RED.
Thanks.:)
I agree – bloody expensive. No excuse at all for these prices.
GAWD….I love these apparel chats……Pea Coat saved my butt when I was AWOL back in 1969……thanks Gabe………R……….
….the pricing on the older Motion jacket was way out of line, but this new stuff is not THAT overpriced. If you look at lines like PUMA, Northface, etc, etc. …even Nordstroms. Even a decent jacket at J-Crew is in the $200’s and sometimes in the 300’s.
This line appears to in line with the technical innovation and material selection from the more exclusive brands. So, as much as I would love to see some more moderately priced stuff, MINI has clearly tried to push the Motion line out of the comfort zone of the mass market consumers.
It’s nice to see the line continue, but it would have been nice to see something other than cold weather gear….it’s about 3 months too late to introduce a winter line and get momentum for the season…
I hope some more shirts and other stuff pop up shortly.
What you have to realize is that what you’re getting isn’t something to the effect of a jacket you’d buy at J.C. Penney or Famous Barr. It IS the equivalent of what you’d buy at from North Face. It’s much much much better material made for exactly what it says it is. I’m a photojournalist, and I’ve had to shoot A LOT of assignments in the rain, snow, elements in general. The cheapest jacket I have was $150, and I rarely use it. I usually use a more expensive North Face jacket. So, take into consideration that that most of this outer wear is functional. I’m thinking about purchasing a Hypa T jacket when I can rack up the bucks. If you need it, and will actually use it as it’s intended, it’s well worth the price tag. If you don’t, then stick J.C. Penney.