Item 2019.109 - Vollebak Graphene-coated Jacket

Identity area

Reference code

2019.109

Title

Vollebak Graphene-coated Jacket

Date(s)

  • 2019 (Creation)

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Item

Extent and medium

1

Context area

Name of creator

Vollebak
(2015-)

Administrative history

Vollebak is a London-based technical outerwear and sportswear brand founded in 2015 by twin brothers Nick and Steve Tidball (b. 1979). They previously worked together in advertising as an art director and copywriter team. This experience has informed the brand’s emphasis on single product launches rather than collections, and garments designed with specific functions or material properties. Designs have included the world’s first graphene jacket, a carbon fibre T-shirt, a solar-charged jacket that stores and re-emits light, a 100-year hoodie and a full metal jacket woven from over 11 kilometres of copper yarn. Time magazine named Vollebak’s solar-charged jacket one of the best inventions of 2018 and their full metal jacket one of the best inventions of 2020. In 2019 Satish Tailor (b. 1972) was appointed head of design, and in 2022 Vollebak received an undisclosed amount from the BFC Venrex Fashion Fund.
Sources: Wired UK.

Repository

Westminster Menswear Archive

Archival history

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Content and structure area

Scope and content

This fully reversible jacket features a hood and a two-way waterproof YKK zip closure at the centre front. All panels are laser-cut and bonded, with seams sealed for added waterproofing. The jacket includes two laser-cut reversible front pockets and a peaked hood with an elasticated drawcord at the hem edge. An adjustable drawcord at the waist allows for a custom fit, while extra underarm panelling enhances articulation, complemented by welded eyelets for ventilation. The cuffs are laser-cut and bonded, with all seams taped for durability.
Size: M
Country of Manufacture: Portugal.

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      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      Printed onto grey Graphene side: VOLLEBAK / GRAPHENE JACKET / MADE IN PORTUGAL / M / The inside of the jacket is constructed from a water-resistant Graphene membrane combined with Polyurethane. The jacket's outer face is built from 85% Polyamide and 15% elastane.
      Materials:
      Side A - graphene and polyurethane membrane
      Side B - 85% nylon, 15% elastane
      Weight: 370g

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      Note

      Invisible Men exhibition label:

      GRAPHENE JACKET
      Vollebak
      2019

      Discovered in 2004, graphene is the lightest, strongest, most conductive material ever found and is only a single atom thick. It has incredible heat-absorbing properties, can conduct electricity, repel bacteria, and dissipate the body’s excess humidity. Made by Vollebak, this is the world’s first jacket made from the notoriously difficult-to-manufacture material.

      Graphene, polyurethane, nylon, elastane
      Archive no. 2019.109

      Note

      Technical characteristics: Fabric is heat conductive and heat retaining. Waterproof to 10,000mm. Breathability rating: RET 12 (very breathable). Graphene membrane is bacteriostatic, anti-static, certified non-toxic and hypoallergenic. Windproof. Four way stretch to the fabric.

      Note

      Jacket from second release in June 2019. The first release by Vollebak in August 2018 sold out.

      Note

      From Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive:

      GRAPHENE-COATED JACKET
      Vollebak
      2019
      In 2004, Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov at the University of Manchester first isolated and synthesized graphene, a single-layer nanomaterial with extraordinary properties. Their work earned them the Nobel Prize in physics in 2010 and saw them knighted in the 2012 New Year’s Honours for services to science. Graphene is the first 2D material in the world and is one million times thinner than a single human hair. It is the world’s lightest and strongest transparent material that is also electrically and thermally conductive. It has incredible heat-absorbing properties, conducts electricity, repels bacteria and dissipates excess body moisture. This
      jacket by Vollebak was the first in the world to be coated with the notoriously difficult-to-manufacture material.
      Graphene, Polyurethane, Nylon, Elastane
      Archive no. 2019.109

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