It was a big day at Polaris HQ last week. A BIG DAY. After well over a year of talking, designing, sewing, tweaking, factory visits, and sometimes starting all over again, a box of final samples on some core product arrived in Derbyshire.
We were excited, but to be honest there was more than a little trepidation in the air. It’s nearly two years since we all sat down for the first Polaris rebirth meeting. That’s a long time when you’re frothing to get properly going with a project. Enough time for a lot of “so what IS happening with Polaris then?”.
To be truthful, it’s been a bit of an epic since we all met up to throw our favourite riding gear into the ring for discussion. Core designs included, base layers, jerseys, MTB shorts, cargo bibs, trousers, tights, gilets, gloves, socks and maybe even a dry robe just to wind up the haters.
We made a commitment to real world performance fabrics, features that worked, and designs that layered perfectly to make each piece as versatile as possible. We wanted a suitably muted, natural look to underline that we were targeting real world MTB and Gravel riders, not Shoreditch fashionistas. All at a price that would properly surprise people, even in a sea of discounted over-ordered stock.
And so, we began to develop our range. But as swatches and samples dribbled back with some bits right but other bits wrong. Enough to be hopeful, but often with fabrics, fit, finish, or quality not quite there, we began to get a little disheartened. Don’t get us wrong, we’re no spring chickens, in industry experience, …. or age. We’ve decades in cycling knowledge as a collective, centuries probably. But we’ve never been involved in a project that was truly “ours”. In previous lives we’d have been pressured to launch even if things weren’t quite right. But not this time, not with “our” Polaris. There are no venture capitalists circling above, pressuring us to forget our principles. If the fabric started to lose elasticity on the seventh hour of an eight-hour downpour, it wasn’t the right fabric for us. We switched suppliers, upended designs, cloths, and constructions but progress was slow: sometimes two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes just two steps back. The stuff was good, but it wasn’t outstanding. It wasn’t what we wanted Polaris to be.
But now, after countless rounds of sampling, we know we have progress! We’re working with fabric mills and a factory for premium brands like 7mesh, MAAP and Fjallraven. Not an easy place to get in with. But once we got there, it didn’t take long for things to feel totally right. We were never going to be massive, but we’ve got a huge depth of experience and a passion to do things properly and that clearly connected with them. The fabrics and features they could offer fitted perfectly with the Polaris vision and now we’d genuinely pick Polaris to ride in out of any of the other kit on the market. Not only were expectations now super high, but the factory is located much, much closer to home. Developing products with a factory is so much easier in the sewing room rather than on a screen.
There was still a real fizz of anticipation in the air as we pretended to wait casually in the office for the samples to arrive. To be fair, we already had plenty of positives to talk about. Production merino winter socks and dry robes had already arrived. In fact, GuyKes had come down to combine the sample meeting with an action shoot with Mark and he confirmed they’re proper fat, fluffy and instantly cosy in exactly the way you want winter kit to be. The new 3 season gloves are great too and all of these bits are ready to order on the website. The MTB shorts and trousers are on the way soon.
But it was this sample box that was getting everyone properly excited, and when it arrived it was a mix of apprehension and feeding frenzy. While designer Ben, Product Manager Tom, and Barry already had a very good idea what to expect, the reveal was a proper shock to the rest of us. Is that distinctive tufted inner fleece on the front and shoulder panels of that gilet actual Polartec Alpha? The benchmark ultralight but ultra effective fast wicking fabric first developed for the Special Forces? That micro grid fleece backer on the jersey material looks really familiar and feels fantastic too. And DAMN, the cloth spec of those cargo bibs is proper blow-your-bank-account boutique with bib straps, a sculpted pressure relief insert and stealth reflective detailing. Tops came off faster than a HYROX comp as we swapped samples to see how they felt and fitted. Top spec zips were pulled, practical improvements on classic pockets were rummaged around in and clever shoulder cuts and articulated arms were appreciated as we crouched and tucked to mimic bike fit. Stash straps for attaching packed down jackets and gilets were declared better than the ‘bra strap’ elastic originals thanks to proper adjustable snaplock buckles that double up as key clips. The more we rummaged, tried on, and swapped around the more the buzz in the office built into massive grins. This kit was truly next level and something we were all gagging to get out and hit the trails and roads in as soon as possible.
For now, though it’s time to get the tapes out and check measurements for sizing and double check details for QC or any last phase changes. We also need to plot the copy and content for the website. Because just like the quality of the clothes, we want the buying experience to be the best possible in terms of honesty, easy use and getting you in the right gear.
What we can say right now with absolutely no doubt, is that after all the sweat, swearing, switching around, and starting again of the past two years, the wait has been totally worth it.
Polaris Bikewear is back and it’s going to blow the bloody doors off.
