ENGINEERED GARMENTS X NANGA - RELEASING 11.18.22

Engineered Garments introduces its first collaboration with Nanga, a Japanese down goods manufacturer. For years, Engineered Garments' designer Daiki Suzuki wanted to create down-filled mountaineering gear but needed more capable production facilities. This project realizes that dream, matching Engineered Garments' unique perspective with Nanga's exceptional production standards to create a series of refined, high-tech products. 

This collection features classic Engineered Garments silhouettes, retooled with down technology, and a specially-made Sleeping Bag, Futon Cover, and Pocketable Eco Bag.

The Field Down Vest reinterprets the Engineered Garments Field Vest - a quintessential design inspired by lightweight, down-filled vests made by American outdoor companies like Sierra Designs and Camp 7. Here, the Field Vest returns to its down-filled roots with slightly larger proportions. This additional volume accentuates the items' array of 3-D pockets, snap buttons, and drawcords and gives the vest enough versatility to wear under a coat or over a blazer. Available in Khaki, Black and Navy.

The Snow Over Parka is related to the Engineered Garments Over Parka, a military-inspired pullover parka. This unusual design features a high button collar, a long zipper along the back, and an extendable lower panel constructed from fire-resistant Takibi fabric for cold nights close to the campfire. A prime example of Engineered Garments' distinctive approach, this unique item is striking, stylish, and functional. Available in Khaki, Black and Navy.

In addition to outerwear pieces, Daiki designs an Aurora Light Sleeping Bag and Futon Cover that features a patchwork of classic hiking gear colors - blue, red, cream, brown, purple, and tan. Finally, a Pocketable Eco Bag with Nepenthes New York branding is available in Navy.  

Nanga's adherence to craft and function make the company a natural fit for this project, which has been in the works for over a year. All of these products are manufactured in Japan, and the Snow Overparka, Field Down Vest, and Sleeping Bag are constructed from Nanga's proprietary Aurora Light fabric, a waterproof nylon material Nanga developed to be ultra-light (15 denier). These three items have Nanga's UDD DX, a 770FP down sourced from European White Ducks and processed with resin, allowing moisture vapor to permeate without absorbing water.

 

This collaboration leverages Nanga's decades of experience and attention to detail to facilitate the form and function of Engineered Garments' vision. These products sacrifice neither design nor performance. The Engineered Garments x Nanga collaboration will release on November 18th, 2022, in-store and online at nepenthesny.com.

Product Specifications:

Snow Over Parka 
Made in Japan
Outer Material: Aurora Light (15 denier Nylon) / Takibi
Inner Material: 40 denier Nylon Taffeta
Down: UDD DX - Spanish Duck Down/ Feather: 90%/10% (Water-repellent Finish)
Fill Power: 770FP
Total Down: 150g

 

Field Down Vest
Made in Japan
Outer Material: Aurora Light (15 denier Nylon)
Inner Material: 40 denier Nylon Taffeta
Down: UDD DX - Spanish Duck Down/ Feather: 90%/10% (Water-repellent Finish)
Fill Power: 770FP
Total Down: 80g

 

Aurora Light Sleeping Bag
Made in Japan
Outer Material: Aurora Light (15 denier Nylon)
Inner Material: 15 denier Ripstop Nylon
Down: UDD DX - Spanish Duck Down/ Feather: 90%/10% (Water-repellent Finish)
Fill Power: 770FP
Total Down: 620g
Total Weight: 1,100g
Length: Long (up to 185cm)
Internal structure: Trapezoidal box quilt construction
Comfortable use temperature/minimum temperature: -4°C / -11°C

 

Futon Cover
Material: 100% Cotton

 

Pocketable Eco Bag
Material: 20 Denier Ripstop Nylon

Nanga Brand History

The story of mountaineering is one of constant innovation. The mystery and danger of mountains are an eternal point of fascination for humanity. Since Prehistoric waterproof leather shoes and layers of warm sheepskin, humans have striven to conquer these hostile climes. 

Mountaineering was formalized as a sport in the late 1700s when Horace Bénédict de Saussure of Geneva offered a reward to the man who could summit the shimmering peak of Mont Blanc. For the next two hundred years, innovations arrived as explorers chased higher and higher heights. First, Europeans like Oscar Eckenstein and Vitale Brimani created crampons and Vibram rubber lug soles. After World War II, innovation moved to North America, where free-thinking outdoors enthusiasts developed clothing and sleeping bags from synthetic materials. The third wave of interest occurred in Japan during the 1980s, sparking further technological development.

Nanga was founded in 1941 as Yokota Sewing, near Mount Iwaku in Maibara, Japan, and grew to become one of the country's largest manufacturers of futons - traditional Japanese bedding made of thin mattresses and quilts. In 1988, amidst a skyrocketing demand for outdoor goods in Japan, the company leveraged its skill in creating heat-retaining Japanese kotatsu to begin manufacturing sleeping bags, subcontracting for a more prominent manufacturer. 

Japan's economic downturn in the early 1990s led to a decrease in demand and offshoring of most Japanese companies' production. Nanga, however, continued to produce all of its products in Japan. They developed a highly waterproof and moisture-permeable proprietary material, Aurora Latex, and sourced their filling from the only down manufacturer in Japan. Nanga emphasizes durability and even repairs damaged sleeping bags via their permanent warranty.

This dedication to quality propelled the company to success, and in 1995 they changed their name to Nanga, after Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world. Nicknamed the "Killer Mountain," its notoriously challenging peaks represent the company's commitment to excellence, regardless of the difficulty. 

Since the introduction of its first Aurora down jacket in 2002, Nanga has expanded to produce an array of high-tech outdoor gear built for the toughest of conditions. The company continues to manufacture its products in Japan, valuing quality above all else.