With nothing but a cryptic tweet that revealed only its name, NIKE this week opened applications for a new immersive experience called the TECH PACK ARMOURY.
Situated on Bateman Street, Soho, the Tech Pack Armoury promises to demonstrate the capabilities of Nike’s most winter-ready footwear and apparel collection through a number of different simulation rooms. Upon entry we were fitted with a Tech Fleece Aeroloft jacket, which combines the lightweight comfort of Tech Fleece with a laser-perforated 800-fill down body, as well as a pair of Flyknit Trainer Chukka Sneakerboots.
The experience begins with the Winter Chamber, a temperature controlled room that houses a snow booth and gives you the chance to test the heat retention qualities of the Aeroleoft Jacket. Indeed we felt fully protected against the elements as a flurry of faux snow was blasted at us!
Next up was the Rain Room, which, as you can imagine, was designed to showcase the water-resistant properties of the autumn/winter 2015 Sneakerboot lineup. While we had chosen by far the most lightweight silhouette in the Chukkas, the double-layered, wool-woven Flyknit upper still managed to stay watertight, even when subjected to direct downpour in the water curtain.
Finally we moved on to the Weather Tunnel, a heated, enclosed corridor bookended by industrial-scale wind units. A concept at the heart of the new collection is ‘breathable warmth’, therefore a key design element is the addition of laser-cut perforations between the down chambers in the body of the Aeroloft Jacket. This allows excess heat to be driven out thereby keeping you at an optimum temperature and sure enough the feeling of ventilation was noticeable as the wind hit us.
The NIKE TECH PACK ARMOURY is open until 30 OCTOBER 2015, be sure to check out the full collection on the TECH BOOK APP via the link-through below.